Many people believe that roulette is based on an ancient Chinese board game that involved arranging 37 animal figurines into a magic square with numbers that total 666. The game was discovered by Dominican monks who were deeply involved with all aspects of Chinese life and was later brought to Europe by them, with slight modifications. Has Anybody Beaten Roulette Since Pelayo? Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo is the last person to become famous by beating roulette. If anybody has successfully used wheel bias since Pelayo did in the 1990s, then they’ve done so discreetly. Huxley’s Starburst wheel marked the beginning of the end for roulette advantage players. It Was Developed by a Swiss Genius Who Discovered That Roulette Numbers Always Appear in Sets! Then He Developed a Unique System That Catches Winning Numbers With 99.37% Efficiency! Here Are the Facts – Once you learn Street Smart Roulette you’ll easily win thousands of dollars a day!

Car discovered after men 'playedRussian roulette' with a live military firing exercise in Wiltshire. By Kirsten Robertson kirs10robertson Junior Reporter. See photos images. Skip to next photo. Show caption 1 / 1. Police say they have 'put a stop' to a group of poachers who terrorised rural communities and trespassed onto. The English doctor Thomas Dimsdale was nervous. It was the evening of October 12, 1768, and Dimsdale was preparing the empress of Russia, Catherine the Great, for her procedure.

Wulich […] invited us to sit around in a sign. [We] silently obeyed him […]. It seemed to me that I read the seal of death on his pale face. I noticed [...] that often on the face of a person who is supposed to die in a few hours there is some strange imprint of an inevitable fate [...].

“You will die today!” I told him.

He quickly turned to me, but answered slowly and calmly:

“Maybe, yes, maybe no…” Then, turning to the major, he asked: “Is the gun loaded?” The confused Major did not remember well.

This passage from the classic novel ‘The Hero of Our Time’ by great Russian author Mikhail Lermontov describes a bet between two officers in the Tsar’s army who just had to discover if fate was predetermined or ruled by people.

In the absence of sufficient empirical evidence, the parties turned to a gun and luck, conducting an experiment very similar to what is widely known as ‘Russian Roulette’, a mysterious deadly “game” shrouded in mystery.

Although, to this day, people keep dying as a result of this game, little is known about its origins, as well as how widespread it really is.

Officers’ fun

What’s known for sure about ‘Russian roulette’ is just how popular a reference it is for writers and producers all over the world. Countless plots have been created around this peculiar theme.

One popular theory says that not so famous American author of adventure stories Georges Arthur Surdez first coined the term ‘Russian roulette’ when he published a short story of the same title in Collier’s magazine in 1937.

The fictional story is told by a French soldier, who had a chance to witness how Russian officers — those who had little to lose after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 — used to play ‘Russian roulette’ just about anywhere: “At a table, in a cafe, at friends.”

Strangely, no Russian writer working before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution mentions ‘Russian roulette’ in their fiction prose or biographies. Even the above-mentioned passage by Mikhail Lermontov describes a situation where a single-shot gun was used instead of a revolver (the question there was simply whether it was loaded or empty).

The most widespread revolver in the Russian Empire at the time of the revolution was the seven-shot ‘Nagant’ M1895 revolver. Since writer Surdez’s character describes a six-shot gun in his short story, many question the story’s relation to reality. It might well have been a fictional tale created at the whim of the author’s imagination.

'Nagant' Revolver, Model 1895.

Many other theories claim to reveal the real origin of the deadly game, however none of them have ever been proven with hard evidence. Some believe ‘Russian roulette’ emerged as a way for police to put pressure on captured suspects; others say prison guards used to force inmates to play ‘Russian roulette’ while they were making bets; yet others maintain that ‘Russian roulette’ emerged in the Tsarist army as a relatively “safe” trick that easily impressed onlookers.

Peculiarly, the fictional Russian officers in Surdez’s short story only removed one bullet from the revolver’s cylinder, leaving the other bullets in their chambers. Thus, they greatly reduced their chances of surviving the game. As shocking as it may sound, despite the grave risk the chances to survive ‘Russian roulette’ are relatively high if played with only one bullet.

The math behind the game

‘Russian roulette’ follows the laws of probability theory: A chance that the gun fires increases with every single blank, given there is a fixed number of empty chambers in a revolver’s cylinder and given that the cylinder is not rotated after every shot.

The classic variance of the game is played with a six-shooter, a revolver that has six chambers of which only one contains a bullet. Then, the cylinder is rotated and stopped at random. The game begins when the first player places the barrel against their head and pulls the trigger.

All other things being equal, the probability that the gun will fire starting with the very first attempt is one to six or 16.6 percent; the second — 20 percent, the third — 25 percent; the fourth — 33.3 percent; the fifth — 50%; the sixth shot is always fatal at 100 percent.

In other words, if all five shots are blank, the sixth always fires.

The player who shoots second (if only two players participate in the game) has an advantage: they will not need to shoot if the first one dies.

But if the first player survives, then the chances of survival for the second player are sharply reduced: Now the probability of surviving is 66.6%, in contrast to the 83.3% that the first player had during their first shot, unless the second player spins the revolver cylinder again.

It is always beneficial for any player to spin the cylinder before each shot, because this way they return their chances of survival to the original 83.3%.

'Dead Man's Bluff'

As surprisingly as it sounds, a person who decides to play ‘Russian roulette’ (although we strongly discourage you from doing this!!!) and does so only once is, theoretically, a favorite to survive the game. Only statistically, as in reality, such a trick may cause very gruesome consequences.

Modern modifications

‘Russian roulette’ comes in a great many modifications all over the world. In the Russian city of Perm, for example, locals created non-lethal electronic guns to play a game similar to the classic ‘Russian roulette’.

A Facebook app called ‘Social Roulette’ was once a thing on Facebook: it randomly deleted an account of one out of six users who decided to use the app.

More gruesome instances are known, too. In Cambodia in 1999, three men died after they sat down to play a modified version of ‘Russian roulette’, stepping on an anti-tank mine instead of pulling a revolver’s trigger.

Shockingly, people keep playing the original version of ‘Russian roulette’ today, as multiple cases confirm. For example, one medical research studied 15 cases of death by ‘Russian roulette’ in 2008 alone and compared it to 75 cases of suicide committed outside of the brutal game. Surprisingly, the study found that most victims of ‘Russian roulette’ were African-Americans, whilst white Americans were more likely to be victims of other forms of suicide. A typical portrait of a ‘Russian roulette’ player (in the U.S.), according to the study, is a young unmarried black male.

Another medical study from 1987 found that those people who risked playing ‘Russian roulette’ were significantly less likely to be depressed, but more likely to have a history of drug and alcohol abuse than other victims of suicide.

It’s chilling to realize there are so many cases of ‘Russian roulette’ victims (the number of actual players might be considerably higher) to make medical research feasible.

We might never know the true origin of this deadly game, but we can assume it is most likely much more widespread than we initially thought.

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Roulette isn’t the first game that people envision when they think of beating the casino. Instead, blackjack (card counting), video poker (skill), and poker (also skill) come to mind.

Nevertheless, gamblers used to beat roulette through a technique called wheel bias. The latter enables gamblers to more-accurately predict where the ball lands and bet accordingly.

Wheel bias was once a valid way to beat the house. However, it’s no longer practical thanks to the work of John Huxley.

Who is John Huxley and how did he render advantage play useless? I’ll discuss more on wheel bias, how it works, and why Huxley’s invention has made it all but obsolete.

Who Discovered Roulette Model

What Did Roulette Advantage Play Used to Be Like?

Roulette games used to run on basic wooden wheels. Manufacturers did their best to make these wheels looked polished and elegant.

However, they didn’t take many precautions to make the wheels last. As a result, the wheels experienced wear and tear fairly quickly.

The frets—dividers in between the pockets—were often the first parts to break down. They’d gradually become looser and allow the ball to drop into the corresponding pockets more easily.

The wheel shaft was another part that could become worn down. When a shaft is loose, it causes the wheel to tilt and favor certain pockets.

Usually, these imperfections are impossible to spot with the naked eye. But one can detect wheel bias by observing and recording results.

The vast majority of gamblers back then didn’t realize that roulette games could show bias. However, a few wise players figured this out over time.

Joseph Jager gets credit for being the first gambler to uncover wheel bias. The English engineer travelled to Monte Carlo and made what amounts to several million dollars by finding defective wheels.

Ever since Jagger, several other players have become rich and famous by beating roulette. They all benefited from certain conditions that allowed them to win serious profits.

Roulette Players Who Crushed Casinos With Wheel Bias

Even when armed with knowledge of wheel bias, people need to put lots of work into beating the game. Here are a few individuals who put this work in and won fortunes as a result.

Richard Jarecki

Born in Germany in 1931, Richard Jarecki spent the early part of his life running from Nazis. His Jewish family moved from Germany to the United States to escape persecution.

Jarecki attended Duke University, got married, and moved back to Germany. Here, he continued studying in the medical field en route to becoming a doctor.

While pursuing a medical degree, Jarecki also found time to gamble at European casinos. Throughout the 1960s, Jarecki and his wife began recording results on roulette wheels.

They particularly targeted Sanremo Casino in Italy. Sanremo management would eventually ban Jarecki and describe him as a “menace” to casinos.

They networked with other European casinos to get the word out on Richard Jarecki. But by this time, he had already won $1.2 million, which amounts to $9 million when adjusted for inflation.

Billy Walters

Bill Walters is known first and foremost as a great professional sports bettor. Before he became a betting legend, though, he was a wheel bias master.

Walters worked with other gamblers who were collectively known as the “Computer Team.” In 1986, they started recording roulette results in Atlantic City.

Based on previous research, they knew that the wheel favored 7, 10, 20, 27, and 36. The Computer Team spent the next 38 hours betting on these numbers and winning $3.8 million.

By this point, the Atlantic Club decided to ban the gamblers. However, Walters had already earned enough money to increase his sports gambling bankroll and later become a betting guru.

Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo

Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo is a Spanish music producer. While he’s attained some fame through his music career, Pelayo is more notable for what he’s done in gambling.

The Spaniard gambled quite a bit in the 1990s as a hobby. He especially liked playing roulette for real money at Casino Gran Madrid.

While playing at Casino Gran Madrid, he began speculating that some wheels weren’t completely impartial. So, he recruited his family members to help him record spins.

The family proceeded to win a fortune from Casino Gran Madrid before being banned. Afterward, they took their act on the road and hit other casinos throughout Europe.

All of these casinos gradually identified and banned the Pelayos from their properties. However, Gonzalo and family won €1.5 million before being essentially blacklisted from European casinos.

Who Is John Huxley?

Not much information is available on John Huxley’s life. What is known, though, is that he started a gaming supply company in 1979.

Located in Stoke-on-Trent, TSC Huxley started by supplying card tables, card shufflers, and more to local casinos.

Huxley was the brains behind this operation when it opened. Apparently, he lives a rather private life due to the lack of available info on him.

But his company continues to be one of the most-notable in terms of gaming supply. They not only serve UK casinos, but also many other gambling establishments worldwide.

What Did Huxley Do to Destroy Advantage Gamblers?

In the 1980s, British casinos realized that they were getting decimated by certain roulette players. They looked into the matter and learned that gamblers were using wheel bias against them.

Many of the same casinos would move wheels around at night and/or ban suspected advantage gamblers. These moves proved mildly successful.

However, wheel bias experts still continued to make money. They often identified small marks or other imperfections in a wheel so they could recognize it later.

This way, they didn’t need to worry if wheels switched places at night.

Unlike the common all-wooden wheels at the time, Starburst wheels feature metal frets and pockets. These two changes reduce wear and tear on wheels and minimized bias.

TSC Huxley’s designs have only gotten better since then. This company continues upgrading roulette wheels to make them last longer and be more resistant to bias.

Has Anybody Beaten Roulette Since Pelayo?

Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo is the last person to become famous by beating roulette. If anybody has successfully used wheel bias since Pelayo did in the 1990s, then they’ve done so discreetly.

Huxley’s Starburst wheel marked the beginning of the end for roulette advantage players. Wheels are now much less likely to wear down thanks to the metal pockets and frets.

I’m sure that somebody, somewhere effectively used wheel bias since Pelayo. If they did, though, then they either weren’t as successful or kept a low profile when doing so.

Can You Still Effectively Use Wheel Bias?

If you had a time machine, you could easily go back and beat roulette. Up until the 1980s and 90s, wheels were much more susceptible to bias.

Who Discovered Route To India

However, this situation began changing when British casinos commissioned TCS John Huxley to design better roulette wheels.

The company came up with the Starburst wheel, which doesn’t break down as easily as wooden wheels. Starburst and other variations are now common at many roulette tables worldwide.

Given the prevalence of Starburst wheels, you’re unlikely to beat roulette today. Your only chance to win involves finding the rare casinos that still offer all-wooden wheels.

Of course, you could also try using a roulette computer. These wearable devices help you determine where the ball will land based on the ball’s and wheel’s velocity.

The big problem, though, is that roulette computers are outlawed in every gaming jurisdiction and you could get busted by the casinos for cheating.

Conclusion

Who Discovered Roulette Games

Realistically, roulette is no longer beatable by legal means. The number of wheels that are susceptible to bias have been reduced drastically.

Who Discovered Roulette Wheel

You could always wear a mini computer under your clothes to clock the wheel’s and ball’s velocity. Some companies even sell these computers online.

Who Discovered Roulette Book

However, every jurisdiction has outlawed such devices. This means that you need to break the law to win with a computer.

Your only legal route for winning long-term roulette profits is to find an old wooden wheel. Unfortunately, such wheels are extremely rare these days.

Who Discovered Roulette Sites

You still have a decent chance to win with European roulette (2.70% house edge) or French roulette (1.35%). All you need is a little luck on your side. But the days of you being able to win millions of dollars with wheel bias appear to be gone.