A study of the impact the current global economic crisis is having on the gambling industry was recently conducted by the UK office of PricewaterhouseCoopers Int’l Ltd.

While gambling blogosphere junkies expressed shock at the results, what I was more shocked by is the fact that people were shocked.

What were those results? In short, games like bingo, slots and lotteries have been almost unaffected. In fact, there’s been an upturn in the online play of all three. High stakes games, on the other hand, have taken a serious hit. Poker, Craps and Roulette tables are experiencing record low attendance, both online and on land.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be.

First of all, Bingo is a near sport for some. My Sister-in-Law, for example, plays so many online bingo cards at once she’s developed a condition I like to call Frown Syndrome. Its symptoms are mild and reversible with treatment and/or botox (the latter for the deep vertical grooves that have formed between her eyes on account of squinting 18 hours a day to clearly read the 36 bingo cards spread across her desktop). In any case, the point is that the game is popular and an economic recession won’t change that.

Secondly, Lotteries and Slots are Hope Games, upon which people who are nearly hopeless bestow their remaining shreds of hope. Naturally, in times of crisis, as the number of people losing hope increases, so too does participation in activities whose “hope factor” remains high.

Sure, maybe only 1 in a bazillion people wins that million dollar prize. But it could be you. And that, of course, is way more likely than the when-hell-freezes-over odds on the bank stopping your home’s foreclosure, your boss giving you back your job, and your credit card collections agent calling it even.

And finally, with regard to high stakes poker and table games like Roulette and Craps… Think about it. Who plays those games? I know I’ve never seen a guy with a tool belt escorted to the VIP room, or an off duty parking attendant sitting behind the velvet rope. The “classy” section of the casino is reserved for movie stars, international oil magnates and businessman, and while the movie star might not feel the heat of a global economy in flames, the latter two most definitely do. Hence the drop off in high stake game participation.

All will even out once we’re all back on our feet. Until then, it’s nice to know that the high-rollers have to play with $50,000 versus $5 million dollar chips while the rest of us hang on for our financial lives.

In my opinion, it is very difficult to successful at the American game of Roulette because of the fact that every bet you make places you at a disadvantage. The advantage is to the house, since there are 37 numbers, while the payoff is only 35:1. Sure, if you scatter the board recklessly with plays on numbers without any rationale for the betting sequence, you’re bound to win on a number or two. However, you’ll be losing each and every hand that you play because of the fact that you’re betting against yourself. If you bet $5 on the #36 and it comes up, you win 5x $35 which equals $175. But, if you scatter bets all over the Roulette board, you need to subtract those losses from your winnings. So, instead of winning at 35-1 odds, you win was only at 17-1 odds at most.

The American version has an extra space on its wheel which further reduces your odds for success. I play and win on the game of American roulette by betting two numbers straight and a column bet on each role. My hunches have been working quite well.

My advice is that you must give your hunch numbers time enough to materialize at the Roulette wheel.  I can’t begin to tell you how many times I ignored the sign of a significant number during the course of a day, and neglected to play it that evening online in the Roulette room of my favorite casino website.  There are signs, ladies and gentlemen, that we just can’t ignore.

For example, let’s say that an old friend calls you on your phone and says that he’ll be in town on the 26th and wants to have lunch with you.  Well, what would prohibit you from visiting your best online casino that evening and engaging in a game of Roulette by betting on the number 26 for 5 consecutive plays?

This is precisely what I am talking about!  Be true to hunches and your hunches will be true to you!  What do you think?
 

I have attempted to implement a variety of strategies over the years.  Over the long haul, none of them resulted in a degree of consistency that I would endorse.  I do have a plan when I play the Roulette wheel, and that is what I offer to you.  If there were a foolproof way of gaining an edge on the house on the Roulette wheel, we all would have known about it by now.  Here are some of my suggestions:

•    Pre-set a budget for yourself and do not deviate from your maximum loss level.
•    Always play an outside bet as a safety net.  The odds on a play of color (red or black) or odd/even number set is an even payoff and can offset some losses while you stay in the game awaiting the big win.
•    When you get hot, increase your bet amounts; when you’re cold, leave the room and come back later.
•    Play your hunches.  If there is a number on a dry cleaning stub, or on a billboard that you pass, or a number just sticks in your head, play it.  If it loses once or twice, stay on it with a minimum wager.  After a few games, if it hasn’t come up, play it and play it with some certainty.
•    Don’t blame the wheel if you have a poor day.  After a half dozen losses, get out of that room while you’re still within your budget.

While these strategies will not guarantee you successes at the Roulette wheel, they will bring a degree of planning and caution to your Roulette play.

These practice games will give you a taste of what real casino action is like.  Furthermore, you’ll be able to work on some betting patterns that are comfortable for you.  The last thing you’ll discover is that the wheel has no memory, neither long term nor short.   The wheel doesn’t care what number came up last time, last week, last month or last year. 

If you start to play online Roulette and begin to experience a rather unlucky stretch of play, do not blame the wheel!  Just leave the online Roulette area and try your luck in another gaming area.  Don’t hesitate, though, to return to the Roulette wheel and you’ll find that all your fortune will be good.
 

The Roulette wheels stand proudly in the middle of the casino floor as a symbol of the fairness and equality that exist for all casino patrons who play the games at the parlor.  The Roulette wheel stands just as proudly in the online casino parlors.  We just need to make the proper visualization.  Trust me on this!  The Roulette wheel has been a tradition in casinos since they first opened, and it is always been a popular table at casino parlors on land and at sea. The Roulette wheel in the online casinos is an even more popular stop than in the casino parlors.  People from all over the world enjoy the excitement created by the wheel, and the suspense as the wheel stops and a number emerges is thrilling.  You would think that the people who win consistently on the Roulette wheel have some sort of strategy in their betting maneuvers.  However, I really don’t believe there is one system in Roulette that is superior to all others.

There is no doubt that some patrons win at Roulette more than others.  The wheel has a seductive air about how it operates independently.  It stops where it wants to stop when it feels like stopping.  Asian folks especially enjoy the wheel, and online casino gambling parlors have a large contingent of Asian players enjoying one of their favorite games, Roulette.

There are games with better odds for the players, such as blackjack and poker.  There are some others that have less of a return than the wheel.  However, the wheel symbolizes the freedom of the people to enter the online casino and play whatever games they choose in fairness and equality for all.