I almost gave up roulette forever, after losing my shirt, in about thirty minutes, at the Monte Carlo casino. But not quite!
In the summer of 1975, $2,500 was a heck of a lot of money for a young divorcee, licking wounded pride in Europe. I had this failsafe system, refined on a toy wheel in my Darwin living room, tested at an illegal joint in Queanbeyan and in Hobart. 18; 29, 7, 28 and 12, five consecutive numbers, ante always straight up – potential 35:1 returns. That was it. I walked out of Hobart with several thousand dollars. I didn’t do that on the Riviera!
Forty years later, a work trip took me within taxi distance of what was still branded as Jupiter’s Casino. I frocked up, a tux, hair slicked, $4,000 provided by the bank, and I was at the tables.
I sipped a soda, lime and bitters on my stool. Despite my long abstinence, the sounds, the lust, the intoxicating atmosphere reached for my soul, immediately!
I watched the croupiers across three tables, their handling of the pea, their spin techniques, timing the intervals between staff changes. They changed on the half-hour. OK, on a staff change, me seated, buying in, settling, that would give me twenty-four minutes of play. Three minutes per spin, eight plays.
There was a tall skinny redhead, she had a particular mannerism – she was squeezing the pea into the wheel. It was a consistent foible. I liked that. I watched the Hot/Cold number record: none of my numbers were featured during her 30-minute shift. That was good, better odds into the next 30 minutes! Sixty minutes later, she started a shift on a nearby table. I moved, buying $4,000 of table chips. I was ready.
$100 straight up on each of my five numbers! Three. $100 straight up again on the same numbers. Seven drops in. $3,500 moves across the table to me! The pea then visits Fifteen, then Twenty-One. Twenty-Nine drops in, another $3,500 heads my way. Two hosts the pea, then Seven again, another $3,500. Three drops and the eighth spin: Thirty. I’m on the right side of the ledger!
Staff change and I cash in, retiring to my corner and another SL&B. I deposited $2,500 via their ATM. The remaining house chips, in my jacket pocket, provide a seductive pulse. I wait, enjoying the tangy Lime and Bitters combo. I watch my girl, she returns to a different table, and I move in, buying my $4,000 table chips.
Some people say my system is as boring as batshit. I retort that I am not in the entertainment business! Same numbers, same ante. Three of my numbers in a row, Seven, Twelve, Eighteen, then four numbers drop against me, and with the eighth spin, Twenty-Eight. Mine! Net position $10,000, plus the $6,500 from my earlier foray. Not bad for an evening’s work! I cashed in, deposited the $14,000 into the ATM, had a G&T and left.
I was pre-absorbed with my success as the cab took me back to my Air BnB. I didn’t notice the grey Alfa also leaving Jupiter’s. The cabbie dropped me and left. The Alfa pulled up, two guys got out, casually walked over, ostensibly seeking directions. My mouth was tapped, my hands’ cable-tied, a blindfold secured. I was left in the garden, my wallet lifted and they were on their way!
I arranged replacement cards and bought a new wallet. I told the cops that I thought they were from Jupiter’s! Next day, I flew back to Darwin and I’ve never, ever played the wheel again.