The odds against hitting any single number in real money roulette on an American table are 38 to 1, or less than 3%. The odds of you hitting that number on back-to-back spins are more than 1,400 to 1. And the odds of that same number coming up three times in a row are 54,872 to 1 against that happening. But it does happen from time to time, the problem is, no one ever bets on the same number three times in a row, right? Well, while the rules of probability state that you would be wise to make some other wager, the rules of possibility say that it can happen. And one late night when Mack Green, a roulette player and former roulette croupier, was wasting time at a roulette table at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi a few years back, that is exactly what happened. You may not find any advice to bet on the same number three times in any type of roulette betting system that is circulating, but for this lucky player, it was the right move.
No big players were at the table, Mister Green and the croupier, as well as the couple of other players, were barely awake and just going through the motions when a gorgeous brunette stepped up to the table. She was obviously a nervous first-timer, and dropped a $20 bill in front of the croupier. He told her that she should exchange that for four $5 dollar chips, and she sheepishly agreed. Placing three of the other $5 chips in her purse, she placed the fourth on number 36. Mack and the other seasoned roulette players shared a smile, knowing that the odds of hitting this were 38 to 1, and the payout was 35 to 1, giving the house a nice edge.
However, Lady Luck was on this lady's side that night, and 36 was indeed the number that the roulette ball settled on. The croupier asked the novice player if she would like her chips colored up, and she meekly said, "Yes, please." She was given three green $25 chips and one black $100 chip on top of her $5 chip. She placed the $175 in winnings into her purse, let the $5 bet ride on the same number, 36, and Mister Green and the rest of the table knew they were definitely watching a rookie. No way would she beat the 1,444 to 1 odds against her correctly guessing back-to-back numbers, but low and behold, the startled brunette hit again for another $175.
Calmly and quietly, she collected her winnings, placed them into her purse, and let Lady Luck decide her fate once again. At this point the young lady, obviously not knowing anything about odds or probability, was probably just pleased as punch that she had already pocketed $350 in winnings in a couple of minutes. She was no doubt hopping on a plane in the morning to fly back to whatever small town she was from, and had decided to play some low stakes roulette for a little excitement before she left Biloxi.
Incredibly enough, for this third time that the fortuitous female led her $5 bet ride on number 36, no one at the table, including Mister Green, shadowed her play. In roulette, it is a general practice to bet along with someone who is riding an incredible lucky streak, cashing in right along with them. But this did not happen, the wheel seemed to spin forever, and then the ball did exactly what it had been doing the previous two rolls, and stopped in the number 36 slot. No doubt the croupier understood, along with Mack Green, how improbable this was, but he simply turned to the brunette and said, "Very nice." She pocketed her winnings, scooped up her original $5 bet, and headed to the cashier's cage with a smile on her face. Total number of bets - 3. Total money at risk - $5. Total winnings - $525. Not bad for a few minutes of playing an entirely luck-based casino game, and what a great story for her friends back home.
