Roulette Odds

Dear Frank:

What would the odds be of hitting the same number in roulette 5 times in a row? This is assuming you could in advance make the bet. I was arguing with my brother. I said it would be 38 times 38 times 38 etc., which are HUGE odds. I know each spin is independant of the last, but this would be in advance of spinning the wheel.

Ron

Dear Ron:

"On July 14, 2000, the number 7 came up six times in a row at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. What are the odds of a given number hitting six times in a row? They are 3,010,936,383 to one! You would expect that the casino would have lost tens of thousands of dollars on people betting such a hot number. Not so. The patrons continued to play as they always did and the casino lost a measly $300 during the record-setting spins. Now that is truly hard to believe! [Barney Vinson, an eyewitness to the "Caesars' Six," writes about it in his book Ask Barney, Bonus Books.)"

I doubt the casinos would book such a bet.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete