Books on roulette make the game more enjoyable

7 January 2010

By Howard Schwartz

"Read before you play any game" should be the smart player's motto. When it comes to roulette, reading about the odds, the rules, the various bets is mandatory. Once you understand the game almost as well as those running it, you're ready to have some fun.

Here are four books and what they offer to those who have never played or have some experience but want to learn more.

Norman Squire's How to Win at Roulette ($16, paperbound) was published more than 40 years ago but remains a must-read classic because it contains a mountain of systems for the American or European table. There are methods for the beginner or experienced bettor including the Alembert, Paroli, Martingale and variations, and the work is packed with examples and suggestions. Before writing the book the author was a senior instructor at the School of Croupiers.

Killer Roulette by Carl Sampson ($19.95, paperbound, 202 pages) has a variety of ideas and colorful stories about system players, cheats, how wheels become biased, and the mechanics of manual tracking. Sprinkled throughout the book are anecdotes about Joseph Jaggers, Rashid Khan and the Montgomery Brothers, all considered "roulette legends," who won millions at the tables. The author is a former croupier who worked in the industry for a decade.

Brett Morton's Roulette—Playing to Win ($19.99, paperbound, 270 pages) reviews the Fibonacci, the Labouchere and Revere Labouchere; betting on sequences, betting against the wheel; money management; and the importance of keeping records during and after play. Fascinating stories make the book a gem of an idea generator as well as an enjoyable way to learn the game and experiment developing your own methodology.

Norman Leigh's Thirteen Against the Bank ($16.95, paperbound, 238 pages) is a highly readable classic, originally published in 1976. Whenever this book goes out of print (it has several times), roulette aficionados seem to suddenly clamor for its return. It would make a great movie. No one's sure if this is a fact or fiction work —- but it remains a colorful read about a team of roulette players touring European casinos to beat the game methodically and consistently. The team ended up being barred from every casino in France.