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Gaming Company Makes Roulette More Colorful

1 September 2010

Tweaking the black and red components of the game of roulette wasn't enough for Frank Mugnolo, president of Casino Gaming LLC of Broadview, Illinois, so now he has gone "green".

Anyone familiar with roulette knows that the color green is associated with the "0" and "00" slots on the 38-position American style wheel. They are what give the game the house advantage of 5.26 percent.

This fact is precisely why Mugnolo's first roulette innovation, a side bet called "Colors", is so significant. It carries a house edge of 4.34 percent, the lowest of any bet you can place on a roulette wheel.

With Colors, you make a bet that a black number will show on three consecutive spins of the wheel, or that a red number will show on three consecutive spins, keeping in mind that among the numbers 1 through 36, half are black and half are red. A winning bet pays 9 for 1.

Even without the side bet, it's possible to bet on three straight blacks or reds by making a wager and parlaying it (letting the winnings ride) twice. Each time the wager is being slammed with a house advantage that is 0.92 percent higher than Colors.

The mathematical probability of spinning three consecutive black numbers or three consecutive red numbers is 10.63 percent.

Mugnolo speculates the option would be easy to configure with Roulette, the electronic version of the game that is played on touch-screen video monitors using a live dealer and real roulette wheel.

The investment for casinos is minimal. The existing roulette wheels are used; even the game is played the same. All that's required to accommodate the option is the addition of the Colors betting box on the felt layout.

Mugnolo, a native Chicagoan, has worked his magic in the past with blackjack and craps. The addition of Colors to his company's arsenal of games gave his company a strong presence at the annual Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas last year.

The "greens wager" is the new twist that's being added. It will soon be appearing on the roulette layouts at The Orleans Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas. However, unlike its cousin "Colors", this bet is one only the house can appreciate.

A greens wager is one in which the player is betting either "0" or "00" will hit on two consecutive spins of the wheel. Should the greens appear back-to-back, successful bettors will collect 300 to 1. That may sound like a lot, and it is, but it all boils down to a house edge of 16.62 percent, making it the worst roulette bet from the perspective of the players.

Mugnolo's first creation was Casino Surrender, which he renamed Automatic Win.

Using the Automatic Win option, players holding a two-card 20 against a dealer's up-card of 10 (no blackjack) can elect to not play out their hand in exchange for getting their original bet back and winning 50 percent of its value.

It's an option that's not for every blackjack player because of the 5.8 percent house edge, but expert players who track cards can use it to their advantage.

Next he unveiled a craps option called 7-Point-7.

Making a bet on 7-Point-7 means that players win 2 to 1 if a 7 is made on the come out roll; if the come out is a 2, 3, 11, or 12, the bet loses. If a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) is made on the come out and the very next roll is a 7, players are paid 3 to 1. If any other number is rolled, the bet loses.

The house advantage of 5.5 percent seems like a lot, but for players who favor such wagers, 7-Point-7 is comparable to a bet on the Field and packs the lowest edge among all the other so-called proposition bets you can make at the craps table.

CASINO NEWS:

GRAND VICTORIA ELGIN

The "Football Mania Poker Tournament", open to all Club Victoria members, will be held in the poker room on the lower level of the casino every Sunday, Sept. 12 through Nov. 14 with a final tournament scheduled for Nov. 21. The first 20 players to log 25 hours of tracked play in the poker room Sunday through Wednesday will qualify for a seat in the following Sunday's poker tournament. The first place winners in the Sunday tournaments will qualify for the final. Visit the poker room for more information.

HOLLYWOOD AURORA

The "Bad Beat Jackpot" remains available on Texas Hold'em games in the casino's poker room. One dollar is collected from the first blind after the dealer button before dealing. Each dollar goes into a jackpot that may only be won if a losing hand consists of aces full of kings or higher. The qualified losing hand gets 50 percent of the jackpot, with 30 percent to the winning hand and the remaining 20 percent divided equally among the other hands on the table. Visit the poker room or call 630-801-7471 for complete details.

John G. Brokopp

John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

> More Books By John G. Brokopp

John G. Brokopp
John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

> More Books By John G. Brokopp