The Casino Answer Man

My wife and I went to the Par-A-Dice casino in East Peoria, Ill., and I was playing roulette. Sunday night I played at one table for five hours. I was sitting on the end where every employee passes to enter the pit. I had a piece of paper on which I was keeping track of the numbers, and I had a round copy of the wheel that I was reading and studying to pick my next bet.

We played till about 1:30 a.m., then went to the hotel. I was comped two meals in the morning and then we went back on the boat. I went to the same table and started to play the same way. I put down about 5 bets and this pit boss comes over and tells me to put the paper away. She said I can't have it on the table and can't be writing down the numbers. I told her I played last night and no one said any thing.

I put it away and played some more bets. Then this other pit boss tells me to put away the little copy of the wheel that I was using. So I did and won a little money.

Is it OK for me to copy down the numbers and use this picture of the wheel?

When we play at Harrah's in East Chicago, no one says anything about me copying the numbers. What gives?

There is nothing wrong with tracking roulette numbers, but in any game some casinos and some individual supervisors are more paranoid than others. The casino does have the right to set its own policy and can refuse to accept your bets if you don't comply with its policies.

What they're afraid of is that you'll find a biased wheel--unlikely in just a day or two.

If you want to write down numbers and have a copy of the wheel in front of you, by all means do it until you're asked to stop. Once you're given the word that you can't do that anymore, that's that. Put your stuff away. Whether you continue to play is up to you.