I did the opposite to Cinderella last night. Exactly at midnight a friend called and wanted to have drinks. At the Casino. I quickly changed into something more appropriate, had a quick glass of wine and left for the casino. It’s around the corner from where I live, just through a park, so why not. And I’ve actually missed having a game of Roulette.
I was full of energy after having spent a great day with an old colleague, and I was in a really good mood because… Let’s just say… I’m a bit… Enamoured with… Someone.
Anyway… I went in, met my friend and had a few drinks. Then we went to the tables and had a bit of a gamble. I only play for funny money, so not a big deal. But! And it’s a big but!!! Sweden’s international casino, called Casino Cosmopol: What on earth are you up to? If there is a Minimum Bet on a straight-up number, how can it then be doubled up if I want to bet on neighbours? And why does not the same rules apply on the tables with higher bets?
Let me explain:
This, on the left, is called a neighbour print and you can find it on most Roulette tables. I can bet on neighbours and different series, which means I can bet on different parts of the Roulette wheel. And the Orphans/Orphelins are “the left overs” in the wheel.
You can bet on:
- Zero game (4 chips)
- Big series (9 chips)
- Small series (6 chips)
- Orphans (5 chips)
- Neighbours (5 chips)
(A photo of the wheel, a bit further down, is showing what different series are covering what sections of the wheel.) To get an easier and a much better explanation of all of this, visit Casino Austria’s website:
http://www.casinos.at/en/wien/gaming/roulette#topHeader
Or, why not go directly to their Explanation Folder:
http://www.casinos.at/downloads/Gaming-Explanation-Folder-Roulette.pdf
To the right is page number 13 (funny enough), from Casino Austria’s explanation folder, which with a few words simply explains the neighbour bets in the bottom part.
A neighbour bet includes 5 straight-up numbers. I basically choose the number that I want to use for the neighbour bet, and it will include that number and the two numbers on each side of it in the Roulette wheel. So, for example, if I wanted to play eight with neighbours my bet would cover number 11, 30, 8, 23 and 10. That makes it five chips to cover those numbers, right? Five straight-up numbers, which this explanation guide also tells you.
Not in Sweden. Correction! Not if you bet on the minimum bet tables (beginners table not included, don’t know their stakes). Then you need ten chips to cover a neighbour bet!(?!) How? Why? For someone who’s worked in a casino for fifteen years, that makes absolutely no sense. Beforehand, a casino has the upper hand so I would never go to a casino with the thought of winning. They are the winners in the end, otherwise there would be no casinos. I don’t have the money to lose, so I always only gamble for what I know I can afford to live without. It’s just for the fun of it, to be in that sort of environment and to have a drink.
So what actually happened last night? Not that much, but it really bothers me because I was and still am a fair play croupier, and I don’t see the fairness in that sort of house rules. If the ball is close to dropping and the croupier is about to call last bets, I won’t have time to place a neighbour bet with the numbers scattered all over the table. I would then give five chips to the croupier to place my bet, as a neighbour bet. It’s not only bad for the player, not to be able to do that, but it’s also more money in for the casino per spin, if you could do that. So no, I don’t get it.
So… I had the cash chips safe in my pocket and a few in my hand to play for. I placed my bets and then noticed I only had five chips left, so I went “Whatever. I’ll double up my numbers” and placed my bet as “nine with neighbours, please”, which I play all the time and every spin. I was bored, and we were leaving anyway, so I just wanted to get rid of the last ones really. But then I heard her say “You need ten chips for that bet” and in my head I just went “eeeh, no you don’t…” not really understanding what she’d just told me. I even started thinking of what value per chip I’d been playing with. Because I was pretty sure you couldn’t get chips with a lower value than the minimum bet, and of course you can’t. The bet was void anyway. On a table with four players, so not even busy.
Call it a typical Swede, but I didn’t say a word, played my last spin and left. Still a bit confused, though, I went on Casino Cosmopol’s website to just have a look. And it surprised me even more, finding out that the higher stakes tables didn’t have that house rule, that you needed ten chips to bet on neighbours. In my world a minimum bet is a minimum bet. Is there anyone that please can explain this to me?
Casino Austria is the first casino I’ve been to, in Innsbruck and Seefeld, and it gave me a picture in my head of what a casino should be and look like. I felt special when I walked through those doors, I got a free glass of champagne and some chips to play for. That’s how you sell it! haha No, it was the whole experience. How it looked, the atmosphere and the way they all did there jobs, from the doorman to the pit boss. That’s sixteen years ago and I guess a lot has changed there as well. I remember when Casino Cosmopol opened in Sweden and you couldn’t get in if you had the wrong shoes or trousers. The dress code was strict. Now, you can get in looking like you’ve just come from the gym. Casino Austria was also the casino that came and “helped/prepared” Casino Cosmopol in Sweden to open up in 2001, if I remember correctly, because of their good reputation.
Svenska spel, Casino Cosmopol: Follow suit!
