The Spotted Ball, a True Story by Larry Cohen c 2025
Chapter 7
“Those are my chips!”
It was the Roulette Wheel that held the only way I could see, or even understand, a way to gamble with any degree of success. I noticed that gamblers were given a choice to use local currency or U.S. Dollars. I chose the local currency since the conversion rate was very favorable against the dollar and, although the winnings were not as great in real value, neither were the losses. Besides, I could spend the local currency in area stores and restaurants, unlike those who were in those “junkets” who had to return to their home countries. Since I had already changed dollars into pesos, there was no point in having to change them back again and take another loss.
An interesting aside at this point is that of Dominican currency. At one point, Dominican currency could be brought to the bank and converted directly into gold. In fact, one Dominican peso was actually worth more than one American Dollar but that was many years ago. However, the government still printed currency that said on it “oro” which means “gold” Another point is that, while the average American dollar lasts 18 months before it is taken out of circulation by the banks due to wear, the Dominicans would wait until the currency was close to the thickness of toilet paper before it was finally removed from circulation. Frankly, I was happy to get rid of currency that was commonly returned to me in that condition. And, apparently, the casinos did not mind.
Getting back to the Casino at the Embajador Hotel, I started to bet on the odd and even outcomes. Then it came to me to combine the red and black outcomes with the odd and even. For example, if there was a string of red and even numbers that had occurred, it would only be a matter of a few spins to expect a black and odd number result. I was moderately successful at this technique, winning more than I was losing.
One time, however, the spinner (sometimes incorrectly to some called the “croupier”) gave me and another player the same color chips. When my chips won, the other player claimed that they were his chips. He yelled, in English, “Those are my chips!” They were not, but the dealer was forced to pay the both of us. This dealer, too, then met the wrath of his arrogant American boss by at first being screamed at and then being replaced by another spinner.
The reader at this point is probably wondering if, in the final analysis, was this strategy of odd/even and red/black a winning one to the point where it could be relied upon as an income source. In a forthcoming chapter, I’ll explain why not and why the casino has a decided advantage over the player.
To be continued…