Casino operators take great measures to preserve the integrity of their games, both for the protection of their own interest as well as that of the betting public. These measures include surveillance cameras that monitor the players and the dealers, and fresh decks of cards and brand new dice every day at the table games.

Apparently one game that can slip through the cracks of casino scrutiny, however, is roulette. As much as I tended to discount articles I've read and rumors I've heard about the vulnerability of the integrity of the game, I changed my mind after reading Frank Scoblete's book Spin Roulette Gold: Secrets of Beating the Wheel .

Scoblete, America's foremost gaming author, has come up with the definitive treatise on roulette with the book, which is published by Bonus Books, Inc. of Chicago. Not only does he include obligatory history and how-to sections, he enlightens readers with such topics as biased wheels, dealer biases and "signatures", sector-shooting dealers, and wheel clocking and tracking.

Unlike slot machines, which are governed by microprocessor units, computer chips, and integrated circuitry, and cards and craps, which have a foundation based on mathematical probability, roulette is played on a wheel made of metal and wood which is manipulated manually. The wheel is subject to wear, therefore, and the operator is subject to human frailties. The net result? A disruption of random nature of play.

Scoblete's conclusions are drawn from extensive study and research, including 10,000 recorded spins of actual roulette wheels, 3,800 of which from a single wheel. He includes a record of every spin, then takes the data and totals it up into concise tables from which he makes his analysis.

The author theorizes that for roulette to be an unbeatable game, the mechanism of the wheel itself would have to be flawlessly balanced, the pockets (where the ball drops) uniformly structured and surfaced, the frets (barriers between the pockets) uniformly resilient, the dealers incapable of consciously or unconsciously controlling the fall of the ball, and players incapable of anticipating by sight where the ball will land.

The very nature of the roulette wheel (its physical structure and human element) makes the above factors all very fallible, which is the key for biases and inconsistencies to develop. Scoblete, in very entertaining style, reveals how you may exploit a biased wheel and/or biased dealer. He details how to look and what to look for.

Scoblete's book is by far the most informative and intelligent book about roulette ever written. If you enjoy playing the game, or even if you've never played it but are interested in a thinking man's or woman's approach, Spin Roulette Gold: Secrets of Beating the Wheel is for you.