The Gamblers Who Spotted And Played The Bias Tables

10.2.2007 | 7:46 pm | casinos

While the thought of a bias roulette table today would bring on the shakes and a cold sweat for each and every casino owner in the industry, in the early days there were few checks on uneven and unbalanced tables.  It was not the casino operators trying to cheat anyone, it was simply that the tables had worked loose, or not be positioned on a level in the first place.  Oh how they played those tables in the olden days!

For those not aware, the first ever recorded player to use a “bias” roulette table to his advantage was the renowned Joseph Jagger who played and won in the famous arena of Monte Carlo - he was the original man who coined the phrase “breaking the bank at Monte Carlo”.  In one year Jagger netted a clear $325,000 from playing a bias table in the famous Monte Carlo casino. 

In 1971 we saw the arrival of one of the industry’s worst nightmares, in the shape of Dr Richard Jarecki, who played the Monte Carlo and San Remo casinos until he bled them dry.  In 1971 he took home an amazing $1,280,000 from playing a selection of “bias” roulette tables, although when you consider he had been researching the tables for some time, he had most definitely done his homework!

In a coup which lasted for 3 years from 1986, Billy Walter put together a crack team to find and play the “bias” tables in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.  Over the three year period the team walked away with a whopping $5 million in winnings, leaving casino managers crying in their wake!

While “bias” tables are most definitely a thing of the past, with all casino tables checked on a regular basis, it just shows how inventive and astute gamblers were even in the 1800s!  The constant battle between the gambler and the casino owners goes on, but then it is all part of the attraction - is n’t it?