Although the casinos have always had the home court advantage, that hasn’t stopped the near-do-wells from attempting to cheat the house. In the past, panels of one-way glass were installed in the ceilings over the casino floor. Surveillance people, often referred to as, “the eye in the sky,” would tread back and forth on narrow catwalks while looking down at the games. With binoculars in hand, they monitored both the players and the dealers for any signs of cheating. They maneuvered through spider webs and around posts and rafters in the dark. Today's modern casinos are outfitted with hundreds of cameras that can rotate, pivot and zoom in on a pinhead. These cameras are housed in those half-spherical bubbles that you see, mounted from the ceiling. They send video signals that are fed into dozens of monitors with videotapes rolling. Not all of the cameras’ signals can be shown on a monitor at all times. Just because the camera is on doesn’t mean that someone is watching it. The video can later be reviewed, but the cheat or thief may be long gone. The surveillance crew must switch back and forth between cameras, focusing more on the busy-betting areas and the cashiers’ cages. If the pit is suspicious of a cheat or if a high roller steps into the game, the boss will call up to surveillance to make sure they are watching the action at that table. Eventually, the whole system will be computerized. A network of several hundred tiny digital cameras will be mounted throughout the casino. As these cameras sense movement, they will begin processing a digital signal to a computer. Surveillance software will interpret any actions it senses and the most questionable of those will appear on one of several main monitors where a small surveillance crew will be stationed. Because the footage is digital and fully indexed, it can be immediately accessed and cross-referenced with other footage taken, even if it happened six months earlier. There would be no archived tapes to search through, no hours and hours of rewinding and playing of videotapes. Everything will be stored in one central database.

There is no such thing as a roulette strategy as it is a game of chance where the house odds are the same no matter what bet is placed. The player only has to place the bet and the croupier does the rest. The only time the house odds deviate from the norm is on the special line bet where the house odds actually increase. The only way a player can increase his chances of winning is to pick a table that has less of an edge. This can be done, as there are three varieties of roulette that can be played. So the best chance of winning is to play in Europe where the house odds are lower. In America roulette is normally played on a double zero wheel and this gives the house a 5.26% edge over the player. In Europe however the single zero wheel game is played where there is no 00 number and this lowers the house odds to a 2.7% edge, this version of the game has recently been introduced to some American casinos. If you play in some European casinos like Monte Carlo there is also the a variation of the game called 'en prison' which can lower the house edge to 1.35%. This version works by when the zero is the winning number the house doesn't claim all of the players wager instead the player is given the option of losing half their wager or waiting for the next turn an if the number comes up next time the player gets the original wager back. This explains why the game of roulette is far more popular in Europe than the United States.

Basic Rules of Play
Players place their bets prior to the cards being dealt. Tables and onlinecasinos will have a minimum bet required to play the game. Once all bets areplaced, each player and the dealer will receive two cards. Starting to thedealer's left side, the cards are dealt in a round one at a time to each playerending with the dealer receiving his second card face down. Depending on thegame, the player's are either dealt their cards face up or face down.

Each card in Blackjack has a certain value. Card between 2 and 10 simply havetheir face value regardless of suit. Jacks, Queens and Kings always have a valueof 10. An Ace can count as 1 or 11 depending on what is most beneficial to yourhand.

Player's add the value of their cards and either decide to "Stick" or"Stand" with their current cards or receive another card, called a"Hit" or "Draw," hopefully raising their total closer to 21without going over.

Once all players have decided to "Stand," the dealer reveals the facedown card known as the "Hole" card. If the dealer's hand is between 17and 21, he or she may not draw any additional card. If the dealer's hand is 16or below, cards must be drawn until the dealer's hand has a value of 17 orhigher.

Blackjack Bets
Blackjack can be won in a few different ways. If your first two cards total 21,you have Blackjack and win 3:2 odds (A $5.00 wager pays 7.5 additional dollars)on your bet automatically unless the dealer draws Blackjack as well causing atie or a "Push." In the case of a tie, no money is won or lost. Youwin if your hand is closer to 21 than the dealer's hand. This type of win pays"Even Money" meaning that you win the same amount of money that youwagered. A $10.00 wager wins 10 additional dollars. Finally, if the dealer"Busts" or has a hand that exceeds 21 and your hand is less than 21,you win!

Double Down - A double down allows you to double your wager while youstill only have two cards in your hand. You are required to take one more cardonce you double down and cannot receive any additional cards after this. A handthat initially adds up to 10 or 11 is often the hand to double down on. Why? Theten card is the most frequently occurring card in the game of blackjack.Remember that the 10, Jack, Queen and King all have the value of ten multipliedby all suits. Because of this, there is a high chance that the third card thatyou receive will have a value of 10 bringing your hands value to 20 or 21.Pretty smart.

Splits - You can double your stakes another way by using a split. If youroriginal cards are of the same value (Ex. 7 and 7 or 9 and 9), you can splitthese two cards into separate hands creating two hands and a second bet equal toyour original bet. You now are playing two hands separately and increasing theirvalues by hitting each hand until you are ready to "Stand." The payoutfor winning on a split is always 1:1 or even money even if you have Blackjack.This is due to the fact that you did not get Blackjack using your original twocards.

Insurance - Insurance bets are not recommended for the basic player, asthe odds of winning with this type of bet are low. Insurance bets can be made ifthe dealer's face card is an ace. The dealer might have blackjack meaning thatyou automatically lose unless you also have blackjack, forcing a"Push."

Buying insurance means that you are protecting yourself in case the dealer hasblackjack. A $20.00 bet would cost you an additional $10.00 in insurance asinsurance normally costs half of your original bet. If the dealer does not haveblackjack on his turn, you lose your insurance wager and the hand continues tobe played normally. If the dealer does have blackjack, you lose your originalwager but win twice the amount of your insurance. In essence, you break even asinsurance pays 2:1 odds. Again, insurance protects you from losing money in casethe dealer has blackjack.

Before any cards are dealt, the player must wager. He does this by placing his bet in the designated space in front of his table position. The dealer then deals two cards to each of the players, and two to himself (one of the dealer's cards is dealt face up and one is dealt facing down) Face cards (kings, queens and jacks) count as 10, ace counts as one or 11 (as the player chooses) and all other cards are counted at their face value. BLACKJACK - If the player's first two cards are an ace and a 10 or face card, he wins. However, if the dealer also has a blackjack, it is a standoff, as are all ties or pushes. A winning blackjack pays the player 3 to 2.HIT or STAND - Hit means to draw another card (which the player signifies by scraping the table with his cards or a similar hand motion) Stand means no more cards (which the player signals by placing his cards under his wager or moving his hand in a horizontal direction. If the player hits and busts (goes over 21), he immediately turns his cards over and his wager is lost. DOUBLE DOWN - The player is allowed to double the bet on his first two cards and draw one additional card only to improve his hand. SPLITTING PAIRS - If the first two cards a player is dealt are a pair, he may split them into two separate hands, bet the same amount on each and then play them separately. Aces receive only one additional card. After splitting, A-10 counts as 21 and not as blackjack. INSURANCE - If the dealer's up card is an ace, the player may take insurance, a bet not exceeding one-half his original bet. If the dealer's down card is a 10 or any face card, the player wins 2 to 1. Any other card means a win for the dealer.SURRENDER - Where permitted, a player may give up his first two cards and lose only one-half his original bet. The dealer must draw on 16 and stand on 17.