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ACTION PLAY makes some really nice roulette tracker devices in the form of cards. Those cards are plastic coated like playing cards, measuring 9.5 x 12 cms (4 x 5 inches), printed on heavy cardboard for long-time heavy-duty use (I have tried, believe me!) and come complete with a water-based marking pen and instructions. Although the instructions are very short, as they are printed on the cards, I don't think you will need any more - the handling is more or less obvious: Mark a number of spins (25). If you can see a clear concentration of marks somewhere, you bet those numbers. If not - you don't bet. This is crystal-clear, in my opinion, but you know I like flat bets. If you prefer a progression, or feel the need for a selection method, you can use one but you have to supply it yourself as there is no "system" of any kind included. Several different cards are available: The wheel Six Way Tracker Card is mainly used for detecting bias or other concentrations of hits on the wheel (USD6.95 - either single- or double-zero). The card is double-sided and here is my only complaint in this review: I would like to have both kinds of wheels at the same card - now I have to buy one card for each... On the card is also printed different boxes for you to note progressions, hits on the even bets and columns/dozens and more. The dealer Signature Tracker Card helps you measure distances between hits in a completely automatic way. It doesn't take the "ball release point" into consideration - it handles only the decisions, but it does a great job (USD11.95 - either single- or double-zero). Roulette Cards (USD24.95 - double-zero only) is a set comprised of an ordinary Wheel Tracker Card and a collection of cards, kept together by a key-ring, that show you 10 - 13 numbers to bet depending on the pattern that develops while you record. I have not tried it as I have very few 00-spins but I can see the idea behind and I have no objections. This set is also close to be a "system" as some numbers are pointed out to get a higher stake than the rest; I can't really see why... Those cards are, however, a quick way to see all numbers in order, that are included in specific patterns (more than 30 to choose between). I like the tracking cards a lot and especially so the Signature Tracker. I have used them a lot; so much, in fact, that some of the circles and dots indicating red and black numbers on the Signature card, are gone - worn out! I guess my constant marking and erasing - with a piece of moisty/wet paper - for something like 700 games must do something to the card and this is all so far. I don't think this is of great importance; the most important thing is that the plastic coating is protecting the card, giving it an erasable surface. And it does. Still. (I told you this was for heavy-duty usage) In my review of Frank Scoblete's book Spin Roulette Gold, I used (a computerized version of) the Wheel Tracker card and it performed quite well. I think a device like this is superior to pen and paper when tracking wheels - it is so visually clear if there are numbers to bet or not. And even more useful is, in my opinion, the Signature Tracker: You'll have a hard time measuring hit-distances on paper. The handling of the cards is, as said before, very simple; mark, with a water-based marking pen, the numbers that hit. If they start to cluster somewhere you decide if you are going to bet or wait. When done, you erase the marks with a piece of wet, soft paper; I have used WET papers at times without hurting the cards. What you have to do extra, using the Signature Tracker card, is to turn the center-piece of the card to point to the last decision - it is thereby automatically measuring for you. This simple handling of the cards gives you lot of time to place bets or whatever, between the spins. Also time to demonstrate the card to your table neighbours that "just have to ask" - this happened to me when I once used it "live". One thing that I really liked using the Signature Tracker card, is that when you bet, you bet different numbers for every spin. This is due to the fact that the card measures the probable distance to the next hit, depending on the previous distances, and so the target is always a new part of the wheel. I like that, as I think betting some fixed numbers or a section of the wheel, for several spins is a bit hazardous; the croupier might get the idea to try to avoid it (or, of course, try to hit it if you are lucky). This way, no-one can predict your next selections as they always look random! The Signature Tracker has been in focus for this review, for several reasons: I had never before used a device like this, I like the idea of betting different numbers every time and I had a hard time making it work! Not because of the card but because that the croupiers (in Hamburg) are changed so often! Too often; in average they stay for some 14 - 20 spins only! This limitation has the effect that every so often you find numbers to bet but the croupier is changed. Or they are gone before anything has the chance to develop. There are longer sequences but very far between - you really have to look for them. Does this fact make the card use-less in Europe? After using the Signature Tracker card for 300 dealers, carefully noting everything, I finally noticed a kind of pattern that I tried through my (close to) Complete Hamburg Collection (September 1998 to November 2000) and it worked quite nicely. Further studies and development resulted in the method I tried with the "One Year In Hamburg" file. The method itself is completely described in the Free Systems Area. One Year In Hamburg was tried with the following set of rules regarding start and end of day and bankroll (the method itself was used exactly as described): 1) The first dealer to bet for the day is the one starting at or after the recorded spin #20 every day. (The first possible spin to record is spin #20) 2) The last dealer to bet for the day is the one spinning the recorded spin #200. (Starting at or after spin #20 this means approximately 180 spins - 6 hours) 3) The bankroll every day was 100 units. All bets were single units. The bankroll never got empty and was never going to be negative if a bet was made. The smallest bankroll ever - after a bet but before a win - was 44 units and the biggest ever after a win was 231 units. These were the reults of One Year In Hamburg:
Total Croupiers: 4301
Croupiers w >1 spin: 4301
w >7 spins: 3973
Tot num o Bet Croupiers: 1922
Tot num o Bets: 6793
Tot Bet Units: 7903
Tot num o Hit Croupiers: 251
Tot num o Hits: 251
Tot Won Units: 9036
Total Net Gain : 1133
This table shows you that: I traced 4 301 croupiers 328 croupiers quit before a bet was possible due to the method I bet 7 903 units in 6 793 bets (1 922 croupiers involved) I hit 251 times giving 9 036 units The One Year In Hamburg ended with a 1 133 units net gain The Tracker Cards from Action Play are recommended for anyone interested in tracing wheels or dealers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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