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An
easy way to rig a wheel is by ball tripping. A very small
diameter hole is drilled in the upper ball track under the
rim. A small, spring-loaded pin is positioned in the hole
just below the outside surface. This mechanism is usually
set up directly in front of the dealer so it is easier for
him to time and harder for anyone else to detect.
When the dealer flips a small lever, just under the table's
edge, the tension in the cable forces the pin against the
spring, allowing it to protrude out slightly onto the ball
track. As the ball contacts the pin, it is prematurely tripped
out of the ball track. Again, a well practiced dealer would
time the ball drop-off with an impending sector of the wheel
head or rotor. Because there is only one trip location from
which to knock the ball, the dealer must wait for the right
ball / trip point / wheel intersection. A near-perfect alignment
is necessary and the dealer must see it coming well ahead
of time.
The casinos weren't the only ones engaging in this technique.
One story has a team of players in Nevada, called The Soda
Straw Gang, tapping into the table's banks with a most peculiar
method of ball tripping. The gang allegedly had one heavy
bettor at the center of the table, one trivial bettor on
the far end and an observer seated at the wheel itself.
The members would take their stations at different times,
being careful not to acknowledge each other.
The heavy bettor would cover numbers contained on one sector
of the wheel head. Just before the ball would fall, the
low-roller on the end would create a diversion. The observer,
timing the ball and the heavily bet sector on the wheel,
would then raise a straw and blow on the ball as it passed
to trip it out of the upper track. Supposedly, the gang
was so successful that the casinos began installing the
now-present glass security shields around the edge of the
roulette tables. Now, don't form a team, buy a box of straws
and look for tables without the security shield. If the
bosses don't immediately catch you, the cameras most certainly
will.
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