Hello all. In response to Rumnchess's recent post on Live Poker and its player types and the interest it has generated regarding the Dragon, i've decided to once and for all make a post. I hope I can clear up some of the recent inquiries many of you have regarding the Dragon and its origins. I'm currently flying to LA from Boston and posting this on a plane. Can't really make diagrams up here, but when I get home, I'll be sure to edit in pictures of the Original Dragon, The Sample Dragon, and, if I can find them, the Great War of 1711. Please excuse the temporarily unfinished format.
Part XI: History and Overview of the Dragon
Part XVII: The Anatomy of the Dragon
Part XXIII: A Sample Dragon
Part XI: History And Overview of the Dragon
The Dragon is a term first coined by myself during the spring of 2009 in Las Vegas, NV upon seeing a design Rumnchess had conjured up on a video roulette machine. Before seeing The Dragon, I had no interest in roulette, certainly not video roulette, and considered myself something of the opposite of a degenerate. I rarely visited casinos, and when I did I often stuck to purely the poker room. Nearly a year later, I consider myself quite a degenerate, often times even staking other people to play roulette or buying action from across the Atlantic Ocean when I get word that a friend of mine is headed to a casino. I attribute this self transformation almost entirely to my experiences with the Dragon that spring and later that summer during the summer of 2009.
To understand The Dragon, I suppose a certain level of importance would lie in seeing it, as I saw it, for the first time.
A sight to behold, for sure. When Rumnchess informed me that only a few numbers on the wheel resulted in a pure loss, I was even more enthralled than when I first saw it. For 3 solid days, every video roulette machine we could find in Vegas was tested and The Dragon reigned supreme on a staggeringly high percentage of these machines. Statistical Records were recently lost in a classic case of collateral damage when the Dragon understandably got upset when someone playing an adjacent machine had 33 (more on this later) as his best number on the wheel and breathed fire on the player, leaving him with third degree burns and destroying all of the records on file.
As time elapsed, different names were given to different dragons based on how much money they cost to build. Terms such as '300 dollar dragon', '800 dollar dragon', and '2500 dollar dragon' soon became second nature. As Rum and I became more and more infatuated by The Dragon's natural and awesome power, we decided it would be a good idea to share our knowledge with others. Our first choice was, of course, NemoinDenial. Nemo failed to understand its power at first, citing roulette as a game of luck. After watching 8 consecutive winning sessions by Rum and I, he was on board, and is now often seen in casinos in Las Vegas, Arizona, and UltimateBet employing the power of The Dragon. In order for you to harness its powers and correctly build your own Dragon, you must first understand...
Part XVII: The Anatomy of The Dragon
The Heart: 17
17 is the best number on the entire roulette wheel when you play under Standard Dragon Strategy. It's the center of the beast, its heart, and the key to your results. 17 is such a good number that the Aztecs often sacrificed hundreds of human lives as an homage to its power. Staying on the 17th floor at a hotel is known to increase your chances of having a random sexual encounter with a beautiful female by roughly 35% (actual number is unknown, due to the dragon destroying the statistical records). Sitting in the 17th row in an airplane makes it 83% less likely to crash. Some religions, including Buddhism, have begun to worship 17 as a God. Hitting 17 during a session of live roulette has been considered by many experts to be Man's only true way to communicate with God. You should get the point by now. 17 must always be the highest money-returning number on the wheel. If it's not, the Dragon may actually eat you during your session.
The Dragon's Followers: The Outside Bets
When building a full dragon, the following 5 outside bets must be made:
Black
Odd
1-18
2nd 12
Middle Column (2:1)
For those of you perceptive enough, you'll realize that 17 is the only number on the wheel that hits all 5 numbers. For those of you who aren't, I just wrote the previous sentence.
When pondering whether or not to worship 17 as a God, the Buddhists are said to have been finally convinced when it was brought to their attention that 17 is the only number to hit all 5 outside bets.
The Brain and the Belly: 11, 20, and 23
11, 20, and 23 are the core numbers after 17. All 3 of these numbers have been at one time or another believed to be the second best number on the wheel.
23 is considered red's one true savior. If Red and Black were to engage in a war, 23 would be the spy sent by black to infiltrate red. Conversely, 28, 31, and 33 would all be red spies.
Odd, black numbers are generally considered good, and when they occur in the middle row and 1-18 they're even better. Meet 11. A truly great number and often the second highest money returner due to its ability to hit 4 outside bets. November 17th is considered the best day on the calendar, and on 11/23/2017, I plan on betting my future children's lives on the roulette table and feeling great about it.
20 is a strange number. Once considered the clear 2nd best number on the wheel, in recent months its performance has rendered it to clearly number 4, and in danger of losing that position to 13. A streaky number for sure, its often known to spend more time in the 'Hot Numbers' and 'Cold Numbers' section of the roulette screen than any other number, and fewer time in neither section than any other number. Be wary of 20, but never underestimate its awesome power.
As a guide, roughly 4/5 of what you bet on 17 should be placed on these numbers.
The Nonvital Organs : 2, 8, 10, 13, 15, 26, 29, 35
The first thing you should notice about all of these numbers is that they are all black. This is no accident. Black is superior to red in every way. Once in Vegas at the Mirage (one of the few places to find a single 0 wheel in Vegas), a man approached Nemo and I's table in the middle of one of our Dragon sessions. Our wheel had hit black on the previous 18 spins, both 26 and 29 hitting 4 times each. The man bought in for $100, and placed it all on red. 23 hit next, a great number for both us and this man who clearly had no idea how to play roulette. I was surprised at the dragon's kindness towards this nonbeliever, wondering if maybe it let him off the hook because of the clear fact that he was a novice. The next morning, the man was found dead outside, burned so bad his entire body was black. Don't **** with the Dragon.
As a general guide, roughly 3/5 of what you wagered on 17 should be bet on these numbers. If you are to increase your betting on any of these numbers in particular, lean towards 13, 15, and 8.
The Skin
The Skin refers to the bets placed on the corners and sides of the Dragon's body. To correctly cover your Dragon with the proper amount of skin, you should start at 11, surrounding it entirely. Follow that by placing 1 to 2 chips on 14. This will serve as the dragon's neck (and make 14 a whole lot less depressing of a number). Follow that by placing one chip on all corners and sides of 17, 20, 23, 26, 29. 32 should have 1 chip on itself, and one on the 32/35 border, thus serving as a Tail for your Beast. The Skin makes numbers such as 18, 16, 19, 22, and 24 significantly less annoying to look at, and makes for a good look to your dragon. Often times, the Skin is left out when playing live roulette due to time constraints (known as the Naked Dragon), but it should nearly always be included during your video roulette sessions.
As an aside, always study your Video Roulette machine before sitting down. The first thing you should look for is whether or not your wheel is a single or double 0 wheel. Single 0 is obviously preferable, though the dragon has been known to conquer double 0 wheels in his spare time. He definitely prefers the comfort of the single 0 pastures that he grew up on. The next thing you should look for is your payouts; often times in Vegas, casinos will attempt to shortchange you by offering 32:1 for straight up number bets, when the true payout should be 35:1. It's very rare to find a 35:1 machine, so look for a 34:1, even in casinos where 32:1 machines are prevalent, 34:1 machines often exist. Lastly, be sure to make sure your machine isn't broken. You can check this simply by making sure that more black numbers have hit recently than red numbers. Lastly, make sure when making your bets on Video Roulette that you are not going over taxes. Simply figure out how much 17 will pay out and make sure it's less than $1200. If you feel the need to truly gamble, head over to the live roulette machine.
Recent Additions, Trial Numbers, and Safeties: 27, 34, 36, 0, 12, 30
30, 34, 36, 12, and 0, when not accounted for properly, are truly horrible numbers and pure losses except for 12, which falls in the 1-18 range. When safetied, (often a bet of $5, for instance, when $30 is placed on 17) will assure some return when one of these terrible numbers strikes the wheel. 0 is slightly different than the rest of the numbers here in that you should generally place as much on 0 as you do on The Nonvital Organs. 0 is not red and not even, and therefore not nearly as ugly as the rest of these numbers.
27 is a number I personally have been playing around with lately. NemoinDenial, on a hunch, once asked me to include a bet of $14 on 27 during a Video Roulette session at the Orleans Casino, whose bowling alley and 10c video roulette grinders are truly unmatched anywhere throughout the city. 27 proceeded to hit 4 times that night, and since then has been added as one of my slight winning numbers, in the same range as a 26 or 29. Feel free to add your own numbers to your personal dragon, as long as they exclude…
The Numbers Which Shall Not Be Titled: 1, 5, 7, 9, 28, 31
These numbers are terrible. Sworn enemies of the Dragon and his followers, they must never be incorporated into any player's Dragon pattern. Simply accept them for what they are, horrible numbers that serve no purpose other than misery. In the Great War of 1711, when the Dragon Forces were victorious, walls were built around these numbers, preventing them from ever being bet. Many opinions, including those of 26 and 29, were in favor of keeping the walls up for eternity. Only through much diplomatic work of neutral forces such as 14, 32, and 0 were the walls finally lifted, roughly 23 years ago.
A True Enemy: 33
Perhaps the last great mystery on the wheel is what actually happened to 33. It's well documented that 33 once challenged 17's power, what isn't known is exactly what 17 did to 33. You'll hear many rumors if you hang around Dragon followers long enough. Some say 33 was once red, but the Dragon inflicted so much firebreathing upon it that it turned to black. Others claim that 33 left his world and can be seen on the baccarat table, trying to convince the Banker to invest in his efforts to overthrow 17. Still others claim 33 is still out there, waiting for the correct time to strike.
Whatever the true reason may be, know that 33 should not be seen when you are playing roulette. In all of Rum and I's days of playing roulette (and know that there are a lot of them spent this way), we can never recall seeing 33. If a nice young female gives you her number and it contains the number sequence 33 in it somewhere, she is 89% more likely to be a man. Be careful. If you're playing and 33 hits, pack up your chips (of which you will have many, if you're playing correctly) and get out of there. It's a bad omen and you should take heed where others haven't. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's black and odd. It's merely a rouse to try and mesmerize you while it takes all of your chips.
Part XXIII: A Sample Dragon:
An example of a well built dragon would be the following:
$35 on Black, Odd, 1-18, 2 to 1 middle column, and 2nd 12
$30 on 17
$25 on 11, 20, and 23
$20 on 2, 8, 10, 13, 15, 26, 29, 35, 27, and 0
$5-$10 on 12, 30, 34, 36, 32, and one other number you feel may be due (perhaps 3?)
$2-$3 on: 11's corners and sides, 17, 20, 23, 26, and 29's corners and sides, 32/35 border
This dragon will produce a win on 17, 11, 20, 23, 2, 10, 13, 15, 26, 29, 35, 14; and it will produce a break-even or slight gain on 0, 27, 32. This leaves you with a total of 12 winning numbers and 15 numbers you're not upset with, making your roulette playing experience rather enjoyable and lengthy.
-SSS
6
J
5
(2 players)
...do they work in AC?