The good folks at CEG Dealer School tested this Roulette system named after the famous Tommy Tutone song 'Jenny (867-5309)', which topped the charts back in 1981. I thought I'd cover this system because it has a characteristic many people probably recognize, and I was surprised CEG didn't discuss it in much detail.
The System
This is a simple flat-betting system. There is no doubling/Martingale component. You bet on Jenny's phone number as well as two dozens, and (for some unknown reason) all three columns.
I've modified the system to remove the three column bets for reasons that I cover later on.
| Number | Bet (original) | Bet (modified) |
|---|---|---|
|
$10 | $10 |
|
$10 | $10 |
|
$10 | $10 |
|
$10 | $10 |
|
$10 | $10 |
|
$10 | $10 |
|
$15 | $15 |
| 2nd Dozen | $80 | $80 |
| 3rd Dozen | $80 | $80 |
| 1st Column | $5 | - |
| 2nd Column | $5 | - |
| 3rd Column | $5 | - |
Spin Results by Number
| Number | W/L | W/L (modified) | Delta for modified |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
+$110 | +$125 | +$15 |
|
-$250 | -$235 | +$15 |
|
-$235 | -$235 | $0 |
|
-$235 | -$235 | $0 |
|
|
+$125 | +$125 | $0 |
|
-$235 | -$235 | $0 |
|
|
+$125 | +$125 | $0 |
|
|
+$125 | +$125 | $0 |
|
|
+$125 | +$125 | $0 |
|
|
+$125 | +$125 | $0 |
|
|
+$305 | +$305 | $0 |
|
-$235 | -$235 | $0 |
|
-$235 | -$235 | $0 |
|
-$235 | -$235 | $0 |
through
|
+$5 | +$5 | $0 |
Analysis
Like every Roulette system, you're going to lose 5.26% of all money wagered. But there's a BIG flaw with this system. The problem is that the three column bets by themselves result in you covering 36 different numbers.
If you find yourself simultaneously betting 36 different numbers, then YOU ARE WASTING MONEY! You've created a situation where you have bets that cancel each other out ENTIRELY with no hope of increasing your wins.
This means that there is "nullification" in your bets. When this happens, then it's possible to rearrange some of your bets and reduce your total amount bet with ZERO affect to your winnings, and you save money when the two uncovered numbers hit.
This nullification is extremely easy to see. Just look at these three column bets and ignore the rest. Whenever you
hit
through
, you will
lose two of the column bets, but the winning column bet wins two units, resulting in a net gain of $0. But if
you spin a
or
,
you will lose
all three bets! This means that taken together, there is a \(36 \over 38\) chance that you win nothing, and a
\(2 \over 38\) chance that you LOSE ALL THREE BETS!
This nullification exists no matter how you cover the 36 numbers. It can be as simple as simultaneously betting both Red AND Black, or it could be a combination of inside and outside bets. It isn't always easy to remove the nullification when you bet the inside and outside, but know that the nullification exists and that you're reducing your EV with no potential for reward!
I have eliminated these three bets in my modified system, and as you can see below, all payouts are the same with the
exception of
and
,
which save you $15 when they hit.
| W/L Category | Count | Percentage | Result | Result (mod) | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JACKPOT | 1 | 1/38 (2.6%) | +$305 | +$305 | $0 |
| Mini-Jackpot | 5 | 5/38 (13.2%) | +$125 | +$125 | $0 |
|
Mini-Jackpot
()
|
1 | 1/38 (2.6%) | +$110 | +$125 | +$15 |
| Tiny Win | 24 | 24/38 (63.1%) | +$5 | +$5 | $0 |
| WHACK | 6 | 6/38 (15.8%) | -$235 | -$235 | $0 |
|
WHACK
()
|
1 | 1/38 (2.6%) | -$250 | -$235 | +$15 |
| Amount Bet per Spin | $250 | $235 | $15 | ||
| Expected Value per Spin | -$13.15 | -$12.36 | +$0.79 |
Overall, this system has 7 good numbers, 7 bad numbers, and 24 near neutral numbers. The 7 whacks are going to kill you a huge amount of the time. On average, you'll get whacked every 5 to 6 spins.
Since you're betting $235 per spin (after removing the column bets), you're going to lose about $12.36 per spin in the long run.
Live Results
Here are the actual spin-by-spin results as seen on the YouTube video. They didn't happen to hit any Zeroes, so there's no delta between the original system any my improved system.
| Spin | Number | Result | Result (modified) | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
+$5 | +$5 | |
| 2 |
|
+$5 | +$5 | |
| 3 |
|
+$5 | +$5 | |
| 4 |
|
+$5 | +$5 | |
| 5 |
|
-$235 | -$235 | WHACK |
| 6 |
|
-$235 | -$235 | WHACK |
| 7 |
|
+$5 | +$5 | |
| 8 |
|
+$5 | +$5 | |
| 9 |
|
+$125 | +$125 | Mini Jackpot |
| 10 |
|
+$125 | +$125 | Mini Jackpot |
| 11 |
|
+$5 | +$5 | |
| 12 |
|
-$235 | -$235 | WHACK |
| 13 |
|
+$5 | +$5 | |
| 14 |
|
+$5 | +$5 | |
| 15 |
|
+$125 | +$125 | Mini Jackpot |
| Total Win/Loss | -$285 | -$285 | ||
| Expected Win/Loss | -$197.25 | -$185.42 | -$11.83 |
Alex's Rating
Plum (Plum by Otis as well).
Jack's Rating
You often hear that every betting system is as worthless as the next, and this is mostly true in Roulette. You can't escape the 5.26% house edge, but it can be fun to sing the classic song as you're putting chips on the felt.
But this system is actually more worthless than others because of the "nullified" bets. For that reason, I'm giving it the dreaded Durian (F).
Even without the column bets, I'd probably give it a Plum (C) or Eggplant (D). Betting the bottom two dozens as well as the 7 digits from the phone number is just too much money spread out in hopes of a small win.
The classic song!
If you're not familiar with the classic hit, take a trip to 1981 by and enjoy this video:
