You are really taking me back a ways! I turned 21, legal gambling age in the U.S., while in basic military training. Hence, I had to wait a couple months before availing myself of the—um—investment opportunities
that age plateau makes available. In the interim—actually as a birthday present, I believe, along with Edward O. Thorpe’s book Beat The Dealer—I obtained a copy of Mike Goodman’s How To Win At .... His advice for (American) roulette was to bet the 10-15 half-dozen and 33 at a unit per number (seven cheques total) because those numbers are evenly spaced around the wheel. No matter where the ball actually lands one of those numbers will be in the vicinity and therefore a candidate for winning. Not very scientific to be sure, but rather sound advice for a complete novice (who didn’t even know how to spell “VB” never mind what it was if it even existed back then). I also developed all by myself
a modification of that method: bet 0, 00, 17, and 18 because those numbers are 1) at 90 and 180 degrees from each other, and 2) they can conveniently be bet with two splits.
Well, there you have The Midnight Skulker’s winning strategy. OK, I would not acquire that moniker for a couple decades, but IIRC my first session was a winner. OK again, maybe this was not my first session, but it was a session during my first trip (with my parents to Las Vegas) to a gambling venue. After maybe an hour of play I cashed in with a $1 profit. The dealer, quite disdainfully, commented, “Last of the big-time gamblers: takes his dollar and runs.” Despite my youth and inexperience I found the courage to fire back, “And how many of your big-time gambler idols leave your table with more than they brought to it?”
I got no answer—and the dealer got no tip.