Mind the Game. Cracking the Wheel. Harald Pia on His New Book, The Secrets of Roulette.

Roulette is widely perceived as a game of chance.

However, Harald Pia, a renowned and experienced casino operator and author of The Secrets of Roulette, presents a different perspective.

Pia explains that, “Roulette is not just about numbers. It is about understanding and outthinking your opponent, in this case, the croupier.” His new book, which has already generated attention on Amazon and in gaming circles, promises to change the way players approach the game. 

Pia’s core belief is that roulette outcomes are beyond luck and depend on both probability and people, particularly the croupier. After observing dealers in over 100 European casinos, he found that their habits, such as spin speed and ball release angle, have a subtle influence on the game.

He puts a major emphasis on the human factor. “The croupier plays a significant role in how the game unfolds,” he explains. “By understanding these patterns and behaviors, players can make more informed bets,” Pia says.

The author challenges traditional views of roulette and encourages players to pay attention to the game with greater analytical awareness.

Can Anyone Play Smarter?

Pia emphasizes that his system is accessible to those without advanced mathematical skills or industry experience. He believes that with the right knowledge and discipline, any player can improve at roulette, appealing to both experienced and novice players.

For readers of The Secrets of Roulette, the roulette wheel is presented as a complex system that rewards systematic observation, composure, and a sustained commitment to learning.
 
We at Diva Jackpot reached out to Pia for some one on one questions to give our players a deeper understanding of his secrets on the game of roulette.

You can enjoy our Q&A session with the author of The Secrets of Roulette, Harald Pia, below. 

Diva Jackpot: How is The Secrets of Roulette different from other roulette-themed books on the market, and what kind of research did you carry out to create it? You have mentioned that the practical sections are designed to lead from theory to practice, and that your strategies were tested in over 100 European casinos. How did this testing shape the final book and ensure your methods offer players real-world value?

 
Harald Pia: Almost all roulette books attempt to develop strategies by using mathematics. That's nonsense.  There is no mathematical logic to support your betting so that from a particular point in time or a particular number of coups (plays), you have a statistically higher chance of winning.
 
The Secret of Roulette is totally different It is focussed on this initiator, the human, the croupier, who sets the ball rolling and starts the game for the bank. And, as everywhere, the human factor is not a neutral aspect, but is, when correctly assessed, a weak point of the system. If you bet knowing the Croupier’s intentions, you will always be at a statistical advantage. You do not need to be a mathematical genius to grasp this.
 
I like what one reader wrote in a review, “This tried and tested system for transforming yourself from gambler to strategist has tools for boosting concentration, memory and perception, and will fascinate mathematicians, psychologists and wheel watchers. It rests on shrewd observation of table croupiers, and how some intervene subtly in play, often through unconscious drives. I particularly liked how the croupier’s resentful desire that you lose can be turned to your advantage. It rests on shrewd observation of table croupiers, and how some intervene subtly in play, often through unconscious drives. I particularly liked how the croupier’s resentful desire that you lose can be turned to your advantage.”
 
And regarding testing: During the testing I learned some additional indicators from which you can identify whether the croupier is trying to influence the course of the ball and how skilfully he does so. In Spain, for example, the croupiers set the little ivory ball off so that it turns between 15 and 18 times per game. If the croupiers intervene in the game, the rotations reduce to just 12 to 14 rotations. In Portugal we also saw croupiers for whom the ball only circled the wheel 7 times.

Diva Jackpot: Was there a single moment in a casino when you realized croupiers had a measurable influence on the game?

 
Harald Pia: For five weeks, I played night after night in the Grand Casino in Madrid (Torrelodones). Along with the Gran Casino Barcelona, this casino is the biggest in Spain and is also a bastion of prostitution and drug dealing.
 
On the second evening, a gambler bet on the transversale Pleine 7 – 9, 10 - 12, 13 – 15 with all possible alternatives and in such a way that if 11 came up, all his stakes would win.
 
The wheel turned, the 11 came up and the player won 55,000 €. He left all his stakes, the croupier turned the wheel again, 11 came up again and once more the bank had to pay out 55,000 €. This was definitely not in the croupier's interest and was certainly not intentional, as not only his face, but those of all four croupiers at the table turned a pale, unhealthy shade.
 
Again, the gambler changed nothing in his betting and this time the casino reacted. The croupier was changed and a roll croupier with hands like those of a pianist presented himself at the table.  The safest sector containing no numbers occupied by players was between, 19 and 27
(19 – 4 - 21 – 2 – 25 – 17 – 34 – 6 – 27). 2 came up. I never saw the croupier who lost 110,000 € for the bank in the next four weeks. As you see, the croupier is simply replaced if there are any anomalies, even random ones.

Diva Jackpot: How do you convince skeptics that psychology, and namely, the dealer, plays such a major role?

 
Harald Pia: If an object is presented to a person visually, the brain processes a great deal of information about that object, but the person will only become conscious of some of this perceptual information.
 
The visual perception process is divided into a ventral and a dorsal stream. The ventral stream sends signals relating to properties such as shape, colour and weight to the lower temporal lobes of the brain. The dorsal stream sends information about spatial localisation to the posterior parietal lobes. The ventral stream is conscious while dorsal processing is largely automatic.
 
For the roll croupier, this means that over the entire period of his activity, his brain is dealing with the ball and the possible spatial localisations, i.e., the number or the sector that it will fall into. He can do no different. His brain conditions him that way.
 
Along with the nature and spatial localisation of the ball, his brain is constantly occupied with numbers. It is precisely his ability to grasp and quickly visualise numbers that enables him to work as a croupier in the first place.
 
And like anyone, be it a mathematician, physicist or architect, anyone who works with numbers as a passion or profession, his brain seeks an inherent aesthetic, a dimensional relationship, a symmetry.
 
So, Let’s summarise. We have a croupier whose brain is processing information about the roulette ball and where it is falling all the time, and who, like anyone who deals exclusively with numbers, finds an aesthetic pleasure in regularities, symmetries of series, which also benefit his employer, the casino.
 
Inevitably, there will come a moment in every croupier ‘s working day where he will try to extend a series that may have only initially have occurred by chance.
Even if this need arises subconsciously, he will now deliberately use his rolling technique. 
 
* Current findings in brain research consolidate the view that a decision is made in a person’s brain before the person becomes conscious of it. The actual drives arise in the limbic assessment and thought system. In the question “What do I do now? “, the brain assesses according to the stored consequences of previous actions. That means the result of the action and the emotional condition arising from that is remembered and forms the basis of the new decision. This is a subconscious automatic process.
 
For my strategy, this means that the croupier predominantly positive emotions (feelings of success) through successful manipulation of his roll urges his brain to keep trying to do this.

Diva Jackpot: Can you describe a time when observing a croupier’s habits directly led to a win based on your experience?

 
Harald Pia: Not once - hundreds of times. – You have always to take care of the same:
Five system elements are significant to “Win Every Time at Roulette “.

• The sectors in which the density of the chances is not in a symmetrical relation to the winnings
• The numbers of the transversale simple
• The roll croupier
• The stakes and splaying system of the other players
• You, your psyche, your concentration, your stake. You, the player who will win.

 
Let’s create the template for your victory. – You have only to read the book

Diva Jackpot: You talk about meditation and brain training. How do these practices translate into real advantages at the roulette table?

 
Harald Pia: Your most important principle is that a visit to the casino is not fun, no game of intuition.
 
You are not gambling. You are playing according to a system that generates a considerable statistical advantage for you.
 
You can never lose your nerve; you must always remain calm and in control so that you can place your stakes in a calculated manner.
 
You must instil this in yourself, you must internalise it.
 
If you want to win continually in the casino, this is hard work and like in all areas of life, you will only consolidate your performance without errors if you are best prepared for the demands.
 
For roulette, this means that your brain, your senses, your instinct and your nerves have to be perfectly trained.
 
Therefore, use the many opportunities to improve the strength of your nerves, your performance, i.e. the attentiveness of your brain.
 
Permanent concentration as free as possible from fears, doubts or other negative feelings is the key to your game, to your win.
 
You have to train your brain, and if possible, your psyche so that they are strong and remain your support but never your weakness.

Diva Jackpot: Is your system better suited for serious players, or can casual gamers also benefit?

 
Harald Pia: Every player will benefit from my system

Diva Jackpot: Do you think casinos will adjust dealer training if more players start applying your methods?

 
Harald Pia: No, I don't think so. That would mean completely removing the human factor from the game. What is possible, that the casinos are offering more and more fully automated tables.

Diva Jackpot: Could your principles, such as psychology, observation, and discipline, apply to other casino games?

 
Harald Pia: It's certainly useful for all table games.

Diva Jackpot: In percentage terms, how much of roulette do you believe is luck, and how much is strategy?

 
Harald Pia: Fundamentally, roulette is a game of chance. Only by considering the human factor (the croupier), correctly assessing it, and using it to your advantage you have a greater chance of winning.

Diva Jackpot: You stress discipline and avoiding addiction. What advice would you give to players who struggle to stop chasing losses?

 
Harald Pia: It's a constant battle you always have to fight. The better mentally trained you are, the easier it is. Work on your discipline, your mental strength and set fixed limits.

Diva Jackpot: With the growth of technology and online gaming, how do you envision roulette evolving over the next decade?

 
Harald Pia: Roulette is more than three hundred years old and will surely continue to fascinate people for decades to come. At the tables in major casinos like Las Vegas and Macao and of course online with live dealers or fully automated.