Copyright: Pyro's Roulette (C) 1995 by Kurt Bjorn


Contents
Help for Pyro's Roulette

Pyro's Roulette is the finest roulette game available for Windows.  I have worked very hard at creating an attractive and intuitive interface.  Combined with some catchy tunes and cool sound effects, it creates a realistic and playable Roulette game.  Playable is the key word here... I elected to create an American game with all the normal bets which are placed with a simple mouse click.  Wheel spin and ball drop is 100% automatic.

Please click on the item of interest

Installation

How to install Pyro's Roulette on your computer.

American Roulette Rules

Roulette rules and general Roulette tutorial.

Game Play

How to Play Pyro's Roulette on your computer.

ShareWare Agreement

How to register Pyro's Roulette if you have only a Shareware Copy.

Necessary Files

Required PYRO'S ROULETTE files.

Visit us on the internet

Download the latest copies of ALL our games.


 PyroWare Home page

All of our current games, latest updates, and other cool stuff is available at out home page.  The address on the World Wide Web is:

http://users.aol.com/PyroWare

At this sight you will find other games from PyroWare, updates, and some freebies, all for the taking.  If you register any game, your registration code will be effective indefinitely.  All you have to do is download the new version.  As long as PYROWARE.INI remains in your Windows directory, the code will be recognized, and the new version is instantly registered toyou.

But I have no experience with the Web!  How do I get there?

It's easy!  If you subscribe to a major online service such as AOL, CompuServe, or Prodigy, you can usually proceed directly to this sight by selecting KEYWORD and entering the above address in it's entirety.  If this doesn't work, then you can often open the service's internet connection.  In the box labeled either URL or ADDRESS, enter http://users.aol.com/PyroWare,  and RETURN.


Installation

System Requirements:  Pyro's Roulette requires an IBM PC or compatible and Window 3.1 or greater.  A sound Card capable of playing MIDI files and WAVE files is optional but highly recommended.

To install Pyro's Roulette:  Create a directory or subdirectory on your computer.  Copy or move all of the necessary files into this directory.  If you have other PyroWare Games, you may combine all of the games and their support files into a single directory.  This will save disk space, as some of the files are common to all of the games and may be shared.

To create an ICON in Program Manager:  Open both FILE MANAGER and PROGRAM MANAGER.  Set them on your 'desktop' so that both are visible at once.  Find the file PYROULET.EXE within file manager.  Drag and Drop this file into any Program Manager group.  Voila!  Instant ICON.  This trick works for any Windows program.

To Uninstall Pyro's Roulette:  Delete the directory containing the Pyro's Roulette files.  Pyro's Roulette DOES NOT modify ANY SYSTEM or INI file, nor does it write any INI files other than PYROWARE.INI, which remains in the Windows directory.


The ATM Machine

The in-house ATM machine is a unique feature designed to create a bit of realism, as well as a place for your cash when the computer is off.  It also allows complete integration with other PyroWare gambling games, allowing a realistic visit to a virtual casino.  Time now for a shameless plug!

If you have other PyroWare games installed, they will be automatically integrated under one bank account.  For example, let's say you first play Roulette, and win $255.  When you exit Roulette, and crank up Craps, you will still have $255.  It simulates leaving the Roulette tables, and hitting the Craps table.

To access the ATM machine:  Click the MORE button on the chip rail.  Select ATM Machine... from the pop-up menu.

You can deposit money into your account, as well as access a line of credit.  Here's how the ATM machine works.

The first time you play Roulette, the ATM machine will automatically appear.  Why?  Gotta get some dough!  Click on the ATM card.  It will be sucked into the machine.  You will be asked for a name.  Type your name and click ENTER.  An account will be created, with 2 numbers:  your balance, and your pocket cash.  Both will be zero.  Click the WITHDRAW button.  Enter a $$ amount, up to $9999.  Assume you enter $500.  Your withdrawal will be approved, and cash delivered to you.  Your cash is now $500, and your balance now - $500 (that's negative $500).  It's as if you walked away from the machine with $500 stuffed into your pocket.  This is what you gamble with!  If you bust, go back to the machine and request another withdrawal.

Of course, your balance will get worse and worse unless you win a bit.  Then you can deposit some dough.  Click the DEPOSIT button.  Enter the amount, up to your total cash, you wish to deposit.  Example:  Your balance is - $365.  Your cash is $150.  You decide to deposit $75.  After the transaction, your balance becomes - $365 + $75 = $290.  Your cash is reduced to $75, from $150.

Important note!  You never have to deposit a dime!  Your cash is saved for you between sessions.  You won't lose a penny by exiting the game and not depositing your cash.  The deposit feature is included for those who like to manage their money, certainly a good idea.


Rules
Roulette Rules

Roulette is a game which typifies, for many, the allure of a Casino.  With its beautiful layout and shiny wheel, it is certainly a visual game.  It is also very simple to play!

Roulette comes in two flavors... American, and European.  I am not going to go into detail on the European game.  Suffice it to say that the European game is superior to the American version from an odds perspective, and has only a single green 0 as opposed to the greedy 0 and 00 holes in the American wheel.

The American game consists of a revolving wheel with two green numbers, 0 and 00, and the numbers 1 through 36 in either Red or Black, placed randomly.  A plastic ball is revolved around the periphery of the turning wheel, where it eventually drops into the well and into one of the numbered pockets.  This number is the winner for that particular spin.  The dealer retrieves the ball, players make bets, and the game begins anew.

Please select from the following:

The Dealer and Chips

INSIDE bets

OUTSIDE bets

Summary of Payoffs and odds


Summary of Payoffs and Odds:

Straight-up bet Two Numbers Trio Four Numbers Five Numbers Six Numbers Column Dozens Odd or Even Red or Black 1 to 18   19 to 36	35 - 1 17 - 1 11 - 1 8 - 1 6 - 1 5 - 1 2 - 1 2 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1

All bets with the exception of the five number bet has a house advantage of 5.26%.  The sucker five number bet has a house edge of 7.89%.


The Dealer and Chips

In American roulette, a single dealer typically suffices to run the game.  His job is to make correct change, keep the wheel spinning, roll the ball, and pay winning bets.  Importantly, the chips used in a Roulette game differ from other casino games.

When a player cashes into a game, he or she is assigned a color, like blue or orange.  Chips at a Roulette table have a standard denomination, usually $1.  If Candy buys in with $40, she will be given 2 stacks of 20 chips.  The next player will be given chips of a different color.  This way, both players may bet on the same number without confusion.

Occasionally, a player will want higher valued chips.  In this case, the dealer will place one of the player's chips on the rim of the wheel with, say, a $5 marker on it.  This indicates to all that the player's chips are worth $5 each rather than $1.

When the player wants to leave the table, he or she must return the chips to the dealer, who will then convert them to standard casino chips.

Players make bets up until the point when the dealer announces 'No more bets!'.  The ball then drops.  A plastic number marker is placed on the winning number on the layout.  Losing bets are removed first, then winning bets are paid.

See:

INSIDE bets

OUTSIDE bets

Summary of Payoffs and odds


Inside Bets

The Inside bets are bets which are placed on the interior of the layout, like so...

and involve the numbers 0, 00, and 1 through 36.  They can be further broken down by the style of the bet.  There are six styles of Inside bets:

The Straight-up bet:  A bet is made on a single number.  Pays 35 to 1.

Split bets involve 2 numbers, and are made by placing the chip on any line separating the two numbers.  Here, two split bets are illustrated.  One bet is splitting the 27 and 30, and another is splitting the 29 and 30.  If either of the numbers hits, the bet is a winner at 17 to 1.

A Trio Bet involves three numbers, and pays 11 to 1.  Illustrated is a Trio bet comprising the numbers 31, 32, and 33.

A Corner bet uses four numbers as illustrated, and pays 8 to 1.

A Five-Number bet appears like so, and is the worst bet on the layout, with a 7.89% House advantage.  It pays 6 to 1.

And finally, we come to the Six-Number bet, a popular bet which pays 5 to 1.

All of these bets, with the exception of the five-number bet, create a House edge of 5.26%  Any or all of these bets may be made in any combination, leading to an enormous number of possible bets.  For example, you may make a bet which involves a Straight-up bet on the number 35, as well as a Trio bet which contains that number.  If 35 hits, both bets are winners!

See also the Outside Bets

and Summary of Payoffs and odds


The Outside Bets
Outside Bets

The bets outlined below take place outside of the field containing the numbers, and are known as, obviously, Outside wagers.  These bets typically have lower odds but are more likely to hit.  If you desire a modestly paced game, this is a good place to start.

These bets are self-explanatory.  The Dozens and Columns bets pay 2 to 1.  These include 1st 12, 2nd 12, 3rd 12, and the three Columns labeled 2 to 1 on the right side of the illustration.  The Even Money bets are the bets in the very bottom row of the illustrated layout, and include the ever-popular RED-BLACK bets.  These pay, of course, even money.

See also the Inside Bets

and Summary of Payoffs and odds


Game Play

Like any game of chance, ya gotta have the $$ to play.  If you don't yet know how to get money, please visit the ATM Machine.  The Pit Boss won't take kindly to busted players occupying his seats!

The game begins with an empty table, a roulette layout, a chip rail with controls, and a small viewport window which peeks at a slice of the spinning wheel.  Controls on the chip rail allow you to make bets, turn music and sound on and off, and access the ATM machine.  The game saves the configuration you last played, and will set the game up for you when you start it again.  For example, if you turned off the music and then exited the game, the next time you play, the music will already be off.  Of course, you can turn it on by clicking the musical note button.

Clicking the More button will reveal a pop-up menu of additional choices which are self-explanatory.

Please select from the following items of interest:

Placing a Bet

Sound and Music


Necessary Files

The following files are needed for PYROULET.EXE to function.  The best place for these files is in the same directory as PYROULET.EXE.  If you need to 'uninstall' Pyro's Roulette, all you have to do is delete the Pyro's Roulette directory.

PYROULET.EXE PYROULET.HLP CUSCUR.DLL PWSOUND.DLL MCI.VBX Various MIDI files ( .MID ) Various WAVE files ( .WAV )	The game! This HELP file Custom mouse pointers Sound functions Music Support Any midi file is spooled and played by copying the file into the PYROULET.EXE directory. Required for dealer calls. Missing WAVE files will result in odd gaps in dealer commentary.

If any of these files are missing, the game may be degraded, or may not run at all.


Sound and Music

If your computer can play Windows WAVE files and MIDI music files, Pyro's Roulette will come to life for you.  Nothing creates atmosphere in a game better than sound and music.  If you don't have a sound card, get one... you are being left behind!

Music:  All PyroWare games with music use a special midi jukebox feature unique to PyroWare.  When the game starts, it checks your system for the capability to play general MIDI.  It also searches the program's directory for valid midi files with a .MID extension, and any found will be spooled' and played continuously and randomly in the background.  Included with Pyro's Roulette are some MIDI files which I enjoy.  You may think they're terrible.  If so, remove them, and replace them with the MIDI files of your choice!  If you like to gamble to Mozart, add some Mozart MIDI files to the same directory as PYROULET.EXE.  It's that simple!

You may discover which MIDI file is playing by moving the mouse pointer to the musical note.  Don't click anything!  The name of the MIDI file will then appear next to the musical note.  This is helpful when you hate the current selection and want to delete it from your directory.

Sound:  Pyro's Roulette uses Windows WAVE files for dealer calls, cards, and chips sound FX.

Both Sound and Music are user friendly, and may be turned on and off using the buttons located next to your chips.  All sound is turned off when the game is minimized.  Neither deliver many warnings if trouble is encountered... the game will simply not make Music or Sound if this happens.


Registering PyroJack
Registering Pyro's Roulette

Try this game for 10 days.  It will work 100% for this period of time.  Upload it.  Give it to friends.  Swear at it.  But if you like it (and I know you will!) and play it for more than 10 days, you are obliged to register.  If you don't, the game will slowly but surely become unplayable, and will nag you to register.  Sorry, I know this method is detested, but people simply will not register otherwise.

If you have 'purchased' this game from a shareware distributor, realize I haven't, and will not, receive a dime from them.  This program is available FREE from on-line services.

I have worked hard to make Pyro's Roulette as simple as possible to register.  Here's how:

Get $5 (that's a measly 5 bucks) to me at:

PyroWare

1109 Manor Way

Roanoke, TX	76262

Along with the $5, I need your Name of at least 5 characters, and your postal address or E-Mail address.  I will mail to you a secret code which, paired with your name, unlocks Pyro's Roulette permanently.  If you need a diskette, I must ask $8.  Funds must be check, cash, money order, for US dollars drawn on a US bank (sorry Canadian friends).  I think you will agree this game is worth 5 bucks.

Click Here to run Windows Write, then select Print to print an order form and envelope, pre-addressed!

Once you have received your registration code from PyroWare, you can permanently license your copy by Entering your name and code into the register window.

Vendors:

Anyone who sells copies of this software as Shareware is a vendor of this product.  See Vendor/Reseller Information for important details.

Disclaimer:

This software is sold "as is", without any warranty as to performance or any other warranties whether expressed or implied.  Because of the many hardware and software environments into which this program may be used, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered.  The user must assume the entire risk of using the program.  Any liability of the seller will be limited exclusively to product replacement or the refund of the registration fee.

Thanks!


Vendor/Reseller Information

Questions or Comments, contact:

PyroWare

1109 Manor Way

Roanoke, TX   76262

Phone:  (817) 431-0751

Statement of Ownership:

Pyro's Roulette, by PyroWare, along with its associated files (excluding .MID files) and documentation, is NOT in the public domain. All programs and data files are Copyright 1995 by PyroWare.  All rights are reserved.  Except to the extent expressly licensed by us, we have and reserve the exclusive copyright and other rights, title and interest to Pyro's Roulette and all earlier versions of it. Distribution restriction rights are claimed under that copyright and are outlined below. This package must be distributed intact. These products are distributed under the shareware concept.

Definition:

"Commercially distribute" means to distribute for money or other consideration.  It includes copying onto magnetic disks, CD-Roms or any other tangible medium now or subsequently known, and distribution by retail rack, direct mail, catalog, advertisement, or trade show.  It does not include distribution by any not-for-profit organization, by any hobby, user or computer interest group to its members, or electronically by any BBS.

BBS Systems:

Shareware programs and files may be distributed by SYSOPS on BBS systems. All program files must be kept together and must remain unmodified. You may use LHARC, LHA, PKZIP, or a similar program to compress and group these files. This file should be named PYROULET.ZIP or PYROULET.LZH.

User Groups /  Computer Clubs

Shareware programs and files may be distributed by not-for-profit User Groups or Computer  Clubs. For-profit groups must follow the rules outlined below for Disk Vendors.  All program files must be kept together and must remain unmodified. You may use LHARC, LHA, PKZIP, or a similar program to compress and group these files. You may not combine these files with any other files from any other sources.

Catalog Disk Vendors

Current ASP approved disk vendors may start to distribute a Shareware version of this program without prior written permission. You must remain an ASP approved vendor to keep distributing this package in this fashion. You must also send us a copy of your catalog that contains the description of this program. If an ASP approved vendor leaves the ASP they must contact us within 10 days for permission to continue to distribute this product, or they may remove it from their catalog.

All other catalog disk vendors must write for permission to distribute these programs. Be sure to include sample copies of your catalog or other written materials when you write to ask for permission. We will not respond to vendors who do not include this material with their request.

Pyro's Roulette, when listed in vendors' catalogs, advertisements, brochures, mailers, etc. must be named "Pyro's Roulette" and not some other pseudonym like "Casino Games".

 These program files may not be combined with other programs and files in such a way as to compromise their individuality or distinctiveness.

Rack Vendors

All Rack Vendors (those who sell this product in a retail environment or those who package this product and distribute it for sale in a retail environment) must contact PyroWare prior to distributing a rack version of this product. Please send sample copies of your rack packaging when requesting a rack version.

CD-ROMS

All CD-ROM Vendors must contact PyroWare prior to distributing a CD-ROM that includes this product.  Please send sample copies of your CD-ROM packaging when requesting a CD-ROM version.

Other Restrictions

No organization may bundle this shareware product with any other hardware or software product without the prior written permission of PyroWare.

This package may not be "rented" or leased.

These files may not be modified, hacked, reverse engineered, or tampered with in any way.

If you violate any of the terms of this Agreement you agree to pay PyroWare a minimum royalty of 55% of the list price charged for your product, regardless of whether you used all or only some portion of our product.


Placing Bets

The chip rail contains your chips.  White chips are $1.  Reds (nickels) are $5.  Black/Red are $25, and blues are $100.  Chips laying within the slots are yours, and accurately represent your cash.  The chips stacked vertically in the center are tools and are used to place your bets.  They don't decrease and do not represent your cash.  Your cash supply is printed on the rail, as are buttons used to switch on Sound and Music.

To bet in Pyro's Roulette: Determine the size of your bet.  Typically in Roulette, you will want to place a fair number of small bets, such as $1 bets, and a couple of larger, Outside Bets.  To place the $1 bets, move the mouse pointer to the chips in the center of your chip rail, and click the $1 stack.  The mouse pointer will turn into a $1 chip.  Click this chip wherever you want to bet $1.

Click one of these stacks to turn the mouse pointer into a chip.  Then, click with the chip wherever you want to bet!

The mouse pointer will remain a $1 chip until...

- You select another denomination.

- You click on the tiny normal arrow just right of the chip stacks.

- The dealer calls 'No more bets!'

To increase any bet:  Click again on the playing field with the chip, or select a higher denomination, and use that.  For example, to bet $5 on RED, you can: A) Click five times with the $1 chip, or B) Select the $5 chip and click once.

To take a bet down:  Click on the bet with the right mouse button.

Important!  If there is no activity on the playing field (making a bet or taking one down) for six seconds, the dealer will assume you are done and announce 'No more bets!'.  The ball will drop to complete the round.

Double-Important!  If you win, the payoff is left on the layout, where IT WILL RIDE unless taken down!


Entering Name and Code
Entering your Name and Code

When you received your registration code from PyroWare, you also received the specific name for which the code was created.  This name and code are paired together.  Changing the name by even one character will invalidate the code.

To access the REGISTRATION screen:  Click the MORE button on the chip rail.  Select REGISTER NOW! on the Pop-Up menu.

To enter the name:  Click on the NAME box.  Enter the name which was returned to you, along with the code, from PyroWare.  The name is not case sensitive.  Spaces are important, as is punctuation.

To enter the code:  Click on the CODE box.  Enter the code exactly as sent from PyroWare.  Click the OK button.  You are now permanently registered!

If you have problems, feel free to call PyroWare at (817) 431-5153.  I can confirm the code received, and can replace a lost code, or correct the code and name combination if it is misspelled.  Don't worry, you can't hurt the game entering the wrong code.  And if you are smart enough to generate your own registration code, you deserve a free Pyro's Roulette game!


A MIDI file is a file of musical instructions which your sound card uses to create music.  Configuring your sound card to play MIDI files is normally done during sound card installation.  It is also beyond the scope of this help file.  Please see your sound card documentation.


Your Balance is defined as the money (or lack of it!) in your bank account.  When you withdraw to get cash for gambling, your balance is reduced.  Your goal is to maintain a positive balance.


Your Cash can be thought of as the money in your pocket.  When that's gone, you must get more at the ATM machine.


Other PyroWare games for Windows include:

Craps

PyroJack (5-hand BlackJack)

Double-Down Draw Poker

All of these games feature outstanding graphics, sound, and music, and may be integrated with each other (and your bank account!) to form a seamless casino experience.

Call or write for more info!


A file's Extension is the 3 letters after the period.  For example, the extension of ROCKROLL.MID is MID.  This usually identifies the type of file, in this case a MIDI file.


To Minimize a Windows program means to reduce it to an icon.  This can be done with the control box menu (upper left on the title bar), or the down-arrow button (upper right on title bar).