Betting Systems and Strategies: A Closer Look

Unfortunately, if you're a gambler then you know one thing that's true: the house always wins. Players are always on the lookout for strategies and tips that will help them even the score and lead to some big payouts. But despite countless YouTube videos and articles that promise players the secret to beating the house, the simple fact of the matter is that casino games can't be beaten. Sure, you can cheat to win, but then you risk severe punishment - like jail time!

Casino games - land based or online - are games of chance and completely random. Of course Lady Luck can be on your side one day and you can walk away a winner, but over the long run the casino will always make a profit.

Today, we're going to take a look at some popular strategies that you can use to hopefully minimize your losses and maximize your wins. We are not saying that using these strategies will guarantee you any wins. They won't. Nothing will guarantee you a win at the casino - if anyone guarantees you a way to "beat the casino" they are lying and trying to scam you. Our goal with this article is simply to give you some information of different strategies and tips that you can use at your own discretion. Let's jump in.

Martingale System

Maybe one of the most popular strategies used by players, the Martingale system is a negative progression strategy. A negative progression strategy is one where the player will INCREASE their wager after every loss. For the Martingale, a player will double their bet after every loss. For example, say you bet $10 and lose. The next wager you will increase to $20. If you lose again then your wager becomes $40…then $80… then $160 and so on.

Once you hit a winner you reset your bet size back to the original amount. The Martingale is best used for roulette - on bets like black, red, odd and even and in blackjack.

The thinking behind the Martingale is that at SOME POINT you'll hit a winner and replenish your bankroll. The flaws are that you can see how much of a bankroll you need to start with even if you're only starting with $10 bets. Doubling your bet each hand gets pricey quick. And there's no guarantee you'll hit a winner before your bankroll is gone - trust me, I've felt this pain myself. You can easily lose 5 or 6 hands in a row and be left with nothing.

D'Alembert System

The D'Alembert system is a positive progression system. That means a player INCREASES their bet after a win and DECREASES their bet after a loss. Like the Martingale, it's best used in 1:1 bets in roulette and in blackjack.

The D'Alembert is pretty simply to follow. After a win you're going to raise your bet one unit. A loss and you go down a one unit. For example, let's say you're betting $10 to start with. That's your base bet. If you win then the next wager will be $20. Win again and the next wager is $30. Another win and it's $40 and so on.

Using that example, let's say you're sitting at $40 for your next wager. If you lose then you drop down to $30. Lose again and the bet goes down to $20. If you lose your first bet then the following bet remains the same as your original bet.

This system is slightly more manageable than the Martingale because you're only going up one unit per bet and not doubling. This - theoretically - will make your sessions last a little longer.

Paroli System

The Paroli system is popular amongst players because it's very easy to use. Like the others, it's best used for even money bets. The Paroli system is a positive progressive system which as we've learned, means you increase your bet size after wins. The difference with the Paroli system is that there is a limit on the max bet, which makes it a little more appealing.

The Paroli system works like this: first, you decide your base bet amount. For our example we'll say we're betting $10. If you win then you double your bet to $20. Win again and you double that to $40.

The difference with the Paroli system is that you STOP doubling your bets after 3 consecutive wins. Why? Because 3 consecutive wins isn't that far fetched. We've all won three hands in a row. But once you get past 3 hands it gets more difficult to keep the streak alive.

So after you win three consecutive bets the fourth bet goes back to your base amount of $10. If you lose the following bet remains $10. You don't increase your bets after losses with the Paroli system.

Betting Tips

A good rule of thumb is to keep your bets to about 2% of your overall bankroll. So if you start out with $100 then 2% of that would be a $2 starting bet. Of course you can always bet more than that but you don't really want to go above 5%. Keeping it in the 2%-5% range will allow you to maximize your bankroll and get the most out of your session as possible.

Know when to walk away. Using these strategies can be exciting - especially if you start out hot - but the good times won't always last. If you burn through your initial deposit then know it's time to walk away. Don't chase losses. Odds are you're going to be playing angry and that's going to lead to even more losses and a deeper hole.

Conclusion

Betting strategies like these can be exciting and add thrill to your next gambling session. However, they are not foolproof ways of beating the house or guaranteeing you a profit. Yes, they may work for a period of time but they won't always work. All it takes is a string of losses to completely knock you out. So the next time you use these strategies, know they come with risk as well as some reward. Good luck!