For as long casinos have been in existence, or any gambling games for that matter, people have been trying to devise a system that will allow them to gain an advantage. Some of the greatest thinkers on the planet have tried to crack the casino code- and without doubt this has helped develop mathmatical theory, and in particular statistical theory. Einstein worked on a system to beat Roulette. His famous quote was “The only way to beat Roulette is to steal the money when the dealer’s not looking.”, but it was not for wont of trying.
Many gambling systems centre around how much and when you bet, and particularly when you increase or decrease your wager. Most fit into 2 types: negative betting progression systems, or positive betting progression systems (or are a mix of the 2).
Negative Progression Systems
In a negative progression system you increase your wager after a loss to try and claw back any losses. An example would be the Martingale System. In this system you double your bet after a loss. The danger with negative progressions is that they can cause you to chase losses if you do not have a strict stop loss limit set (always set a stop loss limit by the way!)
Positive Progression Systems
In these systems, you try and capitalise on winning streaks. If you knew exactly when your winning streaks ended, you would be on to a winner with these systems, as the idea is to minimise your bets on negative runs and maximise them on positive runs. In some ways these are safer than negative systems, in that you are not going to get yourself into a huge hole if you lose, since you only bet after a win. BUT, if you wrongly predict the length of your winning streak, you may wipe out your profits in bet.
Paroli System
In the Paroli system you strart off by selecting a winning streak number. Feeling lucky? Then go for 3 wins in a row. Feeling Irish? Go for 4 wins in a row. You get the idea.
So make your first bet of say £10 and you win. Congratulations. You now have £20 (assuming you went for a bet that pays out even money). On your 2nd bet you place £20 and you win again. You now have £40. It is at this point you must decide whether to pull out and start over or continue on your run. Always make a plan before the session and stick with it. Don’t decide on the fly.
If you lose during the progression, begin again with your starter bet and try again. Your overall aim is to experience more successful runs that unsuccessful. Just break it down into mini-sessions.
Do They Work?
Well, yes thay can work- but understand that you are not increasing your overall odds in any way. All you are doing is thinking your strategy out before you hit the tables and attempting to play methodically (which is no bad thing). Set a budget that you don’t mind losing and a profit target and stop loss limit that is set in stone and off you go.
Remember, also, that the longer you spend playing, the more likely you are to have your money eaten away by the house edge or “casino tax” as we like to call it. Talk to High Rollers and they will tell you that they generally like to employ a “Hit and Run” strategy whereby they bet big, hopefully win big and then go AWOL by switching tables, games, casinos or by ending their session.
If you are new to progression systems, start off with a Positive Progression System like the Paroli- they are safer. Or play the free games and test the systems out there.
