petak, 26.06.2009.
The Martingale Betting System
Most players in the casino are looking for a system to help them get the edge. Many of them stumble upon or hear about a surefire system that involves doubling their bets after each loss. They figure that sooner or later they have to win. This system that is called the Martingale system and it has been around for years. It has also been the ruin of many players. Here is how it works. You make a bet and if you lose you double your bet. If you lose again you double your bet. You keep doing this until you win and then go back to your original bet.
Let’s look at an example of the Martingale. For this example we will assume you are playing on a five-dollar table. First of all most casinos have a maximum bet. Many five-dollar tables have a maximum bet of $500. If you bet using the martingale where you double after every loss the progression would look like this:
You bet $5 and you lose.
Your next bet is $10. If you lose:
Your next bet is $20. If you lose:
Your next bet is $40. If you lose:
Your next bet is $80. If you lose:
Your next bet is $160. If you lose:
Your next bet is $320. If you lose:
Your next bet is $640, which exceeds the maximum bet for the table.
It would only take eight losses to exceed the table maximum bet. It doesn't matter how many times you double up your bet. You will up you will only win five dollars if you eventually hit. This takes into account all your progressions up to that point. Even if you could exceed the $500 maximum bet, on the eighth bet you are risking $640 to win $5. You have already invested $635 for your previous seven bets. If you lose that one you are out $1,275. Can you imagine risking over a thousand dollars for a chance to win five dollars? The casinos know that if someone had unlimited resources they would eventually win. That is why the set maximum bets at the table.
Some people who try the Martingale system have an initial success with it. They might win consistently for many sessions and swear the system is fool proof. Sooner or later reality will kick in and they will discover the flaw in the system. I know because years ago when I was naive about the casino world, I was one of those persons who tried the Martingale.
To use the Martingale system you have to place even money bets. One of the most popular bets for players using this system is to bet black or red on the roulette wheel. (This is also one of the best games for showing you the flaws in the Martingale system.) Shortly after I started playing table games, I read about the Martingale and decided to give it a try on my next visit to Atlantic City. I started with a bankroll of $200 and I won $145 on my first trip using the system. I won on three trips after that building a bankroll of $500. This was too easy. I wondered how the casinos could stay in business if everyone used this system?
On my next trip I took my bankroll to the table and placed my $5 on red. I lost and started the progression. I placed my next bet and lost again and again and again. I lost six bets in a row. When I lost the bet for $160 I was down $315 and only had $185 left of my five hundred dollars. I did not have enough money to bet the $320, which was the next step in the progression. I was nervous and down hearted. I couldn't believe this could happen to me. I was all ready to throw down my remaining money when I came to my senses and decided to take break.
I thought about what I had just done and realized that this system was not fool proof. Anything can happen in a casino including losing several bets in a row. That was many years ago and I am wiser to the realities of the games. There are still many players however that are just hearing about the Martingale system and are convinced that they can't lose with it. Here is an easy way to see for yourself.
If you believe that you can't lose seven bets in a row take a walk through the casino and look at the display board that is connected to most roulette wheels showing you the twenty previous spins. How many times do you see one color come up more than seven times in a row? I once saw black appear 17 times in a row! If you started with a five dollar bet and used the Martingale system, your 17th bet would be $327,680.
No betting system will change the overall casino edge and the Martingale system can be disastrous when things go bad. Please don't be one who is fooled by this system.
