Ever since casinos opened in the 1600s, players have been looking for shortcuts to achieve wins. People believe that they can use a betting system to maximize winnings and minimize losses. There have always been gamers looking for shortcuts that will allow them to enjoy better results, even in games that are based purely on luck and gambling operators willing to take advantage of those beliefs to keep people playing.
The Grande Vegas Casino offers a comprehensive look at betting systems, along with an assessment of whether those systems work for gamers, regardless of whether they’re playing games of chance such as slots, skill-based games like poker or blackjack or any luck+skill game choices.
Historical Background
Anthropological and archaeological evidence indicates that gambling has been a pastime of human societies since ancient times. Early evidence records gambling games played by early civilizations dating back thousands of years.
As humans evolved, so did their gaming activities including that in ancient Chinese where there was a rudimentary lottery and in ancient Egypt and Greece where people used dice and other primitive tools.
The Romans were avid gamblers who wagered on chariot races and gladiator battles. Roman soldiers played different types of gambling games and many of those early games evolved into some of the games that we know today.
Europe’s relationship with gambling was complicated by the Church’s opposition but gaming, especially card games, spread. With those new games came new forms of betting and complex strategies. Organized gambling started to take shape in Italy in the 1600s and spread from there.
Once gaming was organized at these casino sites, different theories arose that purported to direct players how to maximize their bets. Mathematicians like Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat laid the groundwork for systematic approaches to betting with systems like the Paroli, Labouchere, Fibonacci and Martingale. Each system promoted a different way to optimize wins and minimize losses. Every era saw new innovations.
Even today, the rise of data analytics creates new possibilities for systematizing wagering on casino games. For instance, a new formula, the Kelly Criterion, employs mathematical formulas that help to determine optimal bet sizes based on the probability of winning.
Using a Betting System – Why or Why not?
Some of the most well-known gambling systems that are still used by gamers playing at both land-based and online casino sites include:
- The Martingale Strategy – A system that directs you to double your bet after every loss so you recover past losses with a single win.
- The Paroli Strategy – like the Martingale, this positive progression betting system tells you to match each previous bet after every win
- The D’Alembert Strategy – suggests that you increase or decrease your wager by one unit after every play, regardless of the results of the previous play
- The Labouchere Strategy – sequence of numbers gives you the information that determines the optimal next deposit
- The Fibonacci Strategy – guides you to wager bet amounts in which each deposit is the sum of the two preceding ones
It’s clear that a betting system won’t increase your chances of achieving a win but there are other reasons that gamblers prefer a betting system. Some people prefer the structure and discipline that a betting system can offer. A betting system is, at its core, a structured approach to gambling and it might be what some people need to maintain their discipline and manage their bankroll more efficiently. Betting systems also provide entertainment value as they add new elements of strategy and engagement to the gaming event.
It’s important, however, to remember the reasons that gambling advisors and pro gamers don’t use these systems. They warn people against the false sense of security that such systems may seem to offer. The idea that outcomes that are inherently random can be controlled by a betting system is false but adopting such a belief can lead to overconfidence and, potentially, larger losses.
It's also important to keep in mind that, regardless of the betting system that you’re considering, the House Edge will remain unchanged. There’s no betting system that will alter the fundamental house edge in casino games because, over time, the house is statistically likely to win.
Betting systems actually increase the risk that you’ll incur more significant losses because, at their core, they keep you betting more. For instance, a system like the Martingale, which involves doubling your wager after each loss, may lead to exponentially increasing bet sizes which will result in substantial losses over a short period of time.
Some other points about betting systems include:
- Betting systems generally require that you have a large bankroll so that you’ll be able to sustain extended losing streaks. A player can quickly go bankrupt if s/he uses a betting system but doesn’t have the capital to back it up
- Casinos impose betting limits that make some betting systems obsolete. If the required bet exceeds the bet limit, the system fails
- Betting systems can cause significant stress and anxiety, especially if you are losses or dealing with a prolonged losing streak
- Some betting systems are complex, requiring adherence to strict rules and careful record-keeping which can lead to mistakes and mismanagement of funds
- The structured nature of betting systems can encourage prolonged gambling sessions which, in turn, increases the risk of developing a gambling addiction.
- You can always hear success stories that highlight how using a betting system led to significant payouts. Those stories are misleading because they cause players to ignore the other stories – many more other stories – about how using a betting system resulted in failures and losses.
- When you use a betting system you’re likely to focus on the short-term gains but ignore the long-term losses which generally outpace the winnings.
If you want to try a betting system for your casino gaming entertainment, be sure to use it for its entertainment value. Be aware of the pitfalls of these systems before you give any of them a try.
