Today the gambling sector plays a key role in the economy of every country and is crucial for the development of the entertainment sector in general. Contemporary gamers have at their disposal a wide range of services that make gaming more exciting, profitable and convenient. In addition to land-based casinos, too online and mobile gaming they are a huge step towards the revitalization of the gambling industry.
It doesn't matter if you prefer to play at the nearest casino or are more willing to opt for remote gambling alternatives, there is one question that interests every player. Since time immemorial, players have been trying to come up with various strategies to beat the croupiers and defeat their opponents, but these attempts have met with sporadic success.
Basic betting rules
- Even if you feel like this is your lucky day, we recommend that you stop playing when you have accumulated enough winnings.
- Another surefire way to keep your winnings is to change the game as often as possible.
- Don't underestimate the importance of setting a limit and sticking to it. If you have a streak of losing sessions, it would be best to stop playing for the day.
The odds of winning
Have you ever wondered why casinos remain a lucrative niche, while so many industries have their ups and downs? Because in the long run, events follow the same scenario. As you spend more time playing roulette, you will see that as you spin more, all the numbers will roll. By comparison, if you play a fixed number of spins, you will see that it is impossible for the ball to land on different numbers each time. Some numbers may come up five times, some won't come up at all.
To test this, you can lay down, for example, 20 spins and see how many consecutive black and red streaks will come out. Pay attention to how often the ball lands on the same number.
The winning and losing streaks
For definition, two or more spins with the same outcome are called a streak. If you have a winning streak, you have two alternatives to choose from. You can bet on the streak or against it. However, which of the two situations is better?
In reality, one cannot make a 100% sure prediction that the lucky streak will continue or that the losing streak will be broken. Of course, there's a reason behind this uncertainty. During the game session, the nature of the results changes few times and varies between consecutiveness and alternation. That is why it is essential to know the state of the game you intend to play and to place your bets based on this state. In case the session alternates, it is recommended to bet against the winning streak. However, consecutive sessions require you to bet on the streak.
And here an important question arises. How to recognize winning streaks? Or to be more precise, the question is how long do you have to play to determine if a streak is a winner? The number of turns is variable but, needless to say, a few turns won't help much. Even if it is difficult to predict what the outcome of the next round will be, after more spins, you will have the basis on which you can build your strategy. As you become more experienced, you will have a strong intuition for winning and losing streaks.
Don't be disappointed if you lose sometimes. For establish an effective strategy, you will inevitably have a couple of losing streaks, followed by winning streaks or vice versa. However, don't forget the betting limit that you should set before you start playing and quit the game once you reach it.
In general, betting systems are divided into two broad categories. Negative progressions require you to double your bet when you lose. At first glance, it seems a bit illogical, but if you think about it one more time, you might change your mind. If you lose and double your bet, you have a chance to make up your losses and also have a small profit.
The other category is positive progressions which require the player to bet the same amount when he loses and double the bet when he wins. Proponents of positive progressions claim that these systems help players maintain a sustainable bankroll. When you win and double your bet, you are essentially betting money that belongs to the casino anyway.
Opponents of negative progressions argue that the chance of making a profit and offsetting your losses using a negative progression is too slim. To some extent, this is true. Negative progressions require the player be disciplined and carefully observe how events unfold. An error in the sequence spoils the whole progression, which therefore leads to financial losses. Also, you are likely to reach your betting limit very quickly if you apply a negative progression and hit a bad losing streak.
Remember that there is no system that guarantees you will win every time you apply it, but the system increase your chances of making a profit. It also enhances your gaming experience, as long as you stick to your betting limit and make sure your bets are reasonable.
Martingale
The Martingale is a negative progression system considered one of the riskiest. As a negative progression, the Martingale requires you to increase your stake when you lose, which can drastically hurt your bankroll.
The Martingale has several variations that are mostly used when playing roulette. What all variations of the Martingale have in common is that they require the player to double down when he has a losing streak and opt for flat betting when he wins. Like the rest of the negative progressions, the Martingale aims to compensate for previous losses and even make a profit, but the method itself is quite risky. Ultimately, the player cannot say for sure how long the winning/losing streak can be.
It is recommended to apply the Martingale only if you have a sizable bankroll and can afford to lose. You have to keep betting and eventually, you will have a winning streak.
Let's say your first bet is 4 units. If you lose, the second bet must be 8 units. If that one also loses, the third goes up to 16 units. If you lose, the fourth should be 32 units. In case the fourth bet wins, you will be compensated for the units you have lost and if you do the math, you will see that you will even have a net gain of 4 units. After a winning bet, the system starts over.
As mentioned above, if you have a large bankroll, it is possible to keep increasing your bet until you hit a winning streak. Obviously, the Martingale is quite a risky system, but from another point of view, it is among the few systems that can bring significant profits in the long run. If your bankroll permits, you can basically spin an infinite number of spins and eventually make up for your losses. This is why casinos set table limits.
We illustrate the above explanation with an example.
The table limit is 800 units and the first bet is 10 units. If you lose, your second bet should be 20 units. If you have a losing streak, the next five bets you place should amount to 40, 60, 120, 240, 480 units, respectively. If the fifth bet is a winner, the sixth should be 960 units, but the table limit doesn't allow you to do that.
D'Alembert
D'Alembert is another negative progression betting system that has been widely applied in table games and especially blackjack. As a negative progression, D'Alembert calls for you to raise your bet when you lose and lower it when you win.
While popular with both new and regular players, they all say D'Alembert is not a good fit in the long run due to the following reason. It is estimated that no matter how many hands you play, in the end, the number of winning and losing hands will be about the same. Unlike the Martingale or the Labouchere, D'Alembert is not so risky because you should not double your bet. If you have a losing hand, you should increase your bet by one unit and when you have a winning hand, you should decrease it by 1 unit.
In other words, your losses won't be significant, but you definitely won't be able to rack up good winnings too quickly.
Paroli
First of all, we recommend that you set a betting limit and stop playing when you reach it. This no doubt makes sense as you may have a winning streak but eventually you will go on a losing streak and all your profits will disappear. To limit the likelihood of losing a large sum of money, you can play three or four hands and increase your bets if you win and then start the progression all over again. However, this method is not preferred by those who want to accumulate significant winnings for a relatively short period.
Probably the most realistic explanation ever given is that Paroli can lead to small losses, followed by a couple of big wins. In the long run, you will notice the balance between wins and losses, which means that Paroli is not the most suitable system in the long run.
Parlay
Parlay is a positive progression system that is quite similar to Paroli, yet is considered easier to apply. Since progression is positive, the player must increase the bet after a win and decrease it after a loss.
Using the Parlay system helps you maintain a good bankroll as basically, you bet the money you just won from the casino. It is important to note that setting a maximum win amount will help you leave the casino with good winnings, without even risking the funds won with your bets.
However, when it comes to long-term profits, you may be disappointed to know that Parlay won't help you achieve that goal.
What makes long-term gains less likely than short-term ones?
Let's say you start playing a certain game and your bets amount to $20.
If your first bet is successful and you win €1.000, your total profit will be €1.000.
However, if you place ten bets before winning €1.000, you will spend €200, meaning your total profit will be €800.
If the 50th bet is lucky, your overall profit will be 0. Spend €1.000 and win €1.000.
What makes the casino industry thrive are players' expectations that the winning streak will continue or that the losing streak will stop. Sure, it's hard to give up bets when you win, but an effective strategy doesn't include placing random bets. On the contrary – it requires the player to be well organised, disciplined and aware of the risks involved.
If you really want to avoid leaving the casino with empty pockets, play the short sessions. This applies to both winnings and losses. This is a proven way to proceed in the short term.
The best approach to increase your winnings without taking unnecessary risks is to bet no more than ¼ of the total chips you have.
