Rolulette

Question by John R: Martingale betting system?

I have heard that this betting system is unseccesful, but i need some prove or an explanation of why it would not work. If i was had 5000 to gamble with and go to a blackjack table and bet 5 dollars for the minimum and then double each time, then i could bet 10 times before i went broke. I know there is a max bet on a low table with a 5 dollar min but couldnt i just move to a higher staks table that will accept a bet for 2560. I understand i could potentally be betting thousands to just win 5 dollars, but i believe the chances of lose 10 hands in a row in is about 1/1000. It sounds good to me with those odds.

Best answer:

Answer by Doug
Yes, the probability of losing ten hands in a row is about 1/1000.

But when that roughly 1/1000 chance happens, you LOSE 15. This is assuming you don’t double or split anything.

So…999/1000 times you win …yay

but that 1/1000 times you lose 15…

So, after ten hands your average win would be:

(999/1000)* – (1/1000)*,115 = -.12

So you should expect to win negative 12 cents!

Wait…negative cents aren’t things you want to win. Yes on average you would lose .12 on 10 hands. In reality it would slightly be more than this because the chances of losing 10 hands in a row is slightly larger than 1 in 1000 (but its close enough to make the point).

Now if you had an infinite bankroll, infinite table limits, and infinite time…then this system could possibly work. Unfortunately none of these things exist to us.

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