Overcoming The House Edge With A Betting System - Is It Possible?

It is no big secret that the casino has the upper hand on you at all times with the house edge. Over the years, many ambitious gamblers have tried to devise unique betting systems with the aim to find a hole in the matrix of the house edge. Some will even charge you decent money to share their secret system, but ultimately, do they actually work?

A betting system is a method/pattern of placing bets, which covers the bet size and the number of bets you make. With most betting systems, every decision is based on the outcome of the last bet. The average player tends to bet the same amount every time, which is called a flat bet - this is technically also a betting system.

There are countless betting systems out there, with some involving complicated calculations such as the Labouchere System or the Fibonacci System. Here are some popular and easy-to-understand examples of betting systems.

The Martingale

This is a betting system that is applied to even-money bets such as red/black in a roulette table. With the Martingale system, players double their bet after every loss. The advantage of this system is that once you win, you will get back all the money you bet plus a minor profit.

To illustrate this, say the player bets 5 times in a row using the Martingale system, starting with $1. In the first four bets, he loses a total of $1+$2+$4+$8=$15. If the fifth time, he doubles the bet again at $16 and wins, he would win about $16, which covers the first 4 losses plus a $1 profit.

It's easy to see the appeal of this betting system because, in theory, you indeed can always make a small profit if you keep doubling. But in practice, losing enough times in a row will make the next bet nearly impossible to afford (10th loss = a $512 bet), leading to a substantial loss.

Positive Progression Systems

A betting system like the Martingale is called a negative progression system, because you're reacting to losses but not wins. In contrast to this, there are positive progression systems where you increase your bet every time you win.

For example, you could try adding 25% more into your next bet after each win, and whenever you lose, start again at a fixed value. The thing about this system is because you only bet more when you win, you don't dig yourself deeper into a hole and blow all your money. But if wins and losses interject each other regularly, it means you're betting more on the hands you lose but less on those you win.

The Quarter Bet

Like its name, the Quarter Bet system is when you always bet 1/4 of your bankroll. When you're winning and your stack is bigger, a quarter of that counts for more. Similarly, 1/4 of a small bankroll, when you're losing, is less - this minimizes further loss.

The Quarter Bet won't magically help you win more (no system truly does) but it's a simple way to manage the bet size that anyone can use. What's more, you don't have to worry about busting early since this betting system makes sure you don't bet all that's left of your budget.

Full Bankroll Bet

This is a betting method that exploits the long-term nature of the house edge. Basically, the longer you play, the more your overall loss will resemble the house edge. So, what happens if you put all your bankroll in one bet? You either double your money or lose it all, with the odds being close to 50/50. 

The Full Bankroll Bet mathematically helps lessen the effect of the house edge to the maximum but instead, you also take a great risk of losing your whole budget and all the entertainment of gambling.

Leftover Bet

The Leftover Bet system takes the same concept of the Full Bankroll Bet but implements it in a way that allows for more entertainment. Simply play like normal and try to enjoy yourself, but before you leave, make one final bet consisting of what's left in your bankroll (if any).

This system comes with the same high risk and high reward, but you get to play for a long period of time. There are other variations you can try like splitting the total leftover into 2 bets, giving you a more varied and less risky result.

The short answer is NO! Most betting systems don't even have much of an effect in the short term. When you gamble at a casino, every bet is placed at a disadvantage because of the house edge. Therefore, no combination of disadvantageous bets can create a better chance of winning, especially in the long run.

Many betting systems are derived from the gambler's fallacy, which is a belief that the result of past bets affects future possible outcomes. In regards to a live casino game, this is simply not true. Just because the ball has landed on black 5 times in a row doesn't make a bet on red more sensible.

All betting systems should serve only as a way for you to manage your money and playtime, not to get a profit over the casino. Stimulations run over millions of rounds show that despite the pattern you bet, in the long run,  you will lose an amount close to the house edge.