Betting Systems – 45+ Betting Strategies for Most Casino Games

Conventional wisdom says that sometimes a betting system can make your gambling experience more intense, and if you’re lucky you can have some short-term success. But, you cannot beat the house edge in the long term. This is because each roll of the dice, the spin of the wheel, or the hand of cards dealt, is a completely random event. Independent and unrelated to the others.

Against this conventional wisdom, I believe you can increase your chances of winning by changing your betting patterns. You cannot remove the house edge for an individual game, but the chances of losing a successive number of games in a row are less than the apparent odds of each game. This is where betting systems play a part to increase your overall returns, lowering your losses, and/or limiting your risk depending on the strategy deployed.

(Continue reading the introduction at bottom of the page)

Select the below betting system titles if you wish to visit the full article of each Strategy.

• Alexembert – An improvement of the d`Alembert progression system primarily used in Roulette.The increments between a stage of this progression are higher than in the original d`Alembert. Whereas the d’Alembert had a progression of 1, 2, 3, etc, with the Alexembert method, you can use 1, 3, 5, or 1, 4, 7 so the bet amounts increase by 2 or 3 each time as opposed to by 1. This aims to place lower bets during losing streaks and higher bets during winning streaks.Starting with a bet of 1 unit, after a loss, the bet amount is increased to the next value, with a win it is reduced to the previous value or remains at 1 if this is not possible.
• Anti-Martingale – In this betting system mainly used in Roulette a player can capitalize on a winning streak by doubling his bets. If you lose, you place the initial bet amount. There is no bankroll size limitation and the casino limits don’t affect you.
• Ascot – This system is mostly used in Roulette but may also be applied with casino games like craps and baccarat.The Ascot betting system sees winning bets increase by one step at a time in an agreed list of amounts. Losing bets see the next bet decrease by one step.The Ascot series can be between 7 and 11 numbers, an example is 2 3 5 8 13 20 30.Your first bet would be a number in the middle such as 8. If you win this bet, move to 13 units for the next bet, if you lose decrease to 5 units and so on. The series will end when the last bet in the series, in this case, 30, is won or the first bet of 2 is lost.
• ASM System – A simple betting strategy used primarily in Roulette. For this system, divide your bets into 30 equal units. The system is betting the following number of units: 1-1-2-2-4-4.Start betting 1 unit, if you win move to the next amount. If you lose on bet 1, 2, or 3, go back to bet number 1. If you lose on bet 4 or higher, go back to bet 3. Continue until you either lose your 30 units or win an amount you are happy with.
• Beresford Progression – A progressive betting system for Roulette. This system is flexible and can be used in lots of different ways. Although it can result in good profits, the losses are limited making it a good system to try. The Beresford Progression works on a similar basis to the Labouchere System. However, reductions in bet amounts take place after lost bets as opposed to won bets using the Beresford Progression System.Starting with 1 1 1 1 1, each bet amount is determined by adding the first and last digit together, the total is then added to the end of the string of numbers. If the bet wins, the next bet is again the total of the first and last digit, with the new amount added to the end, if the bet loses, the first and last digits are crossed off and the next bet is the total of the new first and last digits.
• Cancellation System by Henry Labouchere – The Cancellation System is for bets in Roulette such as Red/Black, Odd/Even or Pass/Don’t Pass in Craps. It is based on the idea that 2 even bets will come in around the same amount of times and if that happens in the short term whilst you are playing then you will finish the session ahead.Starting with 10 1’s on a sheet of paper, each time you bet you add up the left and right digits to determine how much you bet.If you win, cross both the first and last numbers out. If you lose the bet, add the total bet to the right-hand side of the row of numbers. The next bet will be the total of the new left-hand and right-hand numbers added together.
• Capitalization of Profits – The Capitalization of Profits system is for casino games where you are playing against the house. Increase your bet size from wins, whilst building up a reserve at the same time.This system works by increasing the bet amount when winning and adding to a reserve pool to protect your initial bankroll.Split your starting stack into 20 separate bets and then you have ‘attacks’ which are a set number of bets together – when you gain 4 units, these are placed into a reserve to protect the starting capital.
• Deance Progression – A Martingale double-up progression system for games where you are playing against the house. This system is based on the Martingale system, with less risk involved. The aim of this system is to gain a total of 4 units. Units are placed evenly into 4 columns, the first bet is the total of numbers in column 4, and the 2nd bet is the total in column 3. You will start with 4 columns with 1 in.If you get a winning bet, it is removed from the appropriate column – you will then have 3 columns with 1 in as the last column will be crossed off. If the bet is a loser then it is added to the far left empty column or added to each column from left to right. Therefore, if you lose your first bet, you will have 2, 1, 1, 1 in your four columns. If you have a losing bet of 2 or more units, these amounts are spread equally and added from left to right on the row below.By splitting any lost bets evenly over each column, the bet amount rises slower which means more than 40 consecutive losses are needed to reach the maximum bet size. With the Martingale double-up system, each bet doubles after a loss so the table maximum can be reached very quickly meaning you cannot always recoup losses. Remember, the aim is only to win 4 units, so once you have won this amount, take your winnings and start again if you prefer.
• Differential Betting System – A Modification of The Contre D`Alembert Progression for games where you are playing against the house. This system sees bet amounts increase after a win and decrease where possible after a loss.Starting with a one-unit bet, if you win, increase your next bet by 1 unit. If you lose on the first bet, place a further bet of 1 unit, if you lose after a win, reduce your next bet by 1 unit. All bets should be made on even money bets.
• Double Street – The Double Street strategy is a low-risk and conservative Roulette strategy. It is low risk as you are betting just 6 chips each round but covering 17 numbers in total.Place 6 chips of equal amounts as follows: 2 chips on a six-line bet, 2 chips on a different six-line bet covering new numbers, 1 chip on a straight-up bet on any number and 1 chip on a corner bet covering 4 numbers.This results in a win of 4 units if you hit any of the numbers in the 2 six-line bets, 35 to 1 if the straight-up number comes in and a 2 unit win if any of the corner bet numbers come in.
• Dual Even Money Progression – A multiple progressive betting system for Roulette.This system involves placing 2 bets on the opposite side of an even money bet – for example, Red/Black, Odd/Even, or High/Low on Roulette.Following the Fibonacci progression on one bet – 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, you place another bet on the opposite side using the following units: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256. The logic behind this is that you will lose at some point and this system minimizes losses by doubling the bet on the opposite color meaning that when this color comes out, you regain any losses on that color plus one unit.
• Even Chance Bets – An even chance betting system for Roulette players. In this system, we increase or decrease our next bet depending on the outcome.Choose your starting bet and if you lose, increase your bet by 20% for the next bet. If the bet is a winner, decrease your next bet by 10%.
• Famous Progressions – A summary of well-known progressions. This is a simple system to learn but you will need a big bankroll in case of a bad run. Choose how much you want to bet to start and go for an even money bet. If you win, collect your winnings and start again, if you lose, double your previous bet. Continue like this until you win, after which time start from the initial bet amount again.
• Fast Double Bet – An aggressive strategy for Roulette, Blackjack, or other games where the house edge is low. Playing all 3 even money chance bets on the Roulette table at the same time, place 1 unit on each. If you get a win, place the winnings plus 1 more unit, so 3 units again, if this wins, place the winnings – 6 units – plus one more, so 7 in total. If you lose, start with 1 unit again.
• Flat Bet Counting – The Flat Bet Counting system is a Money management system for Roulette.You need to split your play into 3 equal segments – this could be time or number of spins – and decide on a loss amount at which point you will take a break. The aim of the 1st level is to make a profit equal to 10% of the bankroll, the 2nd level is to try and win any losses from the 1st level if necessary and the 3rd level is to win back total losses and try and make a small profit. You will only move to levels 2 and 3 if the current level fails.Level 1 is about winning 10% of the bankroll so we recommend you place bets equal to 1% of the bankroll and continue until you either win 10 units – 10% – or reach the limit for segment 1.
• Flatbetting Loss Recovery Money Mgt System
• Fractional Betting – In Baccarat, Blackjack and Roulette this strategy considers 2 losses or 2 wins as the beginning of a trend where you will bet accordingly. Starting with bets totaling 3 times the table minimum, you increase your bet amount by a third after 2 wins and decrease it by two-thirds after 2 losses. You may need to get some small denomination chips to get the bet amounts as accurate as possible.This is aimed at maximizing winning trends and minimizing losses on losing trends. Although this system will not get you big wins, you will get a nice profit when you hit a good winning streak.
• Garcia System – When playing Roulette this system takes advantage of the occasional long runs of ‘Even Chance’. The 3 bet amounts are 1 unit, 3 units, and 7 units.Watch the first spin, then bet one unit on the opposite of the winning bet. For example, if red comes in, bet 1 unit on black. If you win, the sequence starts again on the opposite bet, so if you bet 1 unit on black and black comes in, you start the sequence – 1 unit – on red.If you lose the first bet, stay with the losing value but bet 3 units. If this wins, start the sequence again on the opposite value, if you lose, stay with it and bet 7 units.
• The Guetting Progression – The Guetting Progression system is a progressive system for even number bets in Roulette. It is based on the idea of a progressive system, which starts small and then increases at a faster rate if wins are coming. There are 4 levels of play – in level 1 you bet 2 units per spin, in level 2 either 3, 4, or 6 units, level 3 is 8, 12, or 16 units and level 4 consists of bets of 20, 30, or 40 units.Starting at level 1, any 2 consecutive wins see you move up to a higher bet in your current level or move to the lowest amount in the next level up. Any loss at the first attempt of a level means you go back to the lowest bet on that level or back down a level.
• Half Peak – The same as the Alexembert with a slightly helpful modification: the half peak mechanism. This is a very simple betting system to learn. Start with any bet amount you wish, if you win, decrease the bet by 1 unit, if you lose, increase it by 1 unit.If you win and then lose or lose and then win, you will make a 1 unit profit, keep going with the system for as long as you wish and if you win one of the last 2 bets you will end up with a small profit.
• Hollandish System – A progression system for table games. Starting with a bet of one unit, you continue at this level until you get your first win, then increase the bet to 3 units. Again, continue to bet 3 units per spin until your next win when you increase to 5, the next win 7, then 9, etc. Continue until you reach an amount where you are either happy to walk away with the profits or hit your maximum loss amount.
• Martingale – The Martingale system is one of the most popular and is for even money bets like Odd/Even, Black/Red or High/Low for Roulette and Pass/Don’t Pass in Craps.It is a very simple system to learn – every time a bet is lost, double your stake for the next bet. On even money bets, by the law of averages, you won’t be far from a winning bet and when you do you will get all your losses back.However, following this plan can lead to high bet amounts if you go on a bad run so you will need to ensure you have a good bankroll and the table limits are high to allow you to keep playing for as long as possible before hitting them.
• Oscar’s Grind – The Oscar’s Grind system is a popular system with many players.Starting with a bet of 1 unit – the amount is up to you and will depend on bankroll – keep betting on any even money bet until you win one. If you lose, the next bet remains the same amount, if you win then it is increased by 1 unit for the next bet. This continues until you recap any previous losses and come out 1 unit ahead at which point you start the series again with a bet of 1 unit.
• Oscar’s Grind – The Positive Way
• Oscar’s Grind for BJ, etc
• Piquemouche Method – Based on the Martingale betting system, the Piquemouche sees you bet each level 3 times instead of the 1 time before doubling the bet amount. This sees your betting more prudent than the Martingale system but it does mean that you need more than 1 win before you break even. Whereas the Martingale system doubles the bet amount after you lose, with this system your bet amounts would be 1,1,1,2,2,2,4,4,4,8,8,8, etc.On each level, you only double the bet when you lose 3 times more than you win. If you win 3 times more than you lose on any level, you are in profit and you start again from 1 unit.
• Pluscoup Progression – The Pluscoup Progression system is a winning or ‘up as you win’ system. It is similar to other systems in that it is for use on even money bets but is more aggressive than most so you will need a larger bankroll. Start with a bet of 1 unit – the value of which will depend on your bankroll. Should this bet win then you take your profit and bet 1 unit again. If you lose, the bet amount stays as 1 unit until you register your first win, after which it increases to 2 units.If you are still down after a win, continue this way by increasing the next bet by 1 unit each time you win until you find yourself ahead, at which point go back to 1 unit for your first bet and start the system again.
• Pyramid System – Known as either the D’Alembert system of Pyramid system, this is one of the most popular systems for roulette.Based on the Martindale system but with a smaller risk, you start by betting 1 unit and continue to do so until you lose. After your first loss, the bet amount goes up by 1 unit. After the next bet, if you win the bet amount reduces by 1 unit, if you lose again it goes up by one unit.Continue this way – increase the next bet by 1 unit if your bet loses and reduce it by 1 unit if your bet wins.
• Small Wins System – The aim of this system is to win a small percentage of your bet over a number of spins. The formula for working out what to bet is X/Y where X is the amount you wish to win and Y is the number of spins over which you want to win this amount. Start by placing a bet of the amount you wish to win – so X – if you win a bet, deduct the amount you won from X and 1 from Y and play again. When you lose a bet, add the loss amount to X and add one to Y.
• Stan’s System – This is a simple to work out a system that sees you reduce your bet when you win and increase on a loss. To start, write down consecutive numbers up to double the number of bets you are happy to lose, so for example, if we take 10, you would write down 1 to 20. Starting in the middle, so in the above case 10, bet 10 units on an even money bet. If you win, reduce your bet by 1 to 9, if you lose, increase it by 1 to 11. Keep going this way until you either get to the 1 or 20.
• Star Alternative Progression – The Star system works by slowly increasing bet amount when a bet is lost and works best for Blackjack.Betting each level twice, you start off with a bet of 1 unit and continue at this level until a bet is lost. The first time a bet loses, the bet amount stays the same, and the next time you move up a level and bet 2 units. You continue in this way until you either win an amount you are happy with or you lose twice on the final bet level, at which point there is a recovery level that has bigger bets, lose on the recovery level and there is a 2nd recovery level to try and recuperate losses.Should a game of blackjack be lost that involves either doubling or splitting – so the bet amount is doubled – this counts as 2 losses instead of one.
• Stepladder System – In this system, each number is the equivalent of a rung on a ladder.The aim is the get to the top of the ladder by increasing one rung at a time. As with a normal ladder, each rung must be fairly close together. Each number represents a betting unit of your choice depending on your bankroll.Start by betting 5 units and simply move up a rung when you win and down one when you lose.
• Stretched d’ Alembert – This method is unsurprisingly based on the original d’Alembert method. The Stretched d’Alembert method involves several bets at each stage thus ensuring we never bet too much in a single go.The new levels would be as follows: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2, etc.The sequence of 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 are bets using 1 unit before we raise the bet to 2 units. We then play the sequence of 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 with 2 units before raising to 3 units, etc. The bet size is reduced in the same manner.
• The Sure Win Method – A system for even money bets in Roulette, Blackjack, Craps, and Baccarat. The principle for this method is that all even chance bets repeat themselves quite frequently. Put your first bet on any even chance outcome. If you win, leave both units on that bet. If you win a second time, return your next bet to one unit. Repeat the above on every session. If you lose, use the next bet in the progression to try and get a parlay.1-1-2-2-3-4-5-7-9-12-16-22-29-39-52-69-92-123Remember, on any profit return to the start of the series. Decide before you start where your level of comfort is and use that as your decision as to how long to go on for.
• The Zero Factor – The Zero Factor betting system aims to cover all even money bets – including both sides of each.Whilst this may sound like a losing strategy as you will lose if zero comes out and break even if it doesn’t, the key is the amount you bet on each side of the even money bets.You can reduce the amount lost if 0 comes out and if done correctly, is not as silly as it may sound.
• Thomas Elrod System – This system uses a debit column and control number to determine the amount of the next bet. Elrod himself used 100 units as the initial debit amount and 20 as the control.Divide the debt amount by the control amount to determine the amount for the next bet, if you lose, add the loss amount to the debit column and divide again, if the bet is a winner, subtract from the control figure, and the win amount from the debit column and divide again.
• Tier et Tout – This system is a winning progression and therefore sees the total bet amount rise slowly depending on how you are doing.Decide how much you wish to bet and then take 1 third of it for your first bet. If this bet loses, bet the remaining 2 thirds of the bet on the next go. If the first or second bets win, increase the original bet amount to include the profit and then bet 1 third of this amount the next go. If both bets lose, start again with the same bet amount and bet 1 third.
  If you can avoid 2 losses in a row, the winnings can go up at a nice rate.
• Unorthodox Even Chances – This system is a combination of the Martingale and Cancellation Systems.
  Watch 15 spins on the roulette wheel and make a note of which even money bet comes in the most. You can then choose whether to play with an unorthodox Martingale or an unorthodox Cancellation System. The Martingale plays for a couple of wins whilst the Cancellation plays through one full set of numbers.
• Various Progressions
• Whittacker Progression for Doz & Col bets – This system uses bets with odds of 2 to 1 rather than even money bets, so for example on Roulette, it may be Column bets.
  The following starting sequence is used:
  1. bet 1 unit
  2. bet 1 unit
  3. bet 2 units if you win on the first bet, your profit is 2 units. If you win on the second bet, your profit is 1 unit. If you win on the third bet, your profit is 2 units. In each of these cases you start the progression again with the same sequence: 1 – 1 – 2If you lose the first 3 bets, the next bet is determined as follows: If you have a negative balance of between 4 and 9 units the balance is divided by 2. If you have a negative balance of between 10 and 21 units the balance is divided by 3. If you have a negative balance of between 22 and 100 units the balance is divided by 4. If you have a negative balance of over 100 units the balance is divided by 5. If the result of the division is not a whole number, then this number is always rounded up.
• Winning Edge Roulette – This system works best on even money roulette bets, so red or black, odd or even, etc.
  Start with 1, 1, 2, and bet the first number in your sequence. If you win, you bet the first and last numbers in the sequence. If you lose, you add the total bet lost to the right of the numbered sequence and then start by betting the first number again.
  Continue like that – If you win, bet first and last, if you lose add the total bet to the right and play with the first amount again.
• Winning Parlays

Introduction Continued:

It’s not necessary to win 50% of your hands to come out ahead. By structuring your bets correctly you can still come out ahead in a given session whilst losing more than 50% of games over time.

As an example, I use this betting strategy at the European Roulette table on even bets Red/Black, and Odd/Even, and regularly come out ahead. Start with 1 unit/chip i.e. $10. If you win the first game stay at a $10 bet for the next game. If you lose, add another unit to make your second game in the round a $20 bet. If you win you’ve come out ahead for the round by one unit, in this case, $10, and go back to a single unit bet of $10. If you lose add another unit betting $30 for the 3rd game. If you win this game, you’ve broken even for the round. Go back to a 1-unit bet of $10. I cap my increases to 2, therefore, a maximum bet of $30 because there are occasions where it’s possible to go on a big losing streak, which can cause you to lose large amounts of money. More often than not you come out ahead because it’s infrequent that you lose more than 3 turns of the wheel in Roulette playing odd/even, black/red.

I usually have a goal of winnings in mind that I need to reach before finishing the session. This would depend on the amount you’re betting, i.e. with a single unit of $10, my goal will normally be $200 before I end the session. If you are a high roller, add some 00’s to these numbers.