I should start by distinguishing between a betting system and an advantage gambling technique.
Usually the chances for payouts are greater on machines where you can make higher bets, as opposed to those where the maximum bet allowance is low. For example, some Penny Slots have a payback percentage at about 85%, whereas you can sometimes find slots that have a higher betting denomination with a payback percentage at around 95%. That slot machine already has a low payback, usually between 85-88%, and by not qualifying for the jackpot that payback is lowered even more. Not only that, but if you ever did hit the jackpot not playing max credits, you would probably want to jump off a bridge. NEVER play these games without max credits bet.
A betting system is a means of raising and/or lowering your bets based on your previous results. Sometimes it might also involve quitting at a certain arbitrary point in your session.
An advantage gambling technique is a means of changing the odds of a gambling game so that they’re in your favor. This might involve raising the size of your bets, but not because of how muchyou’ve won or lost previously.
An example of a betting system is the Martingale System. It has no real application to slot machines, but it demonstrates the thinking behind betting systems well.
With the Martingale System, you double the size of your previous bet after every loss. You continue to do this until you win. This recoups the losses from your previous bets and puts you one unitahead.
Here’s how that might work in roulette:
You bet $5 on black and lose. You then bet $10 on black and lose again. For your third bet, you bet $20 and win. You’ve won back the $15 you’d lost on the first couple of bets, and you have a $5profit to show for your trouble.
The reason the Martingale System doesn’t work is because the probabilities don’t change based on what happened on previous spins of the roulette wheel. In the long run, your losses will stilloutweigh your wins.
Also, you’ll hit the betting max at the table faster than you think. Or you’ll run out of money to place on the next bet.
Here’s an example progression of the Martingale System:
- $5
- $10
- $20
- $40
- $80
- $160
- $320
- $640
Notice that it only takes 7 losses in a row before you’re betting a whopping $640 on a single spin of the wheel. Many roulette tables have a maximum bet of $500, which breaks the system.
But even if you’re playing at a table where the betting limit is $1,000 per spin, you’ll hit the betting limit after 8 losses.
An example of an advantage gambling strategy, on the other hand, is card counting in blackjack. Unlike a roulette wheel, a deck of cards has a memory of sorts. Once a card has been dealt, it’sgone from the deck until the dealer reshuffles.
Since a blackjack (a 2-card hand totaling 21) pays off at 3 to 2, you can get an edge over the casino by raising the size of your bets when a blackjack is more likely.
If you’re playing blackjack with a deck which has a relatively high percentage of aces and 10s left in it, you can raise your bets and get an edge because of that increased payout.
Big Bet Slot Machine
It’s a subtle distinction, but it’s an important one. Card counters aren’t raising their bets based on their previous losses. They’re raising them based on the actual probabilities changing.
Slot Machine Tips
In the long run, an advantage gambling strategy can make you money.
What Is The Best Way To Bet On Slot Machines
A betting system cannot make you money in the long run.