Why ‘betting systems’ don’t work

Recently, many web sites have popped up advertising a new system on how to win roulette, blackjack or poker, etc. every time. The system roughly goes like this:

Bet $1. If you win, well done. If you lose, bet $2. If you win, well done. If you lose, bet $4 – and keep doubling until you win, meaning that no matter how much you lose, you’ll always win.

Here’s why this ‘fool proof system’ does not work at all: most of us do not have billions of dollars to throw around. If we doubled out money every time we lost on roulette, black jack or poker we’d eventually be betting millions or billions of dollars, which means that unless you’re willing to throw around billions or even trillions of dollars, which I know nearly every person in the world does not have, you should not follow this system. It’s for your own good. If you spot such a system, leave a note as to where you found information about the system in the comments page so readers of this blog will know to avoid that site. Ultimately, there’s no way to ‘game’ the casinos. You’ll only be inflicting harm on yourself, so don’t do it.