Are Betting Systems Worth Using - Betting System Challenges

Betting systems that supposedly increase your winning chances appeared around the same time as the first gambling. Although we all know that gambling is based on luck, we all have the desire to turn it in our favour. Technically speaking, every online casino game - whether online slots or live blackjack being a game of luck and strategy - has an RTP (return-to-player ratio) below 100%, which means the advantage is always on the casino's side in the long run. Despite this obvious fact, there are plenty of enthusiasts who claim there are betting systems such as Martingale or Paroli capable of making you a better player. However, the truth is that they don't work. Based on increasing/decreasing the size of bets, they cannot become a kind of insurance against losses, let alone guarantee big winnings. So, the bad news is that betting systems don't work in the long term. However, they can still help you win big. Read on to learn more about betting systems and what challenges you may face when using them in online casinos. 

Concepts Underlying Betting Systems

Every betting system used in gambling games, such as blackjack, online roulette  and online slots, has a logical and mathematical basis. You've probably heard of the Martingale system, a popular budget management strategy mainly used by roulette players. According to this strategy, you should double your bet every time you lose. Suppose your initial bet is $1. If you lose, you bet $2. If your next attempt is unsuccessful, your bet will be $4, and so on. The idea behind this system is that any winning round brings a payout, which not only covers your previous costs but also provides you with a profit. That is, the Martingale system works as a hedging or insurance strategy against losing. As for the Paroli system, using it, you will increase your bet size with every new win, and hence it is also called the anti-Martingale system. 

However, as mentioned above, almost any gambling game has a house advantage. This means that in the long run, the casino wins. Moreover, in casino games, subsequent events do not depend on previous ones. So, if you lose 3 rounds in a row, it doesn't mean that the next one is guaranteed to be a winner. The longer you play, the closer the RTP will be to the stated value, and using betting systems will not help you change it. However, people still want to believe that there are betting systems that will make them more winning players. And if you are one of them, it's time to understand better how gambling works. 

Betting System Challenges

The Internet is flooded with all sorts of online casino gambling betting strategies. And many Arabic players browse through dozens of websites in search of betting systems that really work. But before you try your hand at numerical-sequence-based betting systems (Martingale, Paroli, Fibonacci, and others), you need to be aware of their weaknesses:

• With an aggressive betting system like Martingale, you risk losing your bankroll quickly. Because you have to double the betting amount every time, you increase your spending considerably. And that means that your gambling budget will melt right before your eyes. Even if you still want to try some betting system, you should start with a small initial bet.
• You run the risk of going over your bankroll faster than your next win will cover all previous costs. Let's say you have $100 in your betting account. If you play 4 rounds in a row, you may not have enough money left to make your next bet. At such a moment, you may be tempted to make another deposit. However, it would be against the rules of smart bankroll management.
• Not all types of betting are suitable for the use of betting systems. Roulette, for example, has Outside Bets with an approximate 50/50 chance that your next attempt will hit the target. These bets are much less risky than Inside Bets, where the probability of winning is much lower. If you wish to use a betting system, you should opt for the least risky bets. Otherwise, the risk of losing your bankroll in the blink of an eye is much greater. When it comes to online slots, only use a betting system on titles with a high RTP of over 96%.

So, most betting systems for gambling only increase the risk of big losses. Even if you are lucky enough to win big, there is no guarantee that this will happen in the near future. If you are new to online gambling, you should start with small bets and choose a size that best suits your budget. Finally, remember that gambling was created for entertainment purposes first and foremost. If you treat chance gambling games like online slots or live roulette as a way to make money, you need to reconsider that. By joining VipArabClub, a user-friendly Arabic online casino, you will gain access to advanced responsible gambling tools with which you can avoid large financial expenses. 

Games Suitable for Betting Strategies

While roulette and online slots are pure chance games, there are casino games that combine luck and strategy. For instance, playing blackjack or video poker, you get some control over the gameplay since you can make game moves. Below we will tell you some of the betting strategies that really work. 

Basic Video Poker Strategy

Video poker is a slot machine which uses the rules of five-card draw poker. While video poker looks similar to regular slots, there are a few important features which set it apart from slot machines. Firstly, instead of regular symbol combinations, you'll create poker hands of varying values according to the poker hand ranking. Secondly, you can choose which cards to hold and which to discard. Finally, when playing video poker, your goal is to form at least a minimum poker hand that pays. Since the outcome of any game round depends on the cards you decide to hold, you need to learn how to pick them correctly. And there is a strategy with which you can turn video poker into a game with an RTP of over 99% which corresponds to a house advantage of less than 1%. Keep in mind that the house advantage is still there in video poker, so a basic strategy won't make you a consistently winning player. However, such a low house advantage means that even if your luck runs out, you will only lose $1 from the $100 spent on betting. 

Basic Blackjack Strategy

When playing blackjack, your goal is to form a higher-value hand than the dealer. However, you're not allowed to over-value your hand by 21 points. Once you get 2 cards at the start of the game, you can evaluate your hand and make further decisions - leave it as it is, get another card, double your bet and get another card or surrender. Also, since one of the dealer's cards is exposed, you have some idea of the value of his hand. In the middle of the last century, a group of scientists conducted a study of the game of blackjack. As a result of mathematical modelling, a set of rules called the basic blackjack strategy was derived. Similar to the basic video poker strategy, it allows you to reduce the house advantage to 1% or even lower. However, the edge is still not on your side, so it would be a mistake to consider basic blackjack strategy as an option with which you will win every time. On the other hand, a basic blackjack strategy can serve as insurance against big losses. 

Blackjack Card Counting Technique

As for a strategy that can give you an edge over the house, it's the card-counting technique. Invented by an MIT professor, it is available today in several variations. The essence of this strategy is that you can assess which cards are left in the deck to make better game decisions. You have to divide all the cards into low-value, mid-value and high-value cards by assigning a numerical value to each group, e.g., -1 for low-value, 0 for mid-value and 1 for high-value. You need to keep a total score over the course of the game, and each time a card is taken out of the deck, add -1, 0 or 1 to the total score depending on which group the card belongs to. So, if the score is positive, then most of the cards remaining in the deck are low value and vice versa. 

Keep in mind, however, that the card counting technique does not work in RNG-based blackjack, as instead of using a physical pack of cards, there is a special mathematical algorithm that determines the value of each successive card at random. That means you will only be able to use the card counting technique in live blackjack. Also, this strategy only works for the long term. In other words, you'll need to play a fairly large number of rounds to feel that the advantage is really on your side. 

Closing Thoughts

So, betting systems for chance games such as online slots or roulette don't really work. What's more, they make the gambling experience even riskier because they force you to raise the bet size significantly. However, there are mathematically based betting strategies that work in games combining luck and strategy. By learning basic video poker and blackjack strategies and mastering card-counting techniques, you can achieve much more meaningful results with these games.