Martingale Doesn't Fly ...

... but you already knew that, right?

For my amusement I used CV BJ to play a martingale progression (double bet after successive losses) with $1000 bankroll and $10. starting bet.

I just squeaked by avoiding ruin with a win after hand 15 with my last $100 .. could have doubled, but no money. Then I made it to hand 36 before I went broke ...... lost $1K in 20-30 minutes

My stats flat betting in CV at $15 with BS show 743 hands and a loss of $56 ... probably a break even game with comps.

Why does anyone try this stupid system?

Because it seems so simple and generally you will win with it,until you hit the one long streak that kills you.It is quite possible to play multiple sessions of BJ before you lose seven or eight hands in a row,so it can easily appear to be a foolproof system. $5-10-20-40-80-160-320.Lets face it,you don't lose five hands in a row all that often,so you could skate thru some sessions without ever betting more than $80.

And I've been guilty of using it in cases like online gambling, where I need to hit $60 to cashout, have $50 balance, so I'll start a $10 Martingale rather than flat bet. Haven't been burned yet, but I've only done it like 4 times.

But using it to actually try to make money, or even lose less money? Nuts.

some folks..........

some folks BELIEVE in the "sacred order of the cards. Martingale seems downright genius by comparison.

Online AP is a perfectly legitimate use of progressions, especially with sticky bonuses. The reason is progressions can be designed to make you either win big or lose fast, which is exactly what you want to be doing with a sticky.

This also works with some of the "loss rebate" promotions that some casinos use.

-Sonny-

True, but I've found that "betting the entire (or half) balance at once" to be just as effective at the win big or go home strategy, without the need for any fancy bet resizing.

Sure, and that technically is a form of progression, because the bet on one hand depends on the results of the last hand. One of my favorites when I was playing a lot online was to pick my target, and once I passed my target, bet everything over that amount per hand for my grind-down. Usually by the time I made my WR I was at or near my target, and occasionally I'd have some very enjoyable variance.

My favorite for hitting the target was the Pair Plus bet on 3CP, because it had a nice amount of variance for hitting a healthy target and didn't require an extra bet to play. Sort of like a slot machine, but there was no huge jackpot that you are unlikely to ever hit, and just one of any winning hand except the pair is enough to put you over target. But once I hit the target I'd play 3CP without the Pair Plus for grind-down, because both the house edge and variance are lower.