Sonny said:
2) Use a “surrender point” where you give up and start the progression over after a certain number of losses. Basically you are turning the system into more of an “aggregate flat bet” than a true martingale. The lower the surrender point, the more optimal it becomes until it eventually turns into flat betting. Less Martingale = More Optimal.
-Sonny-
I bought Hoyle Casino 2007 a couple of weeks back. This is the betting system I tried using on the game.
I gave myself a $300 bankroll, and was placing $5 minimum bets, and doubling to $10, $20, and $40 upon losing. If I did manage to lose the $40 bet, I would "surrender" back down to $5.
Just last night I worked my way up from $300 to $900 in about 2-3 hours. I am not always this lucky (got a few blackjacks on those $40 bets), and I don't know if I would try this with real money. However, every time I have played using this strategy, I have always had a "good night". I have yet to end the night with less than I started.
Basically, I am betting that I will win 15 hands, before losing four in a row (not taking natural 21's in to account). Sometimes I do lose four in a row, and it is certainly a setback. However, my bankroll seems to rise over time fairly consistently.
I can't say whether it is better or worse than flat betting, but it certainly (in my humble opinion) makes the game more interesting.
By the way, this is my first post on this forum. I am practicing Basic Strategy on my computer game before I try playing in the real world. Hopefully this will lessen the chances of being nicknamed Clark Griswold after a visit to the casino.
Edit: After re-reading this post, I wanted to clarify that I don't think this is a "can't lose" strategy. Obviously, a big losing streak could still kill your bankroll, even with a "surrender limit". I only wanted to say that I have had good luck with it
so far (on my PC), and I think it makes a fun game.