Lesson description
Martingale is the most popular betting strategy in 21, but as Mr Blackjack shows, it includes considerable risk to most players.
The Martingale system is the most popular and talked-about system by blackjack pros and casual players alike.
This system is designed to guarantee that you profit from your initial wager, whether it be after one hand or after 10 or even 20 hands. It’s based on the probability that you will eventually win a hand.
Here is how the Martingale system works. You start with your initial bet of $10. If you win, perfect. You succeeded the Martingale, which is to win your initial wager. It guarantees your initial wager, which is usually quite small. At this point, you can either go home with your wager or restart Martingale.
So, you place your initial wager of $10 again. However, this time you lose the hand, so you need to double your bet to $20 to win your initial wager back.
If you win this hand, you will have profited $10 after the initial two hands, and you have succeeded Martingale again. So you can start over with your $10 bet.
But should you lose that hand too, you need to double that wager again, making it $40. This is so you win your original $10 bet and your second $20 bet, which is $30 total in previous bets, and still make a $10 profit.
Should you lose this wager, your next wager is double your previous bet, which is $80. Every time you lose a hand, you need to double your previous bet.
So $160, $320, $640, $1280, $2560, $5120, $10,240 and so on. Martingale theory states you keep going until you have achieved a win. Then you start back at $10.
As I said, this system is based on you winning a hand eventually, but how much are you willing to risk to win that initial $10? This system is a little bit too close to chasing after losses and forcing the action, which is a big no-no in blackjack, especially when the shoe is bad.
When I was younger and on a cruise ship, I played this system without knowing what it was, and it worked for me and my limited bankroll. I would bet $10 and then $25 and then $100. I was lucky enough that my $100 bet would win every time, but it could have easily gone the other way.
Let's look at another talked-about system in our next video: the 1326 progressive system.
