Comments on: On the road again

By: Nils von Barth

Nils von Barth — Wed, 23 Jun 2004 01:30:02 +0000

Jesper — the betting strategy you describe (in #4) is called “Martingales”. More simply, start betting at 1, and every time you lose, double your bet. So if you lose three times, then win, you lose 1+2+4=7, and win 8, so a net win of 1. Unfortunately, with a finite bankroll, the end result is that you have a very high chance of winning 1 euro, and a very low chance of losing everything (b/c you’ll run out your bankroll). Essentially, you’re unlikely to double your initial stake using Martingales (you’ll probably go broke first). Further, as noted, casinos generally have betting limits (minima and maxima), so you can’t implement this if you want.

Other than blackjack (or being the house, of course), the best way to make money gambling is to bet against other people, at games of some skill, like poker.

Incidentally, what did you do with the money?

By: Elin

Elin — Tue, 10 Feb 2004 14:35:17 +0000

Congratulations on the award, Jesper:-)
Looks like you’re having a fantastic time!

By: Aubrey

Aubrey — Thu, 29 Jan 2004 12:47:39 +0000

I was waiting for someone to say that!
Gotta love that Global Thermo Nuclear War game dismantled with a Tic-Tac-Toe analogy. WarGames is still my favourite hacking/ludology movie.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 28 Jan 2004 18:58:07 +0000

The only sure way to win at roulette is to not play…

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 28 Jan 2004 04:11:33 +0000

blackjack.

By: Jesper

Jesper — Mon, 26 Jan 2004 16:17:01 +0000

I have heard of this sure-to-win strategy for the roulette:
1) Start with a small sum – let’s just say 1 Euro.
2) Bet on red.
3) If red comes out, collect the winnings and go to step 1.
4) If red doesn’t come out, quadruple the bet and go to step 2.

This guarantees winning since whatever you have previously bet will always be offset by your winnings: If you lose on the first go, but win on the second, your expense will be 1+4=5, but you will have won 8 = earned 3 euros. If you lose on the first and second go but win on the third, your expense will be 1+4+16=21, but you will have won 32 = earned 11 euros.

It does presuppose that you have infinite funds to bet from. And I think it is against the house rules in most casinos?

By: Walter

Walter — Mon, 26 Jan 2004 06:09:56 +0000

Actually, shouldn’t you be able to charge him his entire winnings minus 751? :D

By: nick

nick — Mon, 26 Jan 2004 04:26:48 +0000

I have a foolproof method involving a shoe computer. Since we're both game theorists, I should be able to charge you 749 euro for information about this method...

By: Bond, James Bond.

Bond, James Bond. — Sun, 25 Jan 2004 19:58:54 +0000

I do, but it involves having a blondine with an obscene decollet? by your side. Ha! And you thought the postcard was outrageous, take this!