Can You Keep Doubling Your Bet in Blackjack?

As anyone who’s ever played blackjack will tell you, the key to success is knowing when to hit and when to stand. But what if there was a way to always win? A surefire way to make money at the casino?

The Martingale system is a betting strategy that suggests you double your bet after every loss. The thinking behind it is that eventually you’ll win, and when you do, you’ll recoup all of your losses plus a profit equal to your original bet.

For example, let’s say you start with a $5 bet and lose. The next hand, you bet $10. You lose again. The next hand, you bet $20.

You lose again. And so on, until you eventually win. At that point, you’ll have made up all of your losses plus an extra $5 profit (assuming a $5 minimum bet).

The Martingale system is popular because it’s easy to understand and because it seems like it should work. After all, the odds of winning are 50/50, so surely if you keep doubling your bet, sooner or later you’re bound to win, right?

Wrong.

The problem with the Martingale system is that it doesn’t take into account the fact that eventually you will run out of money. That’s because there’s no guarantee that you’ll win before you hit the table limit (which is usually pretty low).

And even if you do win, the amount you win will likely be less than the amount you lost up until that point.

So while the Martingale system may seem like a surefire way to make money at the casino, in reality it’s just a quick way to lose all of your money.