Insane casino strategies that actually work

Winning doesn’t have to be a shot in the dark if you have a good strategy at your side. At Bitcasino, we’ve gathered some of the best gambling strategies that brought the wins on the side of seasoned gamblers. 

Scroll through our list of proven strategies below and start winning the bets in your favourite casino games:

1. The Kelly Criterion strategy

Let's start this list with a strategy built on the back of arithmetic. The Kelly Criterion strategy is a mathematical formula that sets a predetermined fraction of assets to generate the best amount to wager in a game. 

How it started 

Initially, the Kelly Criterion wasn't a betting strategy. American scientist John L. Kelly created it in 1956 to solve his company's long-distance telephone signal noise issues (AT&T Bell Labs). Eventually, gamblers saw the formula's potential to maximise their wins in casino games. 

Kelly Criterion explained

Legend: 

• F* = This acts as a fraction of the bankroll you wagered
• b = This is the odds you will get for your bet 
• p = This is your probability of winning
• q = This is your probability of losing with a value of 1-p.

Let’s put this strategy into perspective through an example below: 

Imagine you are betting on an NFL sports game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots. Let us assume the match has a 2:3 odds in favour of the Philadelphia Eagles, and your wager is $50 with a potential payout of $100 or a 2:1 risk to win. Using the Kelly Criterion, your formula should be like this: 

b = 2:1 or 2

p = If the odd is 2:3, this will equal 67% or 0.67

q = (1-p) = (1-0.67) = 0.33

= ((2)(0.67)) - (0.33) / 2

= 1.34 - 0.33 / 2

= 1.01 / 2

= 0.505 (multiply to 100 to get the percentage) 

= 51%

The Kelly Criterion formula uses your 67% chance of winning as the basis for you to wager a higher bet and take the risk. Based on this equation, you should wager 51% of your bankroll. This wager percentage is generated based on the possible reward compared to the risk in the bet. 

Where to use the Kelly Criterion 

You can use the Kelly Criterion on games that have a defined percentage of possible losses or wins. The following casino games could work with this equation: 

• Blackjack 
• Roulette 
• Baccarat 
• Poker.

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2. Martingale betting system 

The Martingale betting system may be one of the oldest tricks in the book, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less effective in bringing wins. It is even considered one of the top three blackjack betting systems. 

In this online casino winning strategy, you double your wager for every loss and return to your original bet once you win. It banks on the notion that losing streaks end and the next win should recuperate all previous losses. 

How it started 

It was unclear whether Martingale was created for betting, but it didn't stop punters from using it in casino games. One such player is London casino owner John Henry Martindale, also the strategy's namesake. Like the Kelly Criterion, Martingale was also introduced by a mathematician named Paul Pierre Levy in the 18th century. 

Martingale system explained 

By doubling your bet after every loss, the Martingale system ensures that your next win will cover up your losses while leaving you with an incentive. 

Here’s an example of using the Martingale strategy in an even-money bet in roulette:

In the above scenario, you begin with a balance of €20. You bet on Red with €2 and won with a payout of 1:1. This brings your balance to €22. 

Following the Martingale strategy, you retain your original wager until you lose. So for the second round, you wager €2 and bet on Red again. 

If you lose, you will double your wager to €4 in the next round. In the example above, a losing streak brings your balance to €16 and your next bet up to €8. 

In the next round, the losing streak ends when you win, and your total balance climbs up to €24. The table above depicts Martingale’s main principle that only one win is needed to recover all previous losses and make a profit. 

However, it would be best if you had a considerable bankroll that could take on this progressive strategy since wins are never guaranteed. You should also wager on even-money bets and start with small stakes. We recommend matching the minimum bet at the beginning to create a sustainable bankroll and avoid hitting the betting limit before you can win back your losses. 

Where to use the Martingale system: 

Martingale works with any casino game. However, its best used in the following games: 

• Roulette 
• Blackjack 
• Poker 
• Baccarat.

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3. Labouchere betting system 

The Labouchere betting system is similar to the Martingale since it is also a negative progressive betting system. However, unlike Martingale, that gets back losing bets with one win, Labouchere recoups the losses through multiple wins in a sequence of preset bets. 

Some bettors call this method the ‘cancellation betting system’ because it allows players to win their goal by setting a sequence of bets that they ‘remove’ every time they lose the round.   

How it started 

This betting system was developed by a Canadian roulette player, politician and publisher named Henry Du Pré Labouchere. As an avid gambler, even as a student, he developed the Labouchere betting strategy to prevent huge losses and increase his chances of winning in casino games. 

Labouchere betting system explained

Using the Labouchere betting system, first, decide how much you want to win. You can create a sequence of bets from that winning goal that will equal your desired payout. 

Follow the guide below on how to win big in a casino using this system: 

1. Decide on the amount you want to win and set the unit values of your bet based on your win goal. 

For example, you want to win $1,000. You can set your bet units to $100 per 10 units.  

2. Then, set up your bet sequence by writing it all in a line. Here’s an example based on the unit given above: 

10-20-30-20-20 

All of these units equal $1,000 when added and once you’ve crossed all of them off the sequence, you should have reached your goal.  

3. To determine the amount you’ll wager, add the first and last number in your sequence. Based on the example above, your first bet is $30 once you add 10 and 20 in the sequence.

4. If you win the bet, you can cross out both numbers, which will leave you with a 20-30-20 sequence. Following the system, your next bet should be $40.

5. If you lose the bet, you will add this unit to the end of the sequence. Your sequence will then look like this: 20-30-20-40. 

6. By continuing this process, you eventually end up with only one bet unit. Once you wager that amount and win, you can celebrate reaching your win goal. 

Of course, winning is never guaranteed so you also need to be careful in pushing your bets. Don’t exceed your set bet limits when using this strategy and other negative progression systems.  

Where to use the Labouchere betting system 

Labouchere is best used on even-money bets such as the table games below: 

• Roulette (Red/Black, Even/Odd)
• Craps (Pass Line bet)

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4. Card counting strategy 

Card counting is another math-based strategy where you track the values of dealt cards by counting the low and high-value cards in play. This strategy can predict the remaining cards in the shoe and determine possible outcomes. 

It is best used after every round to help you vary your bet size and play of hands. 

How it started 

The famous gambler and mathematician Edward O. Thorp introduced the card counting strategy in his book, Beat the Dealer published in 1962. Thorp’s strategies quickly rose to fame and became an iconic trick in the casino community as a renowned gambler who became a millionaire through gambling.  

Card counting strategy explained 

The Effect of Removal or EOR principle is the foundation of the card counting strategy. Tracking the removed cards from the deck will make the remaining cards easier to guess.

Here’s how you can count cards in blackjack: 

Step 1: The first step you need to do is assign a value to every card. Each card is assigned a positive, negative or zero value in card counting. When certain cards are dealt, the count is adjusted depending on their assigned value:

• High-value cards 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace are assigned a -1 value. So every time they are dealt, subtract 1 from the count. 
• Cards 2 to 6 have a value of +1. Every time these cards are dealt, you add 1 to your count.
• The cards 7 to 9 do not affect the count, so it is assigned with a value of 0.

Step 2: Keep a running count based on the value of the cards dealt during the game. You can do this by subtracting 1 every time a high-value card appears and adding 1 every time a low-value card appears. As a principle, higher cards are better for the player.

Here’s how you should bet based on the running count values:

• A positive value means there are plenty of high-value cards left on the deck and you should bet higher. 
• A negative value means there are more high-value cards in play and you should bet lower. 

Step 3: Use the information above to calculate the true count per deck. 

Step 4: Change your bets as the true count rises.   

Where to use card counting

From the name of the strategy itself, card counting is best used in casino card games, especially blackjack since it is a game based on dependent events. This means that past events affect the probability of what will happen on the betting table. 

Take a look at the list of the best casino games to win money using the card counting strategy: 

• Blackjack 
• Poker 
• Craps 
• Baccarat.

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Use the best gambling strategy to win at Bitcasino 

Test the mastery of your favourite game and learn how to win using the strategies of professional gamblers. Use the power and the accuracy of mathematics in Kelly Criterion to identify the best decision for your gamble and card count your way to victory in blackjack by finding the accurate count of the deck. 

Use your new-found skills in your favourite live games at Bitcasino and prove the science of winning with strategies backed by math. 

Frequently Asked Questions: Casino strategies

Can the strategies be used for high roller games?

The mentioned strategies can be used even when playing high roller games so you can increase your chances of obtaining a win. 

Can the strategies be used all at once? 

Using all strategies in one game can confuse you and might hinder your progress. It’s ideal to use one at a time to see which works for you per game. 

Do the strategies guarantee a win? 

Casino games are still based on random chance. The strategies will only help your betting strategy so you can have a better chance of winning.

Words by: Ana Gabrielle Gundran