Roulette?

[Pat]

I have a question about playing Roulette. Assuming you have an unlimited bankroll (I know this is impossible, but bear with me.), is it statistically possible to win while playing Roulette?

Assume that you have an initial bet of $10 and are betting on "red" every time.
If you win then bet $10 the next time.
If you lose double your bet until you win.
After you win go back to the original bet of $10.

Assuming you have unlimited bankroll, will this work?
Just curious,
Pat

[Teddy]

Although I am by no means an expert on casino gambling, just two quick points.

First, your odds of winning aren't 50-50 (since there is a double zero and a zero on most tables)

Second, tables have max bets for this exact reason. A typical table where I'm from may have a min of $20, and a max of $1000.

Just quickly..
20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, over..
That's 6 spins in a row red and you are screwed.. The probability of that happening is approx (.53)^6.. or about 2%..

I've heard it said that Roulette simply can't be beat, and I think it's true.. That being said, there's just about no easier way to have a good time at a table without having to pay attention at all.. ie: Take the wife. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Wildbill]

Roulette is beatable if the wheel is biased, but not for any other reason. In your theory, well I suppose you would never lose because you would eventually get a win in the millions of dollars bet size. Once again, bet limits would get you in any reasonable example. If you played something like you said, at some point you would hit the nastiest losing streak and the owner of the casino would suddenly say "ok, game over" as you hit the worst run imaginable and he would be happy with your thousands of dollars.

[Terry]

This is known as the Martingale system... double up until you win... or go broke.

Much has been written about it. Try a web search.

The definitive answer to your question is<font color="red"> NO </font color> , Roulette cannot be beaten without a sophisticated (almost certainly electronic) method of detecting a biased wheel. Such systems are very expensive and hard to come by. They are also illegal in some places.

[Nick B.]

Yes you could win if you doubled up after every loss. Only if you had an absolutely unlimited bankroll and no table max. Unfortunately in the real world nobody has an unlimited bankroll and table maxs do exist, so you will lose.

[youtalkfunny]

[lorinda]

You would also require infinite time, which unfortunately is just as unlikely!!

Lori

[offTopic]

Others have (correctly) answered the question with regard to the Martingale system and casino roulette.
If you'd like an interesting read on a group's attempt to "Beat the House", check out Thomas Bass' book "The Eudaemonic Pie". Don't try this at home!!!

The Eudaemonic Pie

[Trefo]

High stakes you would have to play and even then there's still one zero on the table, and again there's usually a max on the bets......though i hear Binion's Horshoe in Vegas will honor any bets.

[lorinda]

If you'd like an interesting read on a group's attempt to "Beat the House", check out Thomas Bass' book "The Eudaemonic Pie". Don't try this at home!!!

Originally published under title "The Newtonian Casino"

Lori