Anyone who's been to a casino has surely wondered about the existence of betting systems – is there a way to beat the house? Is there a way to guarantee a win?

While there definitely are betting system, some work and some don't. Those the do, aren't perfect, by all means. There are are certain vulnerabilities to each system and some that they all share.

Betting systems do have advantages. First of all there's an increased chance of making a profit with a betting system. Even it's just because it forces you to follow specific patterns and not give in to any weak moments, it still prevents you from making any stupid bets. Also, if a system actually works, you'll definitely make a profit, even if a little one.

However, there are disadvantages as well. First of all, betting systems aren't all what they're cracked up to be. If all of these betting system really worked as well as some may advertise, wouldn't casinos be bankrupt by now? Second of all, some of the working betting systems can crumble down with a reasonable losing streak, making the loss much bigger than without a betting system.

Nearly all betting systems are vulnerable to table limits. These were introduced by casinos to battle one of the first betting system – the martingale system, which had players double their bet each time they lost, until they won. Table limits butchered this betting systems and made it a matter of time until the player lost a lot more than his short lived profit.