Online roulette players like to keep it safe and so for most of their games, they tend to make wagers with even money bets. These types of bets, as we thoroughly explained in this previous article, pays off one to one and these are Red/Black, Even/Odd and the 1st 18 numbers/2nd 18 numbers (1-18/19-36). As you can see, the odds of winning comes close close to 50/50 and it’s no wonder that expert and novice roulette players alike love to put chips on this part of the roulette table area.
One of the best betting strategies to go along with even money bets is this week’s Betting System in Focus: the Oscar’s Grind.
The strategy is somewhat new to the consciousness of the players but its simplicity and efficiency makes it very popular throughout the casino world, online or offline.
Regarding its origins, the word on the street is that it was first mentioned back in the 1960s in a book by the author Allan Wilson. In his work, he talked about Oscar’s Grind – a name inspired by a supposed to be true-to-life gambler called Oscar. The “grind” part implied that a player’s profit may come in small but steady winnings. Still, there’s no evidence that could pinpoint to the fact that Oscar is a real person, Wilson, however, described him as a keen roulette player who frequents the casino and wins by small amounts.
The Basics of the Oscar’s Grind
The Oscar’s Grind betting system, as already pointed out, is a perfect system to use when playing on even money bets. It is quite easy to comprehend even by beginners as you are only supposed to follow a cyclical betting pattern. If followed correctly and if luck permits, you are guaranteed to make one unit profit after each successful cycle.
The strategy calls on the user to stop when he already makes one unit profit and start again from the beginning if he wishes to continue. It’s that simple.
For a much clearer illustration: suppose you bet on red and the spin comes up with, for example, red 7, then congratulations, you have achieved the goal of the system.
In a different scenario where your bet loses, your next bet should be of the same size. This goes on until you hit a win. From here on, your next bet will be one unit bigger than the last.
See the chart below:
Bet | Result | Profit |
£1 | Loss | – £1 |
£1 | Loss | – £2 |
£1 | Win | – £1 |
£2 | Win | + £1 (start from the beginning)
|
Regarding the amount of bets to be placed on the betting table, since Oscar’s Grind is a progressive betting system, the player only has to increase when he wins and reduce when he lose. In this particular strategy, the player is required to increase by one unit and decrease with the same unit amount.
Guide on Using the Oscar’s Grind
The system requires for the player to keep his bets in a reasonable range so that if a losing streak occurs, he can easily compensate and manage his losses.
To better use the system, the player has to first set the betting limits and ensure that his bankroll is enough to make wagers throughout the duration of the roulette playing session.
Pros and Cons
Oscar’s Grind is a betting system that works perfectly for those who wants to stay long in the game while keeping their bankroll at a healthy state. Some systems like the Martingale, will cause you to increase stakes significantly after every lost bet. Oscar’s Grind works the opposite and only tells the player to amp up his bet when he wins.
For such reasons, it is easy to imagine a scenario wherein a player is running on a ten straight losses. However, he is able to offset the losses even with just four consecutive wins.
Since the rule says to begin again when a profit is made, the player is also forced to take stock with his winnings.
On the other side of the coin, the profits in this system is painfully slow to come around. Players who like their game fast-paced and full of action may want to steer away from this system.
There’s also the problem of losing streaks which could easily drain your payroll. Our advise is if you feel not particularly lucky, it’s best to come back tomorrow and take another shot at your fortune.