Modern Betting Systems:
Oscar's Grind



Grind: To produce mechanically or without inspiration.  A laborious task, routine or study.  A gambling version is to play a slow, methodical game with frequent small wins.

Oscar's grind does just that.  It is a slow, methodical betting system used for even money bets for many games.  Roulette, baccarat and even blackjack certainly qualify as near even money games. A version of it could be used when covering half of the numbers with inside bets.

There are three rules for using Oscar's Grind:
Start with a one unit bet.
Rule # 1:  Increase your bet by one unit after every win.
Rule # 2:  Bet the same number of units after a loss.
Rule # 3:  Never bet more than enough to end a series with a one unit win.  Once you win one unit, the series starts over.

To illustrate, you bet $5, which is one unit.
If you win, you end the series.
If you lose, continue to bet $5 until you win.
Why do you end the series if you win the first hand?  Rule #3.
Now, let's say you have lost three bets in a row, then you win.  You increase your bet to $10.  If you win, you are even, so your bet drops to $5 because of rule #3.

Illustration #2:  You bet $5, and you lose five bets in a row. You win the sixth bet. (you are now down $20)  Per rule #1, increase your bet to $10 or 2 units.  You win again, and are down only $10 now.  Per rule #1, you increase your bet to $15, or three units.  This is in agreement with rule #3, because if you win, you will be up one unit, or $5 and the series is over.

Illustration #3:  You bet $5, and lose two bets in a row.  You win the third bet.  You add one unit to the win, making the next bet $10.  This will bring you up to a one unit profit if you win, so it complies with rule #3.  However, you don't win.  You lost the $10 bet.  What is your next bet?  Rule #2 says you bet the same amount you just lost.  Therefore, your next bet is $10 or two units.  You stay at two units until you win.  This time, you are lucky and win.  You are now down $10, and your win was $10.  The next bet of $15 complies with both rules 1 and 3.  If you win you will be up one unit and the series ends.

We must ask, what if we increase the bet to $15 and lose.  Now your "baseline" bet is $15.  You need to keep up with how much you have lost.  You were down $10 before the $15 loss, so now you are down $25.  Because your next bet is $15, if you win, you will need to keep the bet at $15.  Rule one doesn't apply then because you are only down $10.  To comply with rule#3, you can only bet $15.

That's how Oscar's Grind works.  There is a chance that if you have win-lose-win-lose, what is referred to as "Choppy" play, that you could be betting 5 units rather quickly.  Should you then have a series of losses, your session bankroll could be wiped out rather quickly.  Because of this, it is suggested you start with a bankroll of 50 to 60 units.  Once you are up by 25 to 30 units, (50% profit), quit play.  Go enjoy the profits of your daily grind.

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In Blackjack start with a "Basic Strategy" by Charles Jay
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