Many casino players dream of getting lucky on the craps or roulette table but very few of them return from Vegas as richer men and women. Luck, experienced players believe, is not reliable, which is why they prefer to enter the casino well prepared with a good, sound, and mathematically proved strategy that would guarantee them decent winnings or would, at least, prevent them from losing all their money overnight. For many blackjack, roulette, and craps players, this is the Base Five Casino Strategy.
But do guaranteed betting strategies exist and is this the best method for beating the casino? Before looking at the Base Five strategy, we must admit that no betting system such as the Base Five is 100% certain method for winning. The reason is that they do not change the odds and house edge of the games, which are both fixed. Yet, betting systems are used by thousands of casino players, including those who are considered professionals.
The appeal of such systems lies in the fact that they are great for practicing how to structure your betting instead of making random and chaotic bets. Moreover, if they are used properly, they are efficient bankroll management tools. The Base Five Casino Strategy, in particular, can be very effective in limiting one’s losses and maximizing the profits on rare occasions when players strike it lucky and win several rounds in a row.
Unlike other betting strategies that have been used for decades and even centuries, the Base Five system is a relatively recent invention. No mention of its author can be found but it is known to be used by various players of casino games where even-money bets can be made. These include craps, blackjack, and roulette, of course.
What Is the Base Five Casino Strategy?
The Base Five Casino Strategy is a positive progressive system that requires increasing the size of the bet after each winning spin and decreasing it after a loss. As we already mentioned, it works in various casino games where you can place an even-money bet – in roulette, there are six options, namely betting on red or black numbers, betting on low (1-18) or high (19-37) numbers, and on even or odd numbers. Even though the chances of winning for these bets are not 50%, they are as close to even as possible and their payout is 1:1.
The strategy is based on the simple sequence of numbers 1-2-3-5 where each number represents the units players need to wager on each level. Many players would probably find this pattern very familiar and they will be right – the numbers are a part of the famous Fibonacci sequence where each number is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. The system is usually considered to be a complicated variation of the Base Two strategy, but the two methods do not have much in common. In fact, Base Five is very different from both Base Two and the Fibonacci betting system.
This method requires players to increase their stakes, following the 1-2-3-5 pattern, while winning but as long as they win four times in a row, they need to reset the system and start from the beginning. If they lose before the 5-unit bet, the last one in the progression, they reset the session once again. To demonstrate how the Base Five system works, we will take $5 as our base unit, i.e. the first number of the sequence. If all bets in the session win, the progression will look like this – $5-$10-$15-$25.
Spin | Bet | Outcome | Payout | Profit |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $5 | Win | $10 | $5 |
2 | $10 | Win | $20 | $15 |
3 | $15 | Win | $30 | $30 |
4 | $25 | Win | $50 | $55 |
Total Bet Amount: $55 | Total Payout: $110 | Net Profit: $55, 11 units |
Base Five Casino Strategy Additional TipsThe system is obviously very simple and easy to remember but when applying it for the first time, players are advised to write down the outcome of each spin and keep track of exactly where they are in the sequence. If completed, it is guaranteed to bring a profit of 11 units every time. Players can also be certain that even if they lose the third or the fourth bet of the cycle, they would not end up with a net loss. In case they lose the third one, they will simply lose their profit, and if they lose the final wager, the cycle will bring them winnings of 1 unit.
How to Use the Five Base Strategy in Roulette?
Just like the majority of betting systems in existence, the Base Five strategy may not guarantee long-term winnings but it is great for bankroll management. In order to use it effectively, however, players need to choose the right bet size, depending on their experience, the table limits, and the size of their bankroll.
Experts recommend that those who use the strategy for the first time should keep their stakes as low as possible and take the minimum limit of the table as their base betting unit. This could be any amount of money – $5 or $10 in land-based casinos, or as low as $1 in online casinos. Players with smaller bankrolls and little tolerance for risk should also put loss limits and once they reach their limit, they should leave the table. In case they complete several winning cycles, they are advised to put aside a portion of their profit instead of using all of it for betting.
The Base Five strategy seems quite appealing and profitable, at least in theory. When applied in real-life roulette games, however, anything might go wrong. Scoring wins four times in a row is possible but not likely to happen very often. Roulette is random and unpredictable, which is why it is essential for players to learn the sequence well and know how to properly use it. So, let see how the system would look like in a more realistic, random series of spins.
Spin | Bet | Outcome | Payout | Profit |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $5 | Lose | $0 | -$5 |
2 | $5 | Lose | $0 | -$10 |
3 | $5 | Win | $10 | -$5 |
4 | $10 | Lose | $0 | -$15 |
5 | $5 | Win | $10 | -$10 |
6 | $10 | Win | $20 | $0 |
7 | $15 | Win | $30 | $15 |
8 | $25 | Win | $50 | $40 |
9 | $5 | Lose | $0 | $35 |
10 | $5 | Lose | $0 | $30 |
Total Bet Amount: $90 | Total Payout: $120 | Net Profit: $30 |
As demonstrated from the example above, the Base Five system is profitable even when the same number of wins and losses are registered. The sequence here ends with the 8th spin, which wins and we turn a profit of $40 (8 units). Then, we start with our base bet and keep it until a new winning spin, which launches the next betting cycle. As we can see, this method helps players limit their losses by resetting the progression each time a bet loses. The idea is to have at least one winning streak, which should be able to generate sufficient funds to compensate for any losses.
Risks To Consider with the Base Five Strategy
When using the Base Five strategy or any other betting system for random games such as roulette, players should understand the concept of randomness – every spin is independent of past and future outcomes and the so-called “winning streaks” are simple coincidences. This method relies on the hope that several losses will be balanced out by several wins, but this balance is simply theoretical and is true only for indefinite spins. The idea that a losing streak must be followed by a winning one is a common misconception, known as the “gambler’s fallacy”.
This is why relying on a series of favorable outcomes in roulette is pointless and may be detrimental to one’s bankroll. But the Base Five system is not the only roulette strategy that is based on invalid concepts – most wagering systems are equally misguided. In reality, wins and losses can alternate much more than we have anticipated. In this case, the progression will have to be reset frequently, leading to modest earnings or even losses. In the example below, you will see how the system would work under some less favorable circumstances.
Spin | Bet | Outcome | Payout | Profit |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $5 | Win | $10 | $5 |
2 | $10 | Win | $20 | $15 |
3 | $15 | Win | $30 | $30 |
4 | $25 | Lose | $0 | $5 |
5 | $5 | Win | $10 | $10 |
6 | $10 | Lose | $0 | $0 |
7 | $5 | Win | $10 | $5 |
8 | $10 | Win | $20 | $15 |
9 | $15 | Lose | $0 | $0 |
10 | $5 | Lose | $0 | -$5 |
Total Bet Amount: $105 | Total Payout: $100 | Net Loss: $5 |
Risks To Consider with the Base Five StrategyWe can clearly see from the table that the Base Five system may result in a net loss even we win more spins than we lose. Of course, we should not forget that this is not a single 1-2-3-5 cycle but, rather, ten random spins of the roulette wheel that demonstrate that a streak of 4 wins is not very likely to occur. In fact, a long series of wins may not occur in 100 spins and even more, which is why players should be aware of the risks associated with this system. Once they hit their loss limit, they should leave the table and try their luck at another roulette table or on a different game altogether.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Base Five Strategy
As we have already established, the Base Five roulette system does not change the odds of the game and does not eliminate the built-in house advantage. The method is strictly used with only even-money bets and in roulette, these are the bets that have the highest probability of winning – 48.65% in single-zero games and 47.36% in double-zero games, less than even chances, which would be represented as 50%. This means that in the long term, the casino will win and players will lose.
The other disadvantage of the method is that the regular winning streaks are prerequisite for profitability. Such hot and cold streaks cannot be predicted and relied upon, however, and players should know that they cannot expect the same perfect conditions will be repeated every single time. The randomness of the game makes sure that any assumptions made based on previous outcomes are simply not working.
Yet, under the ideal circumstances, the system is mathematically proven to be profitable as it results in a net profit of 11 units. This makes Base Five exceptionally reliable, even though it is neither the safest nor the most dependable wagering system for roulette. Yet, losses with it are very limited because players do not increase their stakes until they win a spin. On the other hand, the pattern maximizes the winnings whenever three or more wins are scored.
Additional Advantages and Disadvantages of the Base Five StrategyCompared to many betting strategies for casino games, this method is extremely easy to understand and apply to roulette, blackjack, or craps games. Players should simply memorize the four numbers and follow them when making their bets. It is important to keep track of where in the sequence they are. Last, but not least, by having a reset mechanism and great flexibility when it comes to the stake size, the Base Five system is suitable for all kinds of players.
Conclusion
This is a very interesting betting system, which is easy to follow even by players who are just starting to use roulette systems. It certainly brings excitement for experienced gamblers, as well, which is very important when playing a slower-paced casino game like roulette.
Of course, it also comes with certain drawbacks and weaknesses but that is inevitable when it comes to progressive betting systems. Overall, the Base Five method can be recommended to anyone who is interested in earning money on the roulette table, an activity that is, unfortunately, associated with a financial loss rather than with gain.