Oscar’s Grind is a positive progression betting system that involves increasing your bet size by one unit after every win. The goal of this betting system is to make a unit profit from each sequence. This means that if you make your first bet and win, the game is over, and you should start the cycle again. But if you lose your first bet, you should continue betting 1 unit and increase it to two units once you land a win.
In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about the Oscar betting system, including how it works, games that work best with the strategy, pros & cons, and much more.
Understanding Oscar’s Grind Betting Strategy
Oscar’s Grind is a simple positive progression system that was first documented in 1965 by Allan Wilson in his book titled “The Casino Gambler’s Guide.” In the book, Allan Wilson says that the betting strategy was introduced to him by a dice player who had used it many times in Las Vegas. The author also mentions that the player was a disciplined and meticulous gambler who believed in betting small to win small but frequent wins. Wilson named the betting strategy Oscar, suggesting that the person who introduced the system was named as such.
The main concept of Oscar’s Grind betting system is that there are periods of many wins and many losses, which come in streaks. The system is also based on the “hot hand” notion where a player with a string of success is likely to have continued success. So, as a player, you need to keep your bets small during periods of losing streaks. On the other hand, you need to increase the bet during the periods of winning streaks in order to end the betting session with a unit profit. In general, the betting system works by compensating losing streaks with winning streaks.
The “Grind” Philosophy
The name “Oscar’s Grind” was coined by Christopher Pawlicki in his book titled “Get The Edge At Roulette.” The author notes that the goal of Oscar’s Grind strategy is to frequently grind out small wins of a unit until you reach your target profit. According to the betting system, there are more chances of winning small than losing. This means you can win your way to the profit you want if you stick to the profit of 1 unit.
How This System Works for Betting
The Oscar’s Grind betting progression strategy works in a very simple way. In fact, the system is the same as Martingale and Labouchere systems in the sense that you can make a profit in every session as long as you have an infinite amount to wager and time. To apply the system, you need to set your wagering bankroll, determine your betting units, and make the necessary wager adjustments along the way.
Setting Bankroll
The first thing you need to do is to set the amount of money you are willing to risk. As a player, you need to keep in mind that Oscar’s system is a betting strategy like any other, and no winning is guaranteed. To this end, you need to stake the amount you can afford to lose. You can, for example, set $100 as your wagering bankroll.
Bet Units
Now that you have set your wagering bankroll, you can go ahead and determine how many units you need to wager in one session. For instance, if you have $100 to wager, you can have 20 bet units, with each unit being worth $5. You also need to bear in mind that online casino games have different table limits. As a result, you need to consider the bet limits of the games you want to play when determining the size of 1 unit.
Betting Cycle
The first betting session begins by placing the first bet of one unit. If the first bet wins, you will make a profit of one unit. This is a winning string, and you should start the cycle again. However, if you lose the first bet of 1 unit, you should keep betting one unit until you win. Once you win, you can increase your bet to two units. If your bet of 2 units loses, you should continue betting 2 units until you land a win and then increase to three units. You should continue increasing your bet by one unit every time you win until you make a profit of one unit. Moreover, the cycle will start again as soon as you make a profit of one unit with this simple system.
Wager Adjustments
Oscar’s Grind betting strategy requires you to make adjustments along the way. In other words, you should make necessary adjustments to make sure you don’t win a profit greater than one unit. For example, if you have lost 2 units (-2) at any particular point, you would make a profit of 2 units if your bet of 4 units wins. To make sure you win a profit of one unit with the grind system, you should reduce your bet size from 4 units to 3 units. 3 units will give you a profit of a single unit (3+-2) =1.
How to Play Oscar’s Grind System
In this section, we will walk you through Oscar’s grind example so that you can understand how the strategy works.
- Bet 1 unit and lose (-1)
- Bet 1 unit and lose (-2)
- Bet one unit and lose (-3)
- Bet one unit and lose (-4)
- Bet one unit and lose (-5)
- Bet one unit and win (-4) time to raise the bet to 2 units
- Bet 2 units and win (-2) time to raise the bet to 3 units
- Bet 3 units and win (+1) – This is a profit of one unit. You can now repeat the cycle.
Pros & Cons of Oscar’s Grind Betting System
As with other betting systems, this one unit profit strategy has several advantages and disadvantages that you need to keep in mind. They include:
Pros:
- Simple to use – The rules in Oscar’s betting system are simple to understand. So, if you are a novice player, you can apply the strategy of this positive progression system without facing difficulties.
- The strategy is versatile – The betting system applies to all casino games that have even money bets. Whether you like playing roulette, blackjack, craps, poker, or baccarat, you can apply the system and increase your chances of winning. The system can also be used in online sports betting.
- Less risky – Like other betting systems, such as the Paroli betting system, En Prison, and 1-3-2-6 system, Oscar’s system requires you to bet small and win small wins. This means you won’t lose a lot if you face a losing streak.
- Profit at the end of the session – One interesting thing about Oscar’s grind system is that it guarantees you a profit of one unit at the end of the session.
- Helps on bankroll management – The system requires you to set a wagering bankroll before you start playing. This means you cannot spend more than the entire bankroll you have budgeted.
Cons:
- Small wins – The goal of Oscar’s system is to make a profit of one unit in every session. A profit of one unit is indeed very low for some gamblers, especially high-stakes players.
- The process is very slow – The betting method requires you to play for a long time to win a net profit of one unit. What is even worse is that you may spend a lot of time playing and end up not earning a profit.
- Works best with even bets – Applying the betting method to casino games without even money bets could result in huge losses.
- Adjustments are needed along the way – You need to make some calculations and adjustments along the way to ensure you don’t get a profit greater than one unit.
Pro Tip: Use different online casinos when employing this technique. If you frequently use Oscar’s Grind, you’re likely to get banned and have your funds frozen.
Games to Try
The Oscar’s grind system can be applied to a variety of casino games, especially those that have even money bets. Even money bets are bets that pay 50/50. So, if you bet $10, the bet will return a profit of $10. Some of the most popular Oscar’s grind variations you can try out include:
Roulette
Online Roulette is one of the most popular table games where you can apply Oscar’s betting system. You can apply Oscar’s grind roulette strategy to roulette games such as European Roulette, American Roulette, French Roulette, Speed Roulette, etc. These roulette wheels have even money bets such as high/low, odds/even and green/red.
Blackjack
Blackjack is a card game known for having a low house edge and a wide variety of betting options. If you are a fan of Blackjack, you can apply Oscar’s grind blackjack to variants such as VIP Blackjack, American Blackjack, Back Blackjack, and European Blackjack. But before you apply the strategy, you need to keep in mind that an even money bet in blackjack is offered as a side bet when you have an ace and 10-point card, and the dealer has an ace as the face-up card.
Baccarat
Baccarat is a game of chance that works perfectly with Oscar’s betting system. You can apply Oscar’s grind baccarat strategy to variants such as Punto Banco, Big Win Baccarat, and Mini Baccarat. All winnings in the player’s hand and the banker’s hand pay even money, meaning you have plenty of options to choose from.
Craps
You can also apply Oscar’s system to Craps variants such as Crapless Craps, High Point Craps, Simplified Craps, and New York Craps. Among the crap bets that pay 50:50 include big 6 big 8, come, don’t come, pass, and don’t pass.
Maximizing Oscar’s Grind Betting
Oscar’s grind system is an exciting betting strategy that can guarantee you small but frequent wins. However, you need to apply some tips and tricks in order to make the most out of the betting system. Some of the tips you can apply and register improved Oscar’s grind results include:
- Know when to walk away – You don’t have to wait until you lose all your money in order to stop playing. If you are on a winning streak, you can stay in the game for as long as you want. But if you are on a losing streak, you can walk away.
- Set win and loss limits – Before you start applying Oscar’s strategy, you need to set win and loss limits. That way, you will be free from problem gambling as you will only spend what you have budgeted.
- Apply the strategy to even money bets – The Oscar’s system works best with bets that pay 50:50. So, before you get started, be sure to check if the games have even money bets.
- Use promotional offers – There is no need to apply the betting method to casino games with your real cash. Instead, you can claim welcome bonuses and ongoing promos and play without risking your real money.
Final Thoughts
The Oscar’s Grind system is one of the simpler betting systems that aims at helping you make small but frequent profits. The goal of the system is to bet small and grind out a profit of one unit in every session. This means you don’t have to spend a lot of money as a player. However, like any other betting system, Oscar’s strategy is prone to catastrophic losses. The truth is that you can win small profits, but that amount may not be enough to cover the losses incurred along the way. So, as you use this betting system, you need to bear in mind that no profit is guaranteed.