Louise | June 19, 2020 | Updated on: April 10th, 2024
Oscar’s Grind is a betting strategy used by gamblers on bets where the outcome is distributed between two results of equal value (such as flipping a coin, gaming on red or black in roulette, etc.). Oscar’s Grind is a simple betting system used on even-money stakes at numerous casino games, most especially roulette. Author Allan Wilson renowned the system in his 1965 book, giving it the name Oscar’s Grind from a player he had interviewed. The player’s name was Oscar, and the ‘Grind’ system of the game references the idea that the stakes don’t get too high and that the player grinds out a small win every day.
How to Gamble Using Oscar’s Grind System
The mathematical foundation of Oscar’s Grind is very simple and works better on even-money stakes like red/black, odd/even, and high/low (1st 18, 2nd 18).
To begin, the player picks a table-stakes bankroll to take the risk and gets chips to place bets without missing a single spin. If played at roulette, the single-zero wheel is very optimal, with the added benefit of the En Prison or La Partage rules to reduce the house edge. Playing Oscar’s Grind at an American roulette wheel with a zero and double zero and a house edge of over 5% is much more risky.
The simplicity of Oscar’s Grind is that the bets begin at 1 unit and don’t increase until there’s a loss and then a win, at which point the bet is increased to 2.
It remains at 2 until a profit is made and the wager returns to 1, or it further increases to 3 if there have been losses and then a win and the streak is still in the negative.
The aim is to profit by 1 unit with every string of wagers. Writing down every string may be helpful and a very good tool for reviewing the events later.
Pros and cons of the strategy
Unlike the Martingale and D’Alembert systems, this betting strategy is less risky. This is because, with every loss, you don’t increase the betting amount; you only leave it at the same level.
In addition, wagering is divided into numerous cycles, and after each one, the stake unit returns to its initial value. Therefore, the likelihood of exceeding the stake limits at bookmakers is reduced.
This system, on the other hand, is not as profitable as other betting systems. Furthermore, you may lose a tangible part of your bankroll using it.
An Overview
Certainly, Oscar Grind’s strategy can bring profits in the long run. However, it can’t be called a win-win strategy as it includes certain risks of losing money. To make a profit on this game system, you need a thorough analysis of each of the selected betting events. Also, luck won’t be surplus to at least 50% of wagers turned out to be winning.