Flat Betting System Guide

Your first foray into the casino world, especially online in New Zealand, can be both thrilling and a tad confusing. For many newcomers, the main aim is to have a blast and check out all the different games available. While having fun should absolutely be the top priority, bagging a few wins along the way is also a great bonus, right? After all, most live casino games in NZ play with real cash.

But let's be honest, trying to win at games like poker, blackjack, roulette, or craps without a solid plan is a bit like trying to catch a kiwi bird – you might get lucky, but it's unlikely! You need a well-thought-out strategy to guide your decisions and, just as importantly, help your bankroll go the distance. A fantastic example of such a strategy is the flat betting system. So, what exactly is flat betting, and how can Kiwi casino players make the most of it?

What's the Deal with Flat Betting Strategy?

Flat betting is a no-nonsense, disciplined approach to placing your wagers, commonly used in live casinos and various other gambling games. The beauty of flat betting lies in its sheer simplicity: you bet the exact same amount of money on every single wager, no matter if you've just won or lost. This is a world away from other betting systems that play with bet sizes, like the Martingale or Fibonacci systems, which flip-flop your bet amount based on what just happened.

Here's the lowdown on flat betting when you're hitting the live casino tables in New Zealand:

Consistent Bet Size: Whether you're spinning the live roulette wheel, hitting on blackjack, betting on baccarat, or playing any other casino game, your bet stays the same every round. For instance, if you decide NZ$10 is your go-to wager, you stick with NZ$10 for every game or hand.

Risk Management: Flat betting is considered a safer bet because it's brilliant for preventing massive losses. By not upping your bet after a loss, you steer clear of the rapid bankroll drain that can happen with progressive systems.

Super Simple to Use: This strategy is as easy as pie to get the hang of, regardless of how long you've been playing. No need for complex calculations or trying to remember your previous bets.

Limited Big Win Potential (Quickly): While it's safer, flat betting means you won't hit massive wins super fast, as your bet size doesn't climb even when you're on a hot streak.

Great for Longer Sessions: Flat betting often feels like a sustainable way to enjoy your gaming for longer periods. It helps players manage their cash flow properly and savour the game without the stress of wild financial swings.

To sum it up, flat betting in live casinos is all about steady, controlled play. It's a top choice for players in New Zealand who favour smart risk management and longer gaming sessions over chasing quick, fat wins.

A Real-World Example of Flat Betting

A practical example might really help you get your head around this betting system. Let's say you want to play live casino games with NZ$2,000 to play with. Instead of lugging the whole lot to the live casino and hoping for the best, you decide to use just 1% of your budget on any casino bet for a set period – maybe a day, a month, or a week.

So, 1% of your NZ$2,000 stake means you're betting NZ$20 per bet. Now, when that gambling period wraps up, let's imagine the audit shows you've made a NZ$200 profit. Sweet! That means things are looking good. So, you decide to bump up your flat betting stake to NZ$22 per bet – that's 1% of your new total budget of NZ$2,200.

But it's not always a smooth ride at the live casino. Losses are a part of the game, so your initial budget might shrink to NZ$1,500 or even NZ$1,000. If you're not careful, you could even burn through your whole bankroll! If the worst happens, the flat betting strategy simply means you carry on using 1% of whatever budget you have left for the next phase.

Flat betting generally ensures you don't blow your entire gambling bankroll in one session. If you've got NZ$200 stashed away, this strategy gives you at least 100 rounds if your unit bet is 1% of the bankroll. And even if you're playing pure luck games like online pokies or keno, it's highly unlikely you'll lose all 100 rounds. Pretty neat, eh?

Flat Betting with Live Casino Blackjack

First up, decide on the betting unit you're comfortable with. This unit should be small enough that it won't wipe out your bankroll if you hit a cold losing streak. Next, figure out how many hands you want to play using this strategy. While 100 is often recommended, let your budget be the ultimate decider. So, if you've got NZ$100 to play with, divide it by the number of hands you plan to play to get your per-round amount.

But before you get excited about flat betting in live dealer blackjack, remember that this is one of the most flexible games in the casino. That’s because some scenarios can compel you to increase your stakes, while others may call on you to lower them.

For instance, players raise and lower stakes in card counting. Players can increase the stakes with strong shoes and vice-versa with weak ones. In that case, flat betting won’t count for anything. But overall, it’s arguably the best blackjack betting strategy for beginners.

Flat Betting in Live Casino Baccarat

Flat betting is more of a baccarat strategy than blackjack. Baccarat is a simple live casino game where players receive two cards on the Banker or Player positions. The idea is to predict a hand total of 9 or 8, also called a natural. If you choose to use flat betting in this game, you’ll most likely end up with a profit. That’s because the Banker and Player bets give you almost a 46% chance of winning a wager. But be wary of the Banker Bet’s 5% commission.

But because flat betting is more about betting to win than caring about the margin, choose the banker bet, which has a lower house edge. Remember, the objective is to bet consistently without losing your bankroll at once.

Common Flat Betting Strategies

The flat betting system has four main divisions. Players can use any of these strategies, depending on the size of their bankroll and experience. Below are the most common flat betting divisions:

Static Flat Betting

This is the safest flat betting strategy. It maintains the core principles of flat betting: to set a 1% stake and use it for extended durations. It's theoretically impossible to lose the entire bankroll or large amounts with static flat betting.

Academic Flat Betting

Many players consider this the most popular flat betting strategy. That's because it leaves some wiggle room to adjust the stake from 1% to 3%. Punters can change the stake amount depending on their confidence, recent results, and knowledge of the game.

For example, you can adjust the stake to 3% during a winning streak to recover more losses. Then, reduce the amount to 1% or 2% during a cold run. You can also increase the stake to 2% or 3% when playing multiplayer video poker with many 'fish' on the table.

Aggressive Flat Betting

An aggressive flat betting strategy is not for the faint-hearted. This strategy calls on players to wager 2% or 3% of their bankrolls for an extended period. That's not all. Players can't change the stake amount even when a cold losing run comes knocking. The idea is that the losing streak will end, and the player will recover the lost amounts during the winning streak. But although this can sound risky, it's not riskier than Martingale or D'Alembert, for example.

Chaotic Flat Betting

Do you think aggressive flat betting is risky? Wait until you try chaotic flat betting. In this strategy, the bet stake should be 3% to 5% of the size of the original bankroll. Some confident players can even increase the size to 10%. If you bet 10%, you'll have only 20 betting rounds with a $200 bet. So, you must be exceptionally good at the game to eke anything out of this strategy.

Does Flat Betting Really Work?

The internet is awash with "snake oil salesmen" claiming that a betting strategy can beat the house edge. Here's the truth: no strategy, including the flat betting system, guarantees a win. That's because luck plays a significant role in the outcome of all live casino games. Even strategy games like poker and blackjack still give a substantial advantage to the house. And if you don't have an optimal strategy, you'll likely face a house edge of between 4% and 6% in these games.

But intelligent bettors don't make conclusions without trying. Betting strategies wouldn't be popular if they didn't improve the winning odds. If you're planning to use flat betting or any other system, use it strictly for bankroll management. Managing your budget properly at the casino will ensure you never run out of money to place a wager. And yes, a winning streak will come by where a betting system will help you recover some, if not all, of the lost amount.

Flat Betting Wagers to Place

Don't use flat betting on any bet you encounter at the casino. Only use it on even-money bets. In live roulette, for example, avoid the tempting straight-up bets and go for even money wagers like red/black, high/low, and odd/even. These bets give players almost a 50:50 chance of winning. In European Roulette, gamers have a 48.6% chance of hitting an even-money wager. As expected, the American version's rate is slightly lower at 47.4%. In live craps, flat betting will come in handy on bets like pass line, don't pass line, come, and don't come.

Flat Betting vs. Martingale

The battle of betting systems will never end as long as gambling is alive. So, how does flat betting stack up against the legendary Martingale? In the Martingale system, players double their wager after a loss, hoping to hit a win and recover everything. Yes, that means doubling the initial bet size regardless of the number of losses.

Below is an example of a player with a $1,600 budget:

• The first bet is $50, which loses.
• The second bet is $100, which is losses.
• The third bet is $200, which loses. The player is now down $350.
• The fourth bet is $400, which loses again. The losses slipped further, down to $750.
• The fifth bet is $800, and he wins. The player is up to $50.

From this example, it's evident that Martingale guarantees a win at some stage. But if the player had lost the fifth consecutive bet, they would have busted their bankroll. In other words, they wouldn't have enough money to continue playing with the Martingale system.

But now, assume the same player is using the $1,600 budget on the flat betting system. They'll place a $16 bet per round for an extended period. If the player is playing even-money bets, they may add a small percentage to their bankroll. So, it's clear that flat betting allows more room to implement a betting strategy than Martingale.

Advantages/Disadvantages of Flat Betting Strategy

You'll encounter diverse opinions about flat betting. While Martingale and Paroli fans might be quick to dismiss it, budget players know the shining points of flat betting. So, to clear any confusion, below are the pros and cons of flat betting: