Ideal bet size and game to play with a 500 bankroll

The outcome of each spin has no impact on the outcome of future spins. The reason that the actual results converge upon the theoretical results is because with each trial the denominator grows and the effect of a particular win or loss has less effect on the ratio. Example:


You play 10 spins at $1/each, and lose $2.50 (75% return).
You then play 100 more spins at $1/each, and lose $5.00 (95% return)

You've now played a total of 110 spins and lost $7.50, for a return of 93.2%. At no point were you ever playing a positive EV game (in fact you lost even more money), yet the return approached the theoretical return even after a losing streak.

I don't even know if the casinos keep track of short term performance. Players want to hit a streak of wins and then go home but all the casino cares about is that the random number generator is properly installed and the machine looks clean and attractive to passersby. Slot auditors work for casinos but I'm not sure if they focus on results or on chips-installed.

got it kmcd, thanks. i think i'm going to move on to craps!

Quote: FleaStiff

In order to play exactly four hours of Blackjack with a 500 dollar bankroll

The question was for 12 hours.

Doubling a bankroll and playing for several hours are two opposing goals when playing games with a house edge. The best chance of doubling a bankroll is placing one even money bet with the whole bankroll (i.e. craps pass/don't). To get lots of time at a table will slowly grind away at your bankroll unless you get on a lucky streak.