The Ultimate System - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

\"I had a thought in mind,\" Evan Blake started, shifting uncomfortably on the worn mattress; finding a good position on the misshapen surface was quite a challenge. \"We have almost $2,000 total. That should be sufficient to cover the deposit, first month's rent, and utility setup fees, plus it's a lovely two-bedroom place, fully furnished; we could share it as roommates.\"

David Landstrom, who could easily pass for a George Costanza look-alike if his complexion were clearer, leaned eagerly in his swivel chair at his repurposed entertainment center desk. \"So, is this 'lovely apartment' really $100 or less a month? That’s my current rent bill, you know.\"

Evan Blake was two years older than David Landstrom and was his only true companion. He repositioned his hefty 280-pound body on the bed and ran a hand through his short, spiked black hair. His sky-blue eyes seemed to shine wider, a familiar expression he had whenever he was about to make a significant point. Even though David possessed much more intelligence than Evan, Evan surpassed David when it came to taking personal responsibility. Evan remarked, \"Having a roommate may not be the best situation, yet it’s certainly preferable to living with our parents at ages thirty-eight or forty. Leaving their home is the essential first step toward becoming self-sufficient… um… self-sufficient…\"

\"Self-sufficiency,\" David interjected. \"Look, Evan, even if I were willing to fork over extra money for basic living expenses—which I'm decidedly not—the fact that neither of us holds steady jobs is worth pondering. Don’t forget who inherits this house when my mother passes away, plus there's also the life insurance to consider.\"

\"True,\" Evan conceded, \"but it doesn't change anything in the grand scheme.\" Once more, he shifted around trying to find a cozy spot on the aged mattress, his eyebrows raised and eyes widening. \"I had saved enough wages to cover six months, but after being laid off, that all dried up. I should have relocated when I had the cash ready, but I thought it was too much of a gamble to spend a month's salary on a move. As it turns out, sticking around this awful town searching for another job was the real gamble.\"

Evan had been working as a security guard for about thirteen years, an experience David, who had never held a job longer than three months, simply couldn't comprehend. The only reason they had each ended up with almost $1,000 was due to one of the contacts Evan made during his security job, who had purchased several county-seized properties. These homes needed cleaning and minor repairs before they could be rented out. Besides making $15 an hour under the table, they could also keep items from the rentals, which David had promised to sell and divide the profits, although he hadn’t made any genuine attempts to sell anything as of yet.

Evan's layoff occurred when his security firm lost a contract due to a client expanding their operations and relocating their headquarters to a larger city that was more strategically located for their business. When it came time for reassignment, Evan's longevity led him to be the one laid off, an unfortunate twist of fate that he had not been aware of until it was too late. After nine months, having applied to nearly every local business that might consider him, he had only secured two pizza place interviews, neither of which resulted in a callback. His nervous tic made him click his tongue whenever he felt anxious, and that became a frequent occurrence throughout his interviews.

\"Gamble,\" David echoed. \"I shy away from risks like that, which is why I find comfort living here, and you ought to appreciate your situation at your mom's house as well.\"

\"That's not how I feel,\" Evan replied. \"Even though my son is now an adult in college, I raised him his entire life and still desire his respect. How can he look up to his father if he knows I'm living with his grandmother?\"

\"I can't say,\" David answered. \"I just can't see things from your perspective. I've got plans to multiply this money tenfold within a month, and I'm heading to 'The Goose' now; want to join?\"

\"No,\" Evan responded, \"you know I don’t partake in gambling.\"

\"That’s okay,\" David sighed. \"When I turn that grand into ten by the end of this month, you might wish you'd come along. Maybe then we can talk about different living arrangements, but I really need to clean up first.\"

\"Want to grab a bite before you head to the casino?\"

\"It's not just 'the casino,'\" David replied. \"It's 'The Goose' as in, 'The Goose-The Goose-The Goose is on fire, but I don't need no water! Let the mother****** burn!'\"

\"Chill out, man. I'm gonna get a pizza, and after that, I might go to Macy's to look for more professional interview attire. Perhaps that’s why I get so anxious; I worry that they’ll judge me for my tight clothes.\"

\"Catch you later,\" David started. \"No reason for you to feel stuck anymore; just take the initiative and handle it on your own, whatever you decide.\"

---

David's strategy to escalate his $1,000 into $10,000 involved a gambling system he crafted and sold to individuals with questionable mathematical skills online. He called his method the \"Ultimate Reverse Labouchere Semi-Martingale Double-Down Streak Finder System Deluxe,\" affectionately shortened to \"The Ultimate System.\" He claimed it could be tailored to grant players an upper hand in any casino game, offering detailed instructions for winning at Craps, Roulette, Let it Ride, and Baccarat.

Curiously, his system didn’t actually utilize the Reverse Labouchere method for any of those games, nor was it even remotely similar to it. In fact, David didn’t fully understand what the Reverse Labouchere involved; he merely thought the name sounded impressive. The 'Semi-Martingale' aspect of the title was only partially accurate; none of his methods ever 'Doubled-Down' since they didn’t focus on a Positive Progression—a term that David likely couldn’t clearly define—and he only monitored streaks in Roulette.
David's Roulette streak-finding approach was perhaps the most absurd feature of his system. In essence, it consisted of watching a Roulette wheel spin for eight consecutive hours, tracking how many Reds or Blacks appeared in a row, and then betting, based on the assumption that a streak of that length was 'likely' to happen again within the next eight hours, while longer streaks were deemed 'unlikely.'

In practice, David might initiate a bet of $10 on Red if Red had just hit. If the longest previous Red streak was four, he'd continue betting on Red until it repeated four times at $10 each spin, then switch to a $10 bet on Black for the fifth because he believed Red couldn’t possibly hit again. Should David lose his initial Red bet, he'd pivot to Black with a $25 wager, then revert back to a $10 bet upon winning. If he faced consecutive losses, his betting sequence would escalate from $10 to $25, $60, $125, and ultimately $280. If he didn't possess $280, he would gamble everything he had left.

Every day, he headed to the casino and followed this betting strategy based on the eight hours of results he recorded, determined to either reach his starting loss limit of $500 or score a $10,000 win first. However, he had never achieved the elusive $10,000.

At one point, someone asked him, \"David, do you not realize that you’re not always at the roulette wheel? Even aside from the math, doesn’t it matter that longer streaks could emerge that you don’t observe, thus making such streaks feasible while your method assumes they won’t?\"

David replied, \"Naturally, longer streaks are feasible, yet it boils down to probabilities. Hitting three consecutive Blacks is akin to flipping heads three times; sure, you'll manage that occasionally, but flipping heads four times in a row is less likely, especially if you don't have a tendency towards flipping one outcome more frequently than expected. Just like Roulette wheels, they have their own tendencies. In some cases, seeing Red or Black eight times consecutively is nothing unusual, while in other cases, witnessing Black three times in a row would be surprising. Ultimately, it’s all about what tendencies that specific wheel exhibits, and that’s why my system focuses on identifying the streaks.\"

---

However, David had recently been focused on a new enthusiasm for Craps. He had recently received a generous payment of $150 for instructing his Craps system to someone else. Even though the results of that session didn’t meet his expectations, he was convinced he had taught a young man named Andy the right way to approach Craps. Initially feeling guilty about how the session unfolded, he quickly recalled the disclaimer on his own website: \"No system can ever ensure that you win 100% of your sessions, but you will prevail in the long term.\" He concluded that Andy had received full value for what he paid and could do with that knowledge as he pleased.

David’s Craps strategy had no connection to streaks and was only distantly related to the Martingale system, where a player doubles a losing bet in hopes of recovering the initial wager. Rather, his system focused on \"reducing the chances of losing\" by hedging his losing bets with even riskier bets that had an even greater negative expectation.

There's a notable distinction between merely engaging with a system for leisure and genuinely believing in its principles; while some individuals might just enjoy the thrill of playing, David had a profound conviction in his system. He approached his strategy with a fervor akin to that of a Baptist preacher, whose enthusiasm is evident in the way his pulse quickens during a sermon, and whose expression transforms when he passionately delivers his message. The zeal with which he discussed his system was unmatched, making his political counterparts appear somewhat insincere by comparison.

David's approach to Craps was methodical, consisting of several steps, detailed here with his permission:

1. Bet $5.00 on the Pass Line.
   • Whenever he won, he would persist in placing $5.00 bets until either hitting a total of $500 in winnings or falling short by merely $5.
   • If loss, go to 2.
2. Bet $10.00 on the Pass Line, with a $2 Crap Check.
   • Winning meant he would continue with the same wager until he either broke even or gained at least $1, after which he'd return to the first step.*
   • If loss, go to Step 3.
3. His first move was to place a $5.00 bet on the Pass Line, complemented by a $1.00 Craps check. He would also place either $27 or $26 across depending on the designated point. If a Box Number was rolled, he would retract all Place bets, and if the Point was established, he would deactivate all Place Bets.
   • On winning, he would repeat the same play until he was either even or had gained $1.00 or more, before going back to Step 1.
   • If he encountered a loss, which is a rare occurrence only possible through a Point-Seven-Out, he would advance to Step 4.
4. He could optionally make a $5.00 Pass Line bet to roll the dice, and then make Place Bets totaling $180 ($30 on each number) across the board following a point establishment. If he preferred not to shoot, he could simply place the bets once any point was established.
   • Upon winning, he would repeat the same strategy until he either broke even or gained at least $1.00, then remove his Place Bets and return to Step 1.
   • Losing at this point was nearly inconceivable, as it would necessitate rolling a Seven prior to hitting two Box Numbers immediately after a Point-Seven-Out, a scenario occurring approximately once in 275,000 attempts; thus, he should focus on trying again the next day if this occurred.***
5. *It appears David Landstrom may have overlooked the basic fact that after Step 2, a player cannot conclude at a break-even point. The player only engages in Step 2 when exactly $5.00 behind, yet 5 is an odd number, while all the amounts in Step 2 are even. Adding or subtracting an even number from an odd results in an odd number.
   • **The editor has not performed the calculations for this step, but stating the odds as 1 in 275,000 seems inaccurate.
   • ***The editor has yet to verify the calculations for this step, but the figure of 1 in 375 trillion appears absurd.

Editor\"s Notes

David's system received significant acclaim on his personal website, showcasing fictitious testimonials from so-called winners, including their first names and last initials, paired with random cities and images sourced from the internet, featuring comments such as:

I've always had a soft spot for Craps, even if luck hasn’t been on my side. Once I learned about a system that actually conquers the game unlike others, I dove right in! Thanks to the Ultimate System, I pocketed $10,000 in a month while playing just two hours each day! If this streak continues, I could finally quit my job! — Lance B. - Kansas City, KS

Others online had a more cautious approach, like Mission146, Administrator at

End Editor\"s Notes

This system is arguably one of the worst I have ever encountered. It fundamentally relies on grinding out a flat bet of $500 at $5.00, primarily aiming to get back to the point where you can flat bet that $5.00 again. Furthermore, your system not only hinges on higher-edge Crap-Check and Place Bets but primarily depends on the majority of your action being fed into these high house edge bets. The Wizard of Odds claims all gambling methods are worthless, but he’s mistaken here. The term 'worthless' implies having neither positive nor negative value—your system carries a significant negative value simply because of such high house edge bets. By the way, are you even aware of what a Buy Bet is? Probably not, yet you shouldn't even be relying on all those Place Bets.

In David's opinion, Mission146 was a harsh critic, akin to many others in the circle on WizardofVegas. Even though he relished sharing tales of his system's triumphs, he found little pleasure in the often negative reviews that followed.

After finishing his shower, David trekked six miles to the Golden Goose Casino, deciding against waiting for his mom to return home with her car six hours later. Dressed in his usual athletic shorts and a snug red T-shirt that did little to hide his backside, he confidently approached the Craps table with a $500 buy-in. WizardofVegas.com Forums, who had this to say:

Three hours into the game, which had started positively—he even held a $60 lead at one point—he found himself $5.00 down. Determined not to linger in the negative, he was resolutely set on bouncing back to a flat bet of $5.00, precisely what his strategy outlined.

To his left sat a self-proclaimed 'Dice Setter' named Nick, donned in a black dress shirt neatly tucked into his sleek slacks, with sunglasses perched atop his head. Nick’s flashy attire, adorned with thick jewelry, would typically annoy most people, yet his vibrant, fun-loving personality made him endearing to the crowd; he was genuinely entertaining.

---

Nick, as was his custom, rambled about his lackluster betting strategy intertwined with his dice-setting approach. He branded his technique the 'Two-Way Martingale', although its accurate classification was a Two-Way D'Alembert betting system. \"You see, it goes like this: you place a $5.00 Pass Line bet with $10.00 on the Odds, got it? Pay attention, David; I'm here to enlighten you. If you win or lose, next, it's a $10.00 Pass Line with $20.00 on the Odds. If the results repeat, just double it again. If you eventually lose after hitting $20/$40, revert to $5/$10; but if you win at $20/$40, keep that going until you lose. Forget about the Come Out roll since winning those happens more often than losing.

In the middle was another regular, Sammy, a 55-year-old who had a keen nose for BS. Though he engaged openly in conversation, he did it to test just how convoluted the BS might be. \"Now, Nicky, I like you, but you do realize Craps is a game with a negative expectation? You’re supposed to lose; how do you counter that?\"

\"Well, Sammy," Nick retorted, "I appreciate your question because, under normal circumstances, you'd be spot on. However, I've mentioned that Come Out rolls favor me, so let’s delve into the odds. Generally, the long-term expectation for Odds is neutral—you neither win nor lose. But as a professional dice-setter, I'm in this for the long haul. In a month, I’ve made around $1,000 and need to boost my bankroll to really amp it up.

David couldn\"t have hated him more.

Sammy shook his head, saying, \"Nicky, you're not in the long-run yet. People can have results similar to yours randomly over the span of a month, and some will even perform better. You’re simply getting lucky right now, riding the wave of Standard Deviation.
Nick quickly countered, \"No, Sammy, I haven’t even maximized my potential wins yet. By being a dice setter, I actually have an edge on the Odds Bets, mitigated downside on Pass Line bets, creating an overall slight advantage.\"

Sammy rolled his eyes, sighing, \"Come back and talk to me after a year.\"

As the dice returned to David, he placed a $10 Pass Line bet along with a $2 Crap Check. Despite his faith in his own system, he was skeptical about whether anyone could actually set the dice, so he simply rolled them and landed on a five. \"Looks like we won't solve this easily,\" he sighed. David managed a solid run of twelve rolls, but tragically, the twelfth resulted in a Seven-Out.

Quickly getting the dice again, David found out Sammy didn’t want to shoot, while Nick rolled a Seven after making just one point.

David placed his $5 Pass Line bet and $1 Crap Check. He set up a point of six, loaded $26 in Place Bets, then rolled a Three, followed by a Yo-Eleven, ultimately hitting a Seven-Out. \"Hey!\" he shouted at the dealer, \"Is there something wrong with these dice?\"

The dealer rolled his eyes, having seen this act from David countless times when he got frustrated. \"If you're unhappy with the casino's dice, Mack, perhaps seek a casino whose dice you prefer. Until then, kindly refrain from cursing at my table; there are ladies present, like Sammy.\"

\"You crack me up, buddy,\" Sammy chuckled, tossing a red $5 chip to the dealer as he said, \"Why don't you lock this one up for me this time?\"

\"Always appreciated, my man,\" the dealer replied. \"But please, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t you ever switch to another casino!\"

David began to feel the pressure mount. He had reached Step 4 of his system and, regrettably, as always, found himself lacking sufficient funds to proceed to Step 5 in case of a loss. He constantly attributed all his Craps losses to his inability to fund his strategy thoroughly, believing that had he had enough money, a loss would be an impossibility.

There's a notable distinction between merely engaging with a system for entertainment purposes and holding a steadfast belief in its efficacy; while some might just play around, David was all in. He embodied the role of a fervent preacher, with passion coursing through him as he advocated for his system—his enthusiasm almost palpable as he spoke as if possessed, with every word steeped in conviction. When he talked about his system, it was clear that his intensity surpassed even the most heated political debates, and unlike his rivals, David's authenticity was indisputable.

David's methodology for Craps was structured in a series of steps, which I will outline here with his approval:

On a winning roll, keep betting $5.00 until you accumulate a total profit of $500 or find yourself losing just $5.

If you win, continue betting the same amount until you either break even or make at least $1 profit, at which point you should return to Step 1.*

Start with a Pass Line wager of $5.00 along with a $1.00 Craps check, then make a Place Bet, either $27 or $26 spread across the table, based on the point that has been set. If any Box Number hits, take down your Place Bets; if the established Point is made, switch off all Place Bets.

Upon a win, continue with the same wager until you are back to even or ahead by at least $1, then go back to Step 1.

In the case of a loss—which might happen in the rare situation of a Point-Seven Out—proceed to Step 4.

You have the option to place a $5.00 Pass Line bet to roll the dice, and follow up with Place Bets totaling $180 ($30 on each number) once a point is confirmed. If you prefer not to roll the dice, you can simply place bets after any point has been determined.

If you win, carry on with the same strategy until you reach even or gain $1 more, then pull down your Place Bets and return to Step 1.

\"You\"re the man, Nick, keep winning!\"

A loss is extremely unlikely at this juncture, as it necessitates a Seven coming up before two Box Numbers hit, followed by another Point-Seven Out. This scenario occurs roughly once in 275,000 tries; if that happens, it might be best to accept that it's simply not your day and try again later.**

David Landstrom fails to recognize that after Step 2, a player cannot possibly break even. A player would only be in Step 2 if they were exactly $5.00 down, but since 5 is an odd number, the bets and payouts in Step 2 are all even. Subtracting or adding even to an odd will always yield an odd result.

**The editor hasn’t verified the exact calculations concerning this step, but claiming 1 in 275,000 seems erroneous.

*** Similarly, the editor hasn't calculated this but insisting on a 1 in 375 trillion likelihood is quite absurd.

On David's website, his system garnered significant acclaim, even listing fictitious first names with last initials, each linked to a major city, along with a random image sourced from Google, coupled with testimonials like:

I’ve enjoyed playing Craps, yet luck hasn’t been on my side. When I discovered a system that genuinely beat the odds unlike the others, I was all in. Thanks to the Ultimate System, I’ve managed to rake in $10,000 at the Craps Table over the past month, only playing for two hours daily! If this trend continues, I could quit my job! Thank you, Ultimate System! — Lance B. - Kansas City, KS

Others online were more cautious, such as Mission146, who said, Administrator at

This ranks among the worst systems I've encountered in my life. First off, it relies on grinding your way to a $500 payout by flat-betting $5 while spending much of your time clawing back to that starting point. Furthermore, your strategy hinges not just on making higher edge Crap-Check and Place Bets, but on having the vast majority of your stakes on these high-risk bets. The Wizard of Odds claims all gambling systems are equally futile, but in this case, he is wrong. 'Worthless' implies a lack of value; your system, however, has a markedly negative value due to its reliance on substantial House Edge bets. And have you ever considered a Buy Bet? Probably not, and you really shouldn’t be placing bets on so many numbers.

1. In David's perspective, Mission146 came off as rather unpleasant, echoing the sentiments of several others in discussions on WizardofVegas. Despite his enjoyment of sharing his system's success, he found the comments that followed rather off-putting.
   
2. After showering, David trekked six miles to the Golden Goose Casino. His mother would be back with her car in six hours, but he didn’t want to wait. Dressed in his usual athletic shorts and a snug red T-Shirt that barely covered his backside, he confidently approached the Craps table, buying in for $500.
   
3. Fast forward three hours, David had been riding a wave of good fortune—he was up as much as $60 at one point—but he eventually found himself $5 in the red. Yet he was resolute that this situation wouldn’t last; his system was crafted to bring him back to a steady $5 flat bet.
   

Seated two players to his left was a self-proclaimed expert named Nick, who was proudly displaying his 'dice-setting' skills. Always dressed in a neatly buttoned black shirt tucked into well-pressed slacks, with his sunglasses perched on his head, he exuded a flashy style. His appearance, adorned with a variety of shining jewelry, might have sparked a question about Avon, although he didn't sell it; these accessories were all part of his flamboyant style. Despite his extravagant outfit—which likely annoyed many—Nick's lively personality made him someone others enjoyed being around due to his comedic nature.

As per usual, Nick rambled on about his so-called betting strategy blended with his dice-setting. He branded it the 'Two-Way Martingale', yet it resembled more of a Two-Way D'Alembert betting system. 'The trick is to start with a $5.00 Pass Line bet paired with $10.00 odds, got it? Look, David, I’m looking out for you. So, if you win or lose, your next wager is $10.00 on the Pass Line with $20.00 odds. If you repeat the same outcome, double it once more. But if you lose with the $20/$40, revert back to $5/$10; if you win on the $20/$40, just keep riding that winning streak. Also, don’t bother with the Come Out roll—those outcomes favor you more often than not anyway.'

Next to Nick, there was Sammy, a keen-eyed regular in his fifties who could sniff out nonsense quickly but engaged in conversations to assess just how deep the misinformation went. 'Nicky, my friend, while I like you, Craps is fundamentally a game with a negative expectation. You're supposed to lose; what’s your plan for that?'

'Sammy,' Nick retorted, 'I appreciate your concern, but in regular circumstances, you would be correct. As I’ve mentioned, the Come Out rolls work in my favor. Now, let’s delve into the odds. The long-term expectation for odds is neutral; there’s no gain or loss there. But I’m a professional at dice setting! I’ve been at this for a month and I’m up by around $1,000. I just need my bankroll to reach a level where I can really let loose.'

'Nicky, my friend, you’re not in the long run—not even close. Randomly, some people might match your outcome in a month, while others may outperform you entirely. Right now, you’re merely on the fortunate side of the Standard Deviation,' Sammy responded.

'No, Sammy,' Nick countered quickly, 'I haven’t hit my expected wins yet. As a dice setter, I hold an edge on my Odds Bets, with a minimized disadvantage on Pass Line bets, creating a slight edge overall.'

With a sigh and an eye roll, Sammy said, 'Come back and talk to me in a year.'

As the dice cycled back to David, he placed his $10 Pass Line bet alongside a $2 Crap Check. Despite his belief in his strategy, he remained skeptical about the concept of setting the dice, so he just tossed them and rolled a five. 'Looks like we won’t have an easy time,' he muttered. David had a decent run of twelve rolls, but unfortunately, the final one came up as Seven-Out.

David swiftly reclaimed the dice as Sammy declared he wasn’t in the mood to throw and Nick Sevened-Out after making one point.

Establishing a point of six after placing his $5 Pass Line bet mixed with a $1 Crap Check, David added $26 in Place Bets, and then rolled a three, followed by a Yo-Eleven, culminating with a six-one for the Seven-Out. 'Hey,' David called out to the dealer, 'Are these dice rigged or something?'

The dealer sighed, accustomed to this complaint from David when luck wasn’t on his side. 'If you don’t fancy our casino's dice, Mack, maybe you should find one where you do. For now, please spare me your swearing; we have ladies present, like Sammy.'

'Good one, my friend,' Sammy chuckled, tossing the dealer a red $5 chip. 'Make sure to secure that one this time.'

'Always grateful, my man,' the dealer replied, 'Just don’t ever change casinos!'

David could feel the sweat accumulating as he had reached Step 4 of his system without sufficient funds to proceed to Step 5 in case of a loss. He often blamed all of his Craps losses on this very issue—his inability to fully execute his system—convinced that if he could, defeat would be unattainable.

---

There is a clear distinction between merely engaging with a betting system and genuinely subscribing to its philosophy; while many might just dabble for enjoyment, David had an unwavering conviction. He was like an enthusiastic preacher who spoke with such intensity that his veins throbbed and his eyes rolled with passion, akin to a spiritual experience, as he passionately advocated for his system. His fervor stemmed from a sincere belief, distinguishing him from his political adversaries, who often lacked such authenticity.

David's strategy for craps is structured in specific steps, which I'll detail below with his consent:

When you win, keep betting $5.00 until you either reach a total of $500 in winnings or incur a loss of $5.

If you win, continue with the same wager until you break even or gain at least $1; afterwards, return to Step 1.*

Start with a $5.00 Pass Line bet alongside a $1.00 Craps check, then place a bet of either $27 or $26 accordingly based on the point that has been established. If a Box Number is rolled, remove all Place bets; if the Point is hit, deactivate all Place Bets.

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Go back to chapter 1 .
Continued in chapter 3 .

About the Author

When you win, keep making the same wager until you break even or gain at least $1, then go back to Step 1.

Written by: Brandon James