Binary Scenery: Martingale Catastrophe

Every table cell represents a simulated session at a roulette table, played until the the gambler wins.

Doubling after every loss is called the Martingale system.

It's tempting because the prospective the gambler thinks about all the white squares in the table, which look like an easy way to double their money.

The casino on the other hand is looking at the black squares. Tho much fewer in number, the house knows that one run of bad luck is enough to bankrupt a Martingale player.

For example, putting £40 down to get your £20 back is no biggy, but if you get 10 losing spins in a row, the bet becomes £10240, and the return is still only £20.

Once the amount needed to win your money back is more than you can afford, the house bankrupts you with a Martingale Catastrophe.

Fun with randomness:

Martingale system on Wikipedia

Stochasticity on Radiolab