I don't say much here, but math is my specialty, so I will pipe in with a few numbers.
1) In it's simplest form, probability to lose 10 hands in a row is p= .52^10, or approximatley .0014. You could expect this to occur 1.4 times in 1000 hands of play.
2) In a little more complex form, what you really want to know is the probability of that probabilty occuring. For that we need to do a little more complex math using logarithims. Let's use a 99.9% confindence level, as 100% confindence is unachievable. When we make this calculation it tells us that we can be certian (to a 99.9% degree of certainty) that the event of 10 consecutive losses will occur at least once in 4775 hands.
Where math stops is that we have no idea where in that 4775 hands the streak will occur---maybe in the first 100 hands, or maybe in the last 100---there is no way to know. There could also be more than one streak in the 4775. This would not happen often, but certainly does. Three steaks of 10 in 4775 starts getting into some pretty rare territory, but will happen if you put enough hours in at the tables.
For the average player out there Martingale is a good way to take that once every 5 year trip to Vegas and turn a $1000 bankroll into a $1200 bankroll. Many people can initally make a small amount. Take your money and never go back, and you can call yourself a winner! For any type of play that is more serious, Martingale is the most poven way to get your clock cleaned! Stay Away!
