Kingdom of Loathing: Money Making Game (MMG) Tips and Tricks

In the Kingdom of Loathing (KoL), the incredibly addictive free online adventure game, the economy is fueled not by gold or cash, but by a currency called "meat." Meat can be gained in several different ways, including adventuring and winning battles and selling items in the Kingdom of Loathing mall.

The best in-game items and equipment cost a lot of meat, and occasionally players are tempted to try their luck at the Money Making Game (MMG). The MMG allows players to place a bet of meat, which another player then matches. One player will win it all, while the other walks away with nothing (and don't forget the "house" which takes a small cut of the winnings). Plenty of people (including myself) have won large fortunes playing the MMG, while others (including myself...again) have lost nearly everything.

Kingdom of Loathing Money Making Game Strategies:

There are two strategies commonly used by players in the KoL Money Making Game. The first is known as the Martingale System. In this meat-betting strategy a player makes a small bet (usually 1,000 meat). If the player wins, he or she makes the same bet again until a loss occurs. When the player loses, the meat is doubled. Each loss means doubling the amount lost in the previous bet, until an eventual win. At that point, the player resets the amount bet.

This strategy assumes various conditions: 1) that you have enough meat to cover a string of losses and 2) it is unlikely that you'll have a long string of losing bets. Obviously neither one of these conditions is guaranteed, so the Martingale can be risky. If you plan to use this strategy, make sure your starting bet is no larger than 1% of your total meat. For example, if you have 10 million meat, your starting bet should be no larger than 100K.

The second strategy that is commonly used is the meat-farming method. In this method you start off by playing enough adventures to come up with a base amount of meat (say, 10,000). You then decide how much meat you want to gain. Place a bet using only the farmed meat (all 10K). If you lose, farm more and try again. If you win, bet all of your winnings. Continue until you reach your goal or you run out of adventures. If you reach your goal, deposit into your closet and start meat farming again. This strategy ensures you don't lose more meat playing the Money Making Game than you can afford to, and rewards winning streaks. It's not as profitable in the short run, however, and may lead to frustration.

Kingdom of Loathing Money Making Game Tips:

Be patient.When players begin to get greedy or impatient, they start making larger or riskier bets. Small gains are still gains, and there's nothing worse than betting everything you have and watching it go to another player. Stick with small, steady bets instead of trying for a big meat score all at once.

Keep some meat in reserve. Before you start playing the Money Making Game, think seriously about how much meat you are willing to lose. Put the rest of your meat in your Closet and do not touch it while you are playing the MMG. This will ensure that you don't go completely broke.

Know when to quit. This is perhaps the most key thing in playing the MMG in the Kingdom of Loathing. Most betting strategies work because it is unlikely that the better will lose a certain number of bets in a row. But unlikely doesn't mean impossible. Sure you can bet all the meat you have on the hopes that you won't lose for the seventh time in a row, but keep in mind that the likelihood of you winning that particular bet is still 50/50. I've won 12 in a row before. That tells me that it's possible to also lose 12 in a row. A visit to the KoL forums or any KoL chat room will tell you that losing 9+ times in a row is not as rare as you might hope. Know when to cut your losses, and never bank on a miracle win.

Just for good measure, you might also want to read up on the gambler's fallacy.

And finally (though it's been said over and over again), the only way to not lose a fortune playing the Money Making Game is to not play at all.You will eventually lose, and probably lose big. That's the nature of the game. Even if you don't lose, you'll still have sunk plenty of meat into the MMG anyway.

Proceed with caution, and good luck!