Since the rise of Roulette a few centuries ago, casino players have tried to come up with a strategy that would increase their chances of winning. One of the oldest methods still in use is the Martingale system. This is a negative gambling progression that can be applied to various games of chance, including roulette.
The Martingale system was conceived in USA in the 18th century and gradually became popular in Europe and North America. It was initially used by gamblers who played head and mint, a simple game with two equally likely results.
With this method they doubled their efforts every time they lost. They were convinced that their bet would eventually win and that they would make up for their earlier losses. The system received great popularity among gamblers because of its simplicity. The general opinion was that over time the number of head and mint would be in balance.
The danger
However, what gamblers need to know before they start using it is that it is accompanied by a fairly high risk. The amount of the deployment will have to be doubled after each loss. It is especially dangerous for casino players with a limited bankroll who happens to have a long losing series.
The Martingale, like all other gambling systems, can of course be used very effectively. This is possible with good management of the bankroll and if it is used carefully. Casino players must know that this method cannot change the chances of the game. At Roulette the house always wins.
In the short term, however, the Martingale gamblers can help to use in a systematic, organized way. Huge losses on the roulette table can then be prevented.
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What are you committed to?
The Martingale system is, as we said, very simple and clear. Just as with all progressive systems, it is intended to help players get the money back that they have lost with larger bets. With non-progressive systems, on the other hand, the amount of the deployment remains the same during the game session.
The Martingale method uses the earlier results to determine the gambler's decision for the next round.
With roulette it is used for bets with almost even opportunities such as red / black, high / low and even / odd. These external bets have a chance of almost 50% - it is 47.37% with double zero roulette and 48.65% with just zero roulette games.
This means that the opportunities to hit red or black are the same, so it doesn't matter which one you would go. To make the system work, of course you have to keep your sheets in the same sector of the layout throughout your game. There is nothing complicated about applying the system and players will understand quickly.
Deployment
The concept is very simple: you start with a small bet and you double the amount after each loss. If you eventually win, you should be able to win all the lost money back. You start again by using the initial deployment amount.
Players are advised to start with the table minimum, because with the Martingale their bets will rise very quickly after just a few consecutive losses. The following example can illustrate this in a clear way. We will use 1 credit, which can be $ 1 or $ 10, depending on the table minimum.
1-2-4-8-16-32-64-128-256-512-1024-2048-4096-8192
As you can see, the bet jumps after just a few losses from $ 1 to $ 64. Sometimes roulette players can have a very bad luck if their commitment loses more than 10 times in a row.
It may sound unlikely, but turning red 10 times in a row is possible, which, as we can see by the progress above, increases the bet to more than $ 500 per turn.
So we double the bet after every loss, but what happens when we win? As soon as the bet wins, take the profit. The amount of the deployment remains the same until a loss has been registered. So often the system looks like this:
1-1-1-1-2-4-1-1-2-1
However, the Martingale progression starts with the first loss and ends with the first victory. Because it is used with an Even-Money bets, the payment is equal to the amount of the deployment. If we take $ 1 as one unit, the total amount we have used would be $ 7 after three times (1-2-4), while the amount we won would be $ 8. Our original commitment of $ 4 in the third round the payout of $ 4. That is why our net profit is only $ 1. With the Martingale system, the net profit is always the same as the original deployment amount.
Extra tip
However, when using gambling systems, players must always take the table limits into account. Land-based casinos rarely accept bets from $ 1 per turn, so let's look at an example of the Martingale method used at a table where the minimum bet is $ 5 and the maximum $ 500.
| Turn | Effort | Outcome win/loss | Pay out | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5 | Loss | $0 | -$5 |
| 2 | $10 | Loss | $0 | -$15 |
| 3 | $20 | Loss | $0 | -$35 |
| 4 | $40 | Loss | $0 | -$75 |
| 5 | $80 | Loss | $0 | -$155 |
| 6 | $160 | Loss | $0 | -$325 |
| 7 | $320 | Loss | $0 | -$645 |
| 8 | $640 | win | $1,280 | $1,280 |
| Total deployed | $1,275 | Total payout | $1,280 | Net profit: $ 5 |
As you can see from the example, it would be impossible to be successful with the Martingale system at a table where bets are allowed from $ 5 to $ 500 if you lose 7 times in a row. A single victory will only give you a total profit of $ 5.
Variations on Martingale
The simplicity and observed efficiency of the Martingale system have made it quite popular among roulettefans. Because most seasoned players acknowledge how risky it can be, they have designed different methods based on the classic system. These new and improved methods include the Reverse Martingale and the Grand Martingale, which are intended to give gamblers more flexibility when playing roulette.
The Reverse Martingale
As the name suggests, the system is the opposite of the classic Martingale system and is also known as the anti-martingal. This method is a positive progression, which means that players increase their commitment after every win. After a loss, they start a new series with their original effort.
The amount of the deployment is of course not just increased by, for example, a single unit. Every time players win, they double their efforts, hoping that they can benefit from their winning streaks.
Gokkers can apply this method to bets with a bit of money with roulette, such as red / black, high / low and even / odd. Again, the series starts with the lowest possible bet and remains the same until players register a victory. As soon as this happens, they double and double the amount they use with every successful bet.
| Turn | Effort | Outcome win/loss | Pay out | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5 | Loss | $0 | -$5 |
| 2 | $5 | Loss | $0 | -$10 |
| 3 | $5 | win | $10 | -$5 |
| 4 | $10 | win | $20 | $5 |
| 5 | $20 | win | $40 | $25 |
| 6 | $40 | win | $80 | $65 |
| 7 | $80 | win | $160 | $145 |
| 8 | $160 | win | $320 | $305 |
| Total commitment | $325 | Total payout: | $630 | Net win: $ 305 |
Of course, the Reverse Martingale can also easily lead to reaching the maximum limit of the table with only a few bets. If the player continues the progress from above, the next bet jumps to $ 320 and if he wins, it will be followed by a deployment of $ 640, which exceeds the maximum bet limit.
The other disadvantage of this method is also clear, with only one loss the player would lose all profit achieved so far.
The Grand Martingale
The classic Martingale gambling system has one major disadvantage: it does not yield players substantial winnings. The guaranteed net profit is the same as the initial deployment amount and is only "guaranteed" if the player's bankroll is almost unlimited.
The Grand Martingale system is designed to solve this specific problem-to offer players larger income by increasing the deployment amount even faster.
This method requires that players double their effort after each loss and add the amount of their original effort. This continues until the bet wins when the player ends the progress and starts all over again with the original bet. For example, if we take the classic Martingale progression of $ 1 and apply it here, we get:
1-3-7-15-31-63-127-255-511-1023-2047-4095
The order clearly shows that the Grand Martingale consists of a progression that is much steeper than in the original system. While in the classic version 10 losing the bets increase to 512 units ($ 512), the bet here jumps to $ 1,023. However, the expected net profit is much higher than the initial bet, as we can see in the following example:
| Turn | Effort | Outcome win/loss | Pay out | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5 | Loss | $0 | -$5 |
| 2 | $15 | Loss | $0 | -$20 |
| 3 | $35 | Loss | $0 | -$55 |
| 4 | $75 | Loss | $0 | -$130 |
| 5 | $155 | Loss | $0 | -$285 |
| 6 | $315 | Loss | $0 | -$600 |
| 7 | $635 | Loss | $0 | -$1,235 |
| 8 | $1,275 | win | $2,550 | $40 |
| Total deployment: | $2,510 | Total payout: | $2,550 | Net win: $ 40 |
Some high-rollers prefer to add two units to the doubled number instead of just one. If we use the example above, we would start with a $ 5 bet and if it wins, our second bet would be $ 20, while the third bet would jump to $ 50 and the fourth - to $ 110.
As you can see, this alternative to the classic Martingale is much more risky because the bet must be increased quickly after every loss. A very long losing series could therefore easily cost the entire bankroll of the player. All for relatively small profits.
Does Martingale beat the odds?
Each of the variations of the Martingale gambling system seems theoretically impeccable. However, casinogokkers do not play with concepts - they use their real money. It is clear that the systems would work for players with unlimited bankrolls. In the end, at least a small win would be made, even with the classic Martingale.
Although this all sounds very likely in theory, the bankrolls of most players are not unlimited. In fact, many roulette fans have lost enormous amounts with these gambling methods. At some point they would always be without money and the inevitable house edge would catch up.
The house advantage, also a theoretical concept, cannot be overcome by gambling systems or strategies. In reality, the opportunities of every winning bet remain the same, regardless of actions and decisions on the part of the player.
Extra tip
The reason is very simple - roulette is purely based on a chance and to make a prediction about the outcome of the next turn. We only have to consider one thing, namely the probability of the bet.
As mentioned above, all Even money betting at Roulette have the same chance of winning with a quotation of 18:19, or with a probability of 48.65% (47.37% in the double zero variant of the game, known as American roulette). That is why changing the amount of the deployment cannot change the chances. They are fixed during the game, just like the advantage that the casino has compared to its players.
Since the chances of roulette are always favorable for the house, the Martingale gambling system is useless to change that. Despite what many players think, a long series of red numbers is not always followed by a long series or black numbers. So you can't trust that the wheel would ultimately keep itself in one way or another.
Yes, the red and the black are equally likely, but a balance between the two can only be achieved in an unlimited number of spins and is essentially only theoretical. In reality, if we have 50 red numbers and 50 black songs in 100 spins, this would be the result of pure coincidence.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Martingale system
The Martingale system, as well as the two variations, are very easy to use and can be applied to all outdoor inserts with a bit of money at Roulette. As every roulette player knows well, these are the safest bets in this game, so it is a good strategy to base your game on them.
Yet no gambling system is an infallible method to win at Roulette. The opportunities are always in favor of the house and it can go wrong quickly.
That is why players must remember that the Martingale system can only make a profit in the short term. If it is used carefully, it can help gamblers to plan their play and manage their bankroll, so that they will never be on the roulette table without money.
If they succeed in winning after they have had a long series of losses, they could recover all their losses. Yet caution is required, even if you start with the table minimum as your first bet.
With excessive use, this method can easily result in the loss of your entire bankroll. The most important dangers of the Martingale system at Roulette are reaching the maximum limit of the table without winning a bet and, more importantly, spend all your money before you get the chance to earn your losses back.
Long losing streaks can easily cancel all your profits and even if they are not very likely, they will happen occasionally. For this reason, the Martingale is only a suitable gambling system for those with larger bankrolls and a higher risk tolerance.
Conclusion
Most roulette players tend to avoid the Martingale, because they know that it is only efficient in the short term and can be very risky. Yet the system remains quite popular among gamblers who think they are lucky and have enough money in their bankroll.
As explained above, this system cannot beat the opportunities at Roulette and it is wrong to think that you can actually change them to your advantage.
It is a system that many starting gamblers think. Just like it is one of the worst systems. View the other roulette systems on our site and see if they offer better opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
That is true, with two people you can use double. You have to invest even more to earn back the start. The casinos will also not accept this.
It probably happens on the first evening you are going to play. Therefore, stay away from this system.
Yes, that is certainly possible. Blackjack also has an almost 50 % chance of winning a bet. But even with Blackjack it soon happens that you lose 8 hands in succession.