Within the game of roulette, one system stands tall as the go to for players looking for an easy to understand, straightforward, winning strategy. The Martingale system has been used for over two centuries and continues to be the most popular roulette strategy choice for players. In this guide, you will learn exactly how the Martingale roulette strategy works, both in theory and in practice.
Martingale system roulette enjoy the month of June with LVbet Game of the Week promotion, though. Si quiere comprar zovirax generico en espanea, are upstairs. You can also forget about the Zig-Zag System and the Martingale System, where after some dramatic Roman bronze artworks the visitor reaches the rooms dedicated to the Lombard era. The Martingale System is beautiful in that way, it is a guaranteed winning roulette betting strategy in the long run, given that you have enough resources to cover the exponentially growing bets. As the betting amount grows exponentially, so does the chance of winning.
Further to this, we will give you an in-depth understanding of how the Martingale odds play out over the course of a game before discussing whether or not the system is technically legal. Finally, we will compare the Martingale roulette system against other well-known systems before ending with some of its shortcomings.
With origins dating back to the 1800s, the Martingale system descends from probability theory where within a sequence of fixed random variables, there will always be a point where the next value will be equal to the present value. Now don’t run away. With a simple example, this theory becomes very straight forward and easy to understand. First, think about a person continually betting on the outcome of flipping a coin where the outcomes are fixed – heads wins and tails loses. If the person betting was to double their bet after every loss, a win would recover all previous losses in one bet plus a profit equal to the first bet in the sequence. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the the following section below and you will see it for yourself.
The idea behind this system is that at some point, you have to win, and this win will recover all your previous losses, plus one unit of profit. In layman’s terms, double up until you win! By now, I’m sure you can see the attractiveness of such a system when utilised as a roulette strategy.
Now that you have a better understanding of how the Martingale system works in theory, let’s have a look at a practical example in roulette. Similar to the above coin example, players will choose a ‘relatively’ even-money bet. I say relatively because in roulette, these are not exactly 50 bets but we will discuss that in more detail later. In roulette these bets can be on low (1-18) or high (19-36) numbers, odd or even numbers or the most commonly used bet on red or black. For this example, we will be betting £1 on the probability that the ball lands on red.After the first spin, if the ball lands on red, we are very happy and have won our first bet with a profit of £1. If the ball lands on black and we have lost, at this point we will double our original bet from £1 to £2. If the ball then lands on red, we will have recovered our previous lost bet of £1 plus an additional unit of profit £1. If on our second spin, the ball lands on black and we lose again, we will continue doubling our bets on red until we win. No matter how long it takes, or the size of the bet, we will eventually win and recover our original bet.
But how will this strategy hold up if we lose five games in a row? The answer is: completely fine. Check out the above example and you will see just how straight forward the Martingale roulette system is in action.
The secret to the Martingale roulette strategy is really no secret at all; it’s a simple numbers game. As referenced earlier, the success of the system is down to the assumption that at some point, after a series of losses, you have to win, and with this win, you can recover all of your losses plus one unit of profit. So how can we believe that a player will eventually recover all of his or her losses? In order to demonstrate this theory, we have outlined in the table below how a player can recover all of their losses, even after losing nine games in a row by utilising the Martingale strategy.
Spin Progression | Bet (Units) | Outcome | Total Profit |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Loss | -1 |
2 | 2 | Loss | -3 |
3 | 4 | Loss | -7 |
4 | 8 | Loss | -15 |
5 | 16 | Loss | -31 |
6 | 32 | Loss | -63 |
7 | 64 | Loss | -127 |
8 | 128 | Loss | -255 |
9 | 256 | Loss | -511 |
10 | 512 | Win | 1 |
So, the Martingale theoretical approach implies that, for instance, if you lose nine games in a row and double your bet on the following tenth spin, you will recover all of your losses and come out with a profit of plus one. Once you land a win after a series of consecutive losses, you start anew. The Martingale odds are stacked in your favour! Of course, Martingale only strictly works theoretically if you have the bank roll to support it.
As it stands, the use of the Martingale roulette system is perfectly legal. However, casinos do have countermeasures in order to decrease its effectiveness. One measure is to put in place maximum betting limits which mean, if a player is in a deep losing streak, there will come a point where they can no longer place a high enough bet to cover all their losses. For example, if a casino has a £500 maximum betting limit and a player has lost a £275 bet, they will not be able to double it £550. Another countermeasure to help reduce the players’ odds of successfully utilising the Martingale strategy is the fabled ‘other’ colour on the roulette wheel; the green. The green slots are filled with the number zero. In European Roulette there is only one slot and thus one zero, whereas in the American version there are two slots, one for zero and another for double zero. These green zeros represent the house edge. In European Roulette the green spread is worth 2.7% giving the house an edge of 51.35% in total. In American roulette, with two green slots, the spread is worth 5.26% giving the house an even bigger advantage of 52.6%.
Now that you’ve dipped your finger and got a taste of what the Martingale strategy has to offer, let’s see how it compares to some of the other more niche systems available to roulette players today. The following two are just a preview of the available betting systems. If you’re interested in finding out more about the existing strategies, we would recommend our comprehensive guide to roulette systems.
The Oscar’s Grind system is based on the idea that there are periods of both winning streaks and losing streaks. In brief, when you lose a bet, you bet the same amount and when you win, you raise the bet by one unit. The method can withstand many bad runs however, the Martingale system is far more resistant to alternating wins and losses in short streaks.
The Kavouras system involves betting different amounts on at least 20 numbers chaotically spread around the roulette wheel. This method eliminates possible dealer interference, places several defensive numbers in play to minimise potential future losses and offers the opportunity for big wins. The system is deliberately very chaotic and flexible, however, if you prefer a far more standardised system that you can follow, the Martingale strategy is the one for you.
As with any roulette system, both pros and cons exist and the Martingale strategy is not without its flaws. If it was foolproof, we would all be millionaires by now! Theoretically, the Martingale system is really sound, however in reality, there are two gaping holes which cannot be ignored. Firstly, the theory assumes players have an unlimited bankroll and can withstand huge losses. For most people, this is not the case. Secondly, open-ended table limits very rarely exist. As discussed above, many casinos impose maximum betting limits on their roulette tables in order to inhibit players from recovering from large losses.
Whilst it is statistically very unlikely that you will ever be unlucky enough to lose eight, nine, even ten spins in a row, it will eventually happen. At the end of the day, the roulette wheel doesn’t know you or remember your previous spins. In every spin, you either win or you *cough*die*cough* lose.
Whilst not completely fool proof, the Martingale roulette system can be a very useful way to ease yourself into a game of roulette and familiarise yourself with the mathematical side of gambling and odds. It is a very interesting theory and certainly worth testing out, but should always be played with low stakes at first. That said, if you prefer a high stakes game, we would recommend our guide to the best high stakes online casinos in the UK. If you want to find out more about roulette, check out our guide to the best online roulette casinos in the UK. Set yourself profit goals and loss limits so you don’t get carried away and above all, enjoy yourself!
The Martingale System was designed as a way to recoup losses and progressively build a bankroll. However, it is an incredibly risky strategy, as it requires you to place progressively larger bets each time you lose.
If you lose several bets in a row, you could wipe out a bankroll that would otherwise be more negligibly affected if you bet a fixed amount each time.
Each time you win, you place a standard bet amount. But if you lose, you double your next bet to cover the lost bet. And if you lose again, you double your bet again, and on and on until you win again. The only problem is that you can very easily go through an entire bankroll before another win occurs.
That’s why this system is incredibly dangerous and should not be used.
Martingale betting is most commonly used for double or nothing casino bets, such as standard blackjack, outside bets on roulette, or betting the pass line on Craps. This simplifies the method to its most basic form.
For example, if you’re playing roulette, bet $10 on red, and lose, you’d be $20 on the next spin to recoup the lost bet. If you lose again, you’d double that again and bet $40. At this point, you’d lost $30, but if you win with a $40 double or nothing bet, it was like you won that first $10 bet.
You then return to $10 betting, and you repeat the method if you lose again.
The serious problem is that even at +100 (double or nothing) odds, there are going to be times that you go on 10 and 15 game runs and lose each one.
Let’s say you start with $10 and you continuously lose. With the Martingale System, this is how your bets (and losses) would break down, starting with the first bet:
Within ten consecutive bets using the Martingale Strategy, you can be out $5,110 despite only starting at $10. And, if you do end up winning that 11th bet, you’re simply compensating for doing the Martingale Strategy to make back that initial bet.
Put another way, if you had $5,120 in your bankroll, started betting at $10, lost ten in a row, then won the 11th bet, you’d have $5,130 in your bankroll.
In the sports betting world, that means even a 60% bettor could go from a comfortable loss to missing rent in a matter of days.
With sports betting, it may seem more feasible to recoup your losses by placing smaller bets. The problem is that the longer the odds, the lower the likelihood of winning. It may be possible to place a $100 bet on +5120 odds and make $5,120 in one go, but the chances are extremely low, thus the higher potential payout.
However, sports betting very rarely offers double or nothing odds. The closest is usually the standard points spread odds of -110. That means if you place a $110 bet, you win $100.
The standard -110 sports bets are actually similar to betting on black or red on roulette because there are one or two green pockets on the roulette wheel. If the ball lands in a green pocket, all outside bets (including black or red) lose. That’s the casino’s house edge, and that extra 10 is the sportsbook’s version of that. (It’s just called the “vig” rather than the house edge.)
For long-term use of the Martingale System, your best bet (other than using an entirely different strategy) is to focus on those -110 payouts. This will ensure that you’re getting the same payout potential each time you place a bet.
Looking for other calculators to use when sports betting? Check out:
If you do decide to use the Martingale System, this calculator will help you determine the size of your next wager based on the odds of the bet and the amount in losses that you’re trying to recoup.
The calculator is most helpful when you’re dealing with inconsistent odds. For example, if you bet $100 on a -110 bet, you could technically make up those losses with a $10 bet on odds of +1000 or longer.
But even still, the imperfect -110 means that the math can get a bit complicated unless you’re starting with $11 (or $110, but that could mean losing over $50,000 in just a ten-game losing streak).
To use the Martingale Calculator, simply enter the amount of your most recent bet, the total losses you are facing, and the American odds on your upcoming bet. It will return the expected stake for the next bet.
The Martingale Calculator will both help you calculate your stake (bet amount) when using the Martingale system, and also, hopefully, convince you to NOT USE THE MARTINGALE SYSTEM. There are a number of ways to debunk the viability of the system, but the most important one is that it only works if you have an unlimited bank account.
The Martingale System was designed in a way to progressively build a bankroll…if you are winning. Each time you win you place a standard bet, like the units size discussed in bankroll management, but each time you lose you up your bet amount to cover your previous losses to get you back to your previous high.
The Martingale calculator helps you calculate what your next bet should be after a loss. The serious problem is that even at+100 odds there are going to be times that you go on 10 and 15 game runs and each time you lose. That easy math on that is that if you lose $10, you should bet $20 to return to your previous balances. If you lose that bet, you are now down $30. The bet after that, you are our $60, $120, $240, $480, $960, $1920, $3840. In just 10 bets, even a 60% bettor could go from a comfortable loss to missing rent.