Martingale Betting Strategy System For Roulette
The Martingale betting system is a popular roulette strategy players use to gamble online.
Yet, it’s one of those systems that can land you a huge windfall or wipe out your bankroll.
This guide explains how to use it, its cons, and the mathematical side of using the Martingale.
How to Use the Martingale Playing Roulette
The Martingale betting system requires that you double your bet after each losing spin until you win.
The goal is to win back the money you’ve lost on your previous spins. As a side note and it’s important, test the strategy by playing roulette for free before you play for real.
After a win, you’ll revert to your original bet. The premise of the Martingale is simple and easy to use.
Depending on the online roulette version you can use the Martingale for as little as £0.10 to £100.
However, the Martingale works best on even money bets. In other words, use it to bet on Red/Black, High/Low Bets, or Even/Odd.
| Round | Bet Amount | Outcome (Win/Loss) | Total Profit/Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | £1 | Loss | -£1 |
| 2. | £2 | Loss | -£3 |
| 3. | £4 | Win | +£1 |
In this example, after two consecutive losses, the third bet of £4 results in a win.
Despite losing £3 initially, the £4 win returns the total profit to £1. Note that it’s the original base unit.
While the Martingale strategy can be effective theoretically, it requires a large bankroll to withstand consecutive losses.
That also depends on the limits of table stakes in casinos.
Real-Life Example Martingale Betting Strategy
Do we know of a famous person who used the Martingale betting system to play roulette to win money?
Yes, Charles Wells a British engineer bankrupted himself in 1891 at Monte Carlo. He used a variant of the Martingale strategy.
Initially winning millions by doubling his bets after losses at roulette, his luck abruptly turned. Sadly he lost everything to the casino within days.
Despite his early success, the strategy’s inherent risk and the casino’s statistical edge ultimately led to his financial ruin.
Using the Martingale System European Roulette
We tested the Martingale betting strategy playing European roulette for free over 100 spins. The roulette wheel has a single zero (o).
The odds calculation differs from the American roulette version with the double zero (00).
At an average stake or base betting unit of £0.10, our starting bankroll was $100.
The system worked quite well but we did experience a few glitches. After the conclusion of 100 spins, we made a profit of £5.
At one stage during the testing, we experienced 10 consecutive losing spins. The odds of that occurring in European roulette is 0.1275% and for American roulette, it’s 0.1631%.
Mathematical Probability of Using the Martingale
Here’s a breakdown of the mathematical aspects and the probability of the Martingale strategy winning in roulette:
Single Zero (European) Roulette
The probability of winning a bet on red or black playing European roulette is around 18/37 ≈ 0.4865.
Due to 18 red pockets, 18 black pockets, and 1 green pocket (zero).
Cons of Using the Martingale Betting Strategy
The Martingale betting system, while seemingly straightforward and potentially profitable, comes with a few pitfalls:
Risk of Quick Losses
The strategy hinges on doubling your bet after each loss to recover previous losses to earn profit.
However, a streak of losses quickly increases the size of your bets. If you start with $1 and hit 5 consecutive losses you’ll wager $32.
If you lose again, the next bet would be $64, and so on. As you can say, it can drain your bankroll fast if you use it recklessly.
Table Limits
Online casinos with UK licenses impose table limits. That prevents players from unlimited doubling strategies like the Martingale.
Even with a large bankroll, you can reach the table limit before recouping your losses.
This effectively ends the strategy’s effectiveness in recovering losses.
Bankroll Requirements
To use the Martingale betting system effectively requires a substantial bankroll.
High-stakes roulette players can therefore weather potential losing streaks.
You can recover from smaller losses after a few wins. But, a prolonged losing streak will deplete even a sizable bankroll.
Probability and Gambler’s Fallacy
Each spin or round in roulette is independent from the previous one. The belief that a win is “due” after a series of losses is the gambler’s fallacy.
That usually leads to poor decision-making under the Martingale strategy.
Psychological Impact
You can exacerbate your losses if you’re an emotional player. Set yourself a clear goal, and if you’ve won money, withdraw your winnings via PayPal.
Not Suitable for Long-term Profit
While the Martingale can show short-term gains it’s not a sustainable long-term strategy.
We pointed that out during the testing phase since the risk increased the longer we played.
Besides, the house edge in casino games like roulette guarantees the casino a profit over the long run.
Conclusion
If you search for a real money betting system to play roulette online you’ll probably encounter the Martingale.
We’re the first to agree that it offers huge winning potential. Yet, it’s not a feasible strategy to use for prolonged play.
Inherently it’s flawed since the strategy claims you will win eventually.
Moreover, many so-called “reputable” authors swear by the Martingale. They’ll advertise their winning stratagems for a fee that guarantees you to win money.
There’s no such thing since roulette is a game of chance. Since the Martingale system favours even money bets, the progression moves slowly.
Finally, the Martingale betting strategy is not a “scam’. It can work, but you must know when to stop using it.