Martingale Roulette System – Betting Strategy You Need To Know
10 minutes
Last Updated: July 20, 2022
Many newbie players rely on their intuitions when they start playing roulette games for the first time.
However, other people consider using a particular betting system before committing to real money wagers to improve their chances of winning.
Martingale roulette system is one of the most common and popular betting systems employed by gaming enthusiasts.
Devised over 300 years ago, this betting strategy has many players latched to it just because of the simplicity and the assumption that no one can possibly lose while playing the game of roulette.
Like most things in life that seem too good to be true, these gambling systems around Martingale are based on poor maths or incorrect assumptions.
If you ask the most successful gamblers, they would tell you to abstain from this gambling strategy.
Then why is Martingale roulette so popular, and why do many players resort to this tactic while playing roulette games?
First, the Martingale strategy for roulette offers short-term profits, but you’ll eventually lose all your money if you use it for a long time.
In this post, we will talk about the Martingale system for roulette, its history, different variations, the workings of this betting system, pros and cons, and lots more.
By the end, you will learn whether the Martingale betting system works or is it just another gambler’s fallacy.
So, continue reading below to learn all about Martingale, one of the oldest betting systems in history.
History of Martingale Roulette System
A casino mogul, John Henry Martindale, wanted to encourage the customers to play more, especially when the house was losing.
He knew that in the long run, the casino would win, and it would recoup its previous losses.
By the end of the 18th century, John’s betting system grew popular, and a system was developed named Martingale.
Even though the system was initially designed to improve bankroll management while gambling, it quickly earned a reputation.
This system quickly gained success because the players had to only remember the following things:
- Double the stakes on your subsequent loss
- Continue doubling your next stakes until you win
- Restart the cycle when you win
From the early 19th century, the Martingale system for roulette started providing a mathematical approach known as ‘independent events’ in today’s time.
Since you don’t need to understand rocket science maths or crack complex codes, you just have to have a basic understanding of Martingale strategy for roulette before you start applying on the next round of bets.
Understanding Martingale Betting System
The Martingale betting system is used in many situations but is mainly associated with the roulette game.
The strategy involves doubling the bets after every loss. First, place a bet offering even odds or close to it. You will eventually win and make good money to cover all your previous losses and have a profit equal to your first bet.
In short, the Martingale roulette system instructs you to double your bets every time you lose, and you will regain your losses in subsequent rounds.
The following example about the Martingale roulette system will clarify things.
When you toss a coin, there is a 50-50 chance of landing either heads or tails. Even if you land tails 49 times in a row, the next toss will have the same odds of 50-50.
So, landing heads or tails when you toss the coin for the 50th time has no relation whatsoever with the previous 49 tosses.
In the context of Martingale roulette, suppose you start playing with an initial amount of $20.
If you win the first bet, you make $20. And if you lose your first bet, you wager $40 on your second bet.
If you win the second bet, it’s good, and you receive $40. This money covers the loss you made on the first bet and makes a profit on your second bet.
If you lose the first two bets, you wager $80 on your third bet. If you win, it will cover the $20 loss on your first bet and $40 loss on your second bet, leaving you a profit of $20.
The following table below will help you understand Martingale in roulette:
|
Martingale Roulette System |
|||
|
Spin |
Bet Amount |
Outcome |
Profit |
|
1 |
$5 |
Loss |
-$5 |
|
2 |
$10 |
Loss |
-$15 |
|
3 |
$20 |
Win |
$5 |
|
4 |
$5 |
Win |
$10 |
|
5 |
$5 |
Win |
$15 |
|
6 |
$5 |
Loss |
$10 |
|
7 |
$10 |
Loss |
0 |
|
8 |
$20 |
Loss |
-$20 |
|
9 |
$40 |
Win |
$20 |
|
10 |
$5 |
Loss |
$15 |
|
11 |
$10 |
Win |
$25 |
|
12 |
$5 |
Loss |
$20 |
|
13 |
$10 |
Win |
$30 |
Variations of Martingale Betting System
The massive popularity of Martingale strategy roulette among players has given rise to many variations.
The Grand Martingale and the Reverse Martingale are two of its most popular variants, followed by a third variant called Mini Martingale.
The Mini Martingale System
While using this betting strategy, you will be prompted to decide how many times you will double the initiate wagering amount.
You impose a limit and are prevented from risking a lot of money to compensate for the previous losses. Here’s an example to understand better:
|
Spin |
Bet Amount |
Outcome |
Profit |
|
1 |
$5 |
Loss |
-$5 |
|
2 |
$10 |
Loss |
-$15 |
|
3 |
$20 |
Loss |
-$35 |
|
4 |
$40 |
Win |
$5 |
|
5 |
$5 |
Loss |
0 |
|
6 |
$10 |
Win |
$10 |
|
7 |
$5 |
Win |
$15 |
Even though this Martingale strategy roulette seems like a good tactic, you should remember it has its weakness and limitations. You will lose money.
The Reverse Martingale System
Also known as Anti-Martingale, this roulette betting strategy allows you to take advantage of your winning streaks and not chase the previous losses.
For example, if you double the bets on the winning streaks and decrease the bets while losing, you will be able to maximize profits.
|
Spin |
Bet Amount |
Outcome |
Profit |
|
1 |
$5 |
Loss |
-$5 |
|
2 |
$5 |
Loss |
-$10 |
|
3 |
$5 |
Loss |
-$15 |
|
4 |
$5 |
Win |
-$10 |
|
5 |
$10 |
Win |
0 |
|
6 |
$20 |
Win |
$20 |
|
7 |
$40 |
Win |
$80 |
One major con of this Martingale roulette variant is that you might end up wiping all your recent winnings with a single loss. So, you need a good amount of discipline while using this betting strategy.
The Grand Martingale System
It is the most popular variant of this negative progression roulette betting system. However, the profits will be far from substantial while using this betting strategy.
Instead of doubling your bets after every loss, double the stake and add the initial betting amount. Here’s an example to understand better.
|
Spin |
Bet Amount |
Outcome |
Profit |
|
1 |
$5 |
Loss |
-$5 |
|
2 |
$11 |
Loss |
-$16 |
|
3 |
$23 |
Win |
$7 |
|
4 |
$5 |
Win |
$12 |
|
5 |
$5 |
Loss |
$7 |
|
6 |
$11 |
Loss |
-$4 |
|
7 |
$23 |
Win |
$19 |
It’s a rollercoaster gaming experience when you apply the Grand Martingale System strategy. This approach will surely help you walk with a slightly better profit than other Martingale variants.
How to Use Martingale Roulette Strategy
You should know that Martingale system for roulette only works short-term to get profits.
Make an excel sheet with some spins, stake amount, outcome, and net profit. This will help you analyze this betting strategy better.
We recommend using a demo roulette game for this experiment as the outcome will be almost similar to a real money game.
- Step 1: Set a bankroll and determine the amount you can afford to lose on the roulette game
- Step 2: Make a tiny fraction of your bankroll as your first bet with a 50/50 chance of winning
- Step 3: If you lose on your first bet, double the stake amount
- Step 4: Keep doubling the initial bet amount if you continue to lose
- Step 5: You will recover the losses and your initial bet if you win the next bet
- Step 6: Set aside all your winning amount and repeat the cycle with the tiny fraction of your bankroll
These are the steps you must follow while using the Martingale roulette system. However, we recommend taking this strategy with a grain of salt because it can be a Herculean task to recover from the losing streaks.
At any point in time, if you have lost half of the available funds, it’s better to change the strategy or stop playing.
How to Make Martingale Betting Strategy Better
In the purest form, the Martingale strategy for roulette works fine while tackling a short-term variance. But we don’t recommend the strategy for longer sessions.
With a minor tweak here and there, you can have a fantastic roulette gaming session that is enjoyable, if not slightly less catastrophic. Of course, it’s crucial that you play by the rules and don’t let emotions overtake you.
- Pick a small goal and stick to it; don’t be greedy. You must have a modest profit in mind and stop playing once you achieve it.
- Pay attention to when to limit your losses. We know it’s against the rules to stop playing when the next stake is too big, but it’s better to stop at an affordable number instead of losing your entire bankroll.
- We recommend trying Martingale strategy for roulette with a dozen or column bet. Increase the stake by a third or quarter if you lose.
Pros and Cons of Martingale Roulette System
No betting system is perfect, and this also holds true for the Martingale betting system.
Playing roulette is enjoyable using Martingale, but it doesn’t guarantee winning every time. For this reason, we view roulette as a fun way of playing, not a way to increase the bankroll.
Still, if you are undecided about Martingale, check out the advantages and disadvantages below:
Pros
- Incredibly easy to learn as there is just one rule to remember
- Improves the net winning in the short term by doubling bets
- The excitement level is high as bets start small and quickly reach up to 128 times
- It works best if you want to play for a short time frame instead of longer sessions
- It helps novice players to recover their losses quickly while learning to play roulette
Cons
- Playing is expensive as you need a good bankroll to handle the consecutive losses
- Bet amount gets out quickly on consecutive big losses
- Unable to cope up as big losses are enormous and more frequent than you think
- Before booking profits, betting limits are reached
- The strategy involves a huge amount of risks and low rewards in the long run
Is Martingale System Worth It?
While it’s true that you must win a 50-50 bet while playing roulette at some point in time, you will have to stand prepared for a freak run of results.
Doubling the bet after every losing round can take a toll on the bankroll. Imagine ten rounds of bets where you have lost:
- Round 1: $1
- Round 2: $2
- Round 3: $4
- Round 4: $8
- Round 5: $16
- Round 6: $32
- Round 7: $64
- Round 8: $128
- Round 9: $256
- Round 10: $512
By the start of the 10th round, you have already lost $511 even though you can afford it. And if you lost another round, the required stake would cost you $1024.
Let’s assume you have a big bankroll for a moment, and you keep losing until you win a round and get everything back.
Imagine a situation if you keep losing repeatedly, and there is no round left to double the bet. In that case, the entire Martingale betting system fails.
Suppose you don’t have a significant bankroll and are testing roulette for the first time. In that case, the Martingale system roulette can be a dangerous option.
You must understand that roulette is a game of luck, and no one can predict where the small white wall will land on the wheel.
Therefore, we have a fair warning for you – don’t make extensive use of Martingale system for roulette; if you do, you will have a bad experience with this game.
Final Verdict
You need to understand each roulette spin is independent of the previous one and the next one.
This means that no matter how much money you wager; the winning odds won’t change. Whether you place 10 or 100 bets, the winning odds would remain the same.
So, this is the biggest reason to understand why the Martingale roulette system fails.
In a nutshell, Martingale is one of the most common and widely used betting strategies for playing roulette; and one of the most successful ones.
An extremely risky strategy that involves winning small and losing big, we don’t recommend Martingale to either newbie or skilled players.
There are too many loopholes in Martingale that make it an unsuccessful strategy. There are other less perilous roulette betting strategies like Paroli and d’Alembert that we recommend exploring instead.
