Since people started playing casino games, many tried to develop different strategies in order to try and beat the casino. But the truth is, there is no strategy that can guarantee 100% success. This is simply because many of the games are based on luck, which is why they’re called games of chance. No matter how much you rely on math or statistics, there is always that factor of “luck” that is impossible to control. However, what you can do, is to follow a strategy that can increase your chances of success in this game. One of these is the Martingale strategy.
The Martingale strategy was first used in France in the 19th century. From the beginning, the model was the same, the player doubling the stakes after each loss so that the first and best victory covered the previous losses. Since then, the method has been used in roulette and, in general, in games where there is an even-odd bet.
Martingale is known as a risky method, although from a theoretical perspective it seems that it can provide the player with a profit. But there is a downside to this mathematical theory, namely “quick bankruptcy”.
How does it work?
Among the many theories on how to invest money and make a big profit, the Martingale strategy is one of the most prominent, due to its unique, precise and hypothetical formula. The Martingale strategy is based on a mathematical formula that will provide great benefits for the player if he has enough time and money. The formula is used by people who play for money.
In short, the Martingale strategy increases the chances of getting money in the long run by doubling the bet every time you lose. Theoretically, at some point, you should have the original bet + profit back. However, the theory is just theory, and in reality, the formula requires you to have unlimited wealth.
The Martingale strategy is used for even bet i.e. bets with payout 1:1. The concept of this system is quite simple – place a bet on one of the even-odds options. After each round you lose, you double your bet and continue the game until you win a round. The first win will cover everything you have lost so far. On top of that, you will get a profit equal to your original bet.
So, if we imagine your original bet was €1, the progression will go as follows:
1 – 2 – 4 – 8 – 16 – 32 – 64 – 128 – 256 – 512 – 1024 – 2048 – 4096 – 8192
However, this works in this way in theory, because in reality there are many other factors that affect the course of the game and can prevent you from winning more.
Martingale Strategy in Roulette
The Martingale strategy was first used in roulette. As we mentioned, it works when used on even bets. So in roulette, you can use it to bet on colour (red/black); bet on even/odd or bet on high/low. These bets have the lowest payout which is 1:1, but at the same time have the biggest odds of winning of 48.60% (European Roulette). Now, you don’t have to bet only on one of these bets during the game. You can start for example betting on colour, then bet on high/low. It doesn’t matter as long as it is an even bet.
When you start using the Martingale strategy in roulette, it is best to start with the minimum amount possible. So, we recommend you to avoid tables that have high minimum if you want to bet with the Martingale strategy.
Let’s say you start with €1 betting on black. The ball lands on a red field, and you lose your €1. Next bet you make is €2 on black again and lose again. At this point you have lost €3. Third bet you make is double the second bet, which is €4 and you try the black again. The ball lands on black and you win €4. With this win, you covered your losses, the €3 you lost, and made a profit of €1, your original bet. After the win, you go back to your original bet and start all over again.
In theory, the concept indeed makes sense, even though in the long term, the odds will always be against the player. This is due to the house advantage represented by the green Zero.
Disadvantages of the Martingale Strategy
We mentioned many times that in theory, the Martingale strategy is perfect. However, we also mentioned that there are many other factors that influence the course of the game.
First of all, it is the house edge. No matter what you do, the house will always end up winning. When it comes to roulette, the green zero is the main enemy, representing the house edge and turning the odds against you.
Another thing that can also happen is to reach the maximum bet limit for that table. If you’ve lost too many rounds in a row, which forced you to duplicate your bets over and over again, eventually reaching the maximum limit for bets on that table. Once the maximum limit is reached, you no longer have the opportunity to double again, thus not being able to cover the losses.
Running out of money very quickly is also one of the negative sides of the Martingale system. If you hit a streak of losing rounds, by doubling up every time you lose, you can run out of money pretty quickly and have to give up before getting the opportunity to try to recover the losses.
Martingale Strategy Variations
Grand Martingale System
One of the popular variations of the Martingale system is the Grand Martingale Strategy. This is like a boosted variant of the original since apart from doubling the bet after each loss, you will need to add one unit more. So for example, you place a bet of €1 and you lose, then next bet you should make is €3 in total if you are using the Grand Martingale Strategy.
The prgression will then go as follows:
1 – 3 – 7 – 15 – 31 – 63 – 127 – 255 – 511 etc.
Now, all the disadvantages we mentioned for the Martingale system, apply for the variation as well. But, a bit different. Especially about reaching the table limit. Using the Grand Martingale strategy, you will reach the limit much quicker, as you bet plus 1 more every time, so the window of opportunity to win and recover the previous losses is shorter. In addition, you can run out of money faster as well.
So, this variation is for sure much riskier, but on the other hand, when you score a win, you win more than when using the Martingale strategy.
Triple Martingale System
This is the riskiest variation of all, so we do not recommend it if you are not sure to take the risk and lose a lot. As the name suggests, with this variation instead of doubling your bet, you triple the bet after every loss. So if you start your betting with €1 and lose, your next bet would have to be €3. After another loss, you bet goes up to €9. If you’re down on luck and you have 6 lost rounds, using the Triple Martingale system you will already lose €243.
Triple Martingale is an aggressive system, and you risk reaching the table limit very quickly or losing your funds in a few rounds if the luck is not on your side.
Reverse Martingale System
The Reverse Martingale system is an opposite variant of the Martingale strategy. If using this strategy, you double the bet every time you win and restart every time you lose. This way, players take advantage of a winning streak. The strategy is less risky because the losses are limited. Every time you start a progression you are risking only the initial bet. Every time you double the bet because you’ve won, you actually use the winnings from the previous round.
There are different approaches that you can use. The safe one is to limit your progression to three wins and then restart. This way, you don’t have big winnings but you have a higher chance of leaving the game at a profit. On the other side, you have the all-out aggression, where you keep doubling after every win until you reach the table limit. This approach is risky and less likely to happen, but the winnings are for sure much bigger.
Recommended Casinos
There are many online casinos that you can choose to try the Martingale Strategy. These are our recommendations:
22Bet Casino has a wide range of roulette tables, especially in the live casino section.
Bet365 Casino is another amazing casino with various table games where you can try using the Martingale strategy.
Coinbet24 is a great casino where you can try the strategy in case you use cryptocurrency for betting.
