Since the emergence of roulette several centuries ago, casino players have been trying 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, a negative betting progression that can be applied to various games of chance, including roulette.

In roulette, it is always possible to place a bet on something that has a 50% chance of occurring: even/odd number, red/black tile, 1–18/19–36. The martingale system is as follows: You should start with a small amount, for instance, 1€, and keep making the same bet until you lose. The Martingale Is Extremely Popular in Roulette. Gamblers use this betting strategy in various games, such as baccarat, blackjack, Caribbean Stud, and craps. All of these games offer the necessary even-money bets that make the Martingale more effective. But roulette is more associated with this system than any other casino game. The Martingale roulette strategy is being used when playing on the very outside bets, which are 1-18 (Manque) or 19-36 (Passe); Red (Rouge) or black (Noir); even (Pair) or odd (Impair). Compared to inside bets, they have the maximum odds of winning (close to 50%), but also the smallest payout. For example, the odds associated with American Roulette is a bit lower, with the casino enjoying a 5.3% advantage. Instead of this version, you may want to try European Roulette. Try exploring the game of baccarat. As a betting strategy, Martingale can actually work on a number of table games including baccarat.

The Martingale system was devised in the 18th century in France and was gradually popularized across Europe and North America. It was initially used by gamblers who played heads and tails, a simple game with two, equally likely outcomes. With this method, they would double up their bet every time they lost, believing that their bet would eventually win and they would recoup their previous losses. The system gained great popularity among gamblers due to its simplicity and the general opinion that over time, the number of heads and the number of tails would balance out.

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Today, there are dozens of betting systems, most of which can be used in roulette. The Martingale itself gave rise to several methods that are based on its concept and are equally easy to learn and understand even by inexperienced gamblers. What they need to know before they start using it, however, is that it is associated with quite a high risk because it requires doubling up the amount of the stake after every loss. It is particularly dangerous for casino players with limited bankrolls who happen to have a long losing streak.

Naturally, as with all other betting systems, the Martingale could be very effective in bankroll management if used cautiously. Casino players should know that this method cannot change the odds of the game – in roulette, the house always wins in the end. In the short term, however, the Martingale can help gamblers bet in a systematic, organized manner and avoid huge losses on the roulette table.

How It Works

The Martingale system is, as we already said, very simple and straightforward. Similarly to all progressive systems, it aims to help players recuperate the money they have lost with bigger bets. In contrast, with non-progressive systems, the amount of the stake remains the same throughout the game session. The Martingale method uses the previous results in order to determine the gambler’s decision for the next round.

In roulette, it is used for bets with almost even chances such as red/black, high/low, and even/odd. These outside bets have a probability of nearly 50% – it is 47.37% in double-zero roulette and 48.65% in single-zero roulette games. This means that the chances of hitting red or black are equal, so it does not matter which one you would go for – each of the bets mentioned above would work. Of course, in order for the system to work, you need to keep your chips on the same sector of the layout throughout your entire game. There is nothing complex about applying the system and players do need a lot of experience in playing roulette in order to understand it.

The concept is very simple – you start with a small stake and you double its amount after every loss. When you eventually win, you should be able to win back all the lost money and you will start the betting progression with the initial bet amount. Players are advised to start with the table minimum because, with the Martingale, their bet will increase very quickly after just a few consecutive losses. The following example can illustrate this in a clear way – we will use 1 credit, which may 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 from $1 to $64 after just a few losses. Sometimes, roulette players can have a stroke of particularly bad luck when their bet can lose more than 10 times in a row. Gamblers refer to this as a “losing streak” and it is common in games with random outcomes such as roulette – winning streaks are also common. It may sound unlikely, but hitting red 10 times in a row is possible, which as we can see from the progression above raises the bet to more than $500 per spin.

So, we double up the bet after each loss, but what happens when we win? Once the bet wins, the player cancels the betting progression and wager the initial amount – $1, for example. The amount of stake remains the same until a loss has been registered. So, often, the system may look 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 win, so actually, it would include only 1-2-4. Since it is used with an even-money bet, the payout will be equal to the amount of the stake. If we take $1 as one unit, the total amount we have wagered would be $7, while the amount we have won would be $8 – our original $4 stake in the third round plus the payout of $4. Therefore, our net profit is only $1 – with the Martingale system, the net profit is always equal to the initial bet amount.

Additional TipsWhen using betting systems, however, players should always consider the table limits. Land-based casinos would rarely accept bets as low as $1 per spin, so let’s see an example of the Martingale method being used on a table where the minimum stake is $5 and the maximum is $500.

Spin	Bet	Outcome, Win/Lose	Payout	Profit
1	$5	Lose	$0	-$5
2	$10	Lose	$0	-$15
3	$20	Lose	$0	-$35
4	$40	Lose	$0	-$75
5	$80	Lose	$0	-$155
6	$160	Lose	$0	-$325
7	$320	Lose	$0	-$645
8	$640	Win	$1,280	$1,280
Total Bet Amount:	$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. Still, just a single win would bring you a total profit of $5.

Variations of the Martingale System

The simplicity and the perceived efficiency of the Martingale system have made it quite popular among roulette fans. Since most seasoned players recognize how risky it could be, they have designed several methods based on the classic system. These new and improved methods include the Reverse Martingale and the Grand Martingale, which aim to give gamblers more flexibility when playing roulette.

The Reverse Martingale

As its name implies, the system is the opposite of the classic Martingale system and it is also known as the Anti-Mart

Casino Roulette Martingale