Roulette System Martingale

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The Reverse Martingale betting system (also known as Paroli) is considered to be one of the oldest gambling strategies ever. There is evidence of it being used in Italy as early as the 16th century, for a game known as Basset. Martingale Roulette – The Number One System 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. Martingale Roulette System The Martingale is the most common system that players use. The idea is simple – you increase your bets after every consecutive loss and then when you win, you go back to betting the original amount and start over.

Watch the video below which describes the Martingale Roulette system: a negative progression system (like Fibonacci Roulette), where you increase your bets after a loss to claw yourself back to profit. Please read the notes at the bottom of the video. This system is most often played on the even money bets.

There is a variant for Dozens and Columns called Martingale Dozens. There are various variants that are good for the Martingale. It´s easy to play on Premium Roulette, for example, as there is a DOUBLE BET option, which just doubles your bet and spins the wheel. Easy.

Video Tutorial- Playing the Martingale Roulette System

How to Play the Martingale on the Roulette Table- 10 tips to help you.

  1. Keep your bets the same after a win.
  2. Double your bet after a loss, then revert back to your starting bet once you win. (Try Roulette Splendide at Virgin Casino for an easy way to do this. They have a “Double Bet” option).
  3. You can change what you bet on (red/black, even/odd etc) or continue on the same bet- the odds are the same.
  4. Keep your session short. At some point you will see 5 or more losses in row. Get out before you get there.
  5. Have a clear profit target and stop loss before you start. DON’T exceed them on the Martingale System.
  6. You can play this on most bets, but most players use it on the lower risk even money roulette bets (red/black etc).
  7. Remember the table limits. At some point you will run out of room to double your bet if you suffer a bad losing streak. Start with a low bet to maximise your room for manouevre, or play high limit tables but keep an eye on your bets- they can ramp up quickly in the Martigale. Plan your bets and bet your plan!
  8. Be aware of the gambler’s fallacy. Just because you have just seen 5 reds in a row, it doesn’t mean that there is more chance of a black coming up. Why not bet odd, even, hi or lo? Mix it up!
  9. If you hit your profit target or stop loss, quit. Be strict with yourself.
  10. Play in short sessions and take a break. Stay focused!

Pros and Cons of the Martingale System

Roulette system martingale crossword
  • Easy to understand
  • Can work well in short bursts
  • Flexible. You can play it on any bets. Most people play the Outsite Bets with a 50% table coverage or more.
  • Careful! Your bets can ramp up quickly and before you know it, you are betting a lot to win a small amount within one Martingale sequence. This is an aggressive system where your bets can ramp up quickly. Make sure you also have a look at less aggressive systems like the Hollandish System.
  • The Martingale does not alter the overall house edge: 2.6% in European Roulette.
  • It’s a negative progression- so you flat bet after a win, which means you limit your profit potential on a lucky streak.

More Martingale Systems.

This system has a number of variants, notably the Super Martingale (careful here as it’s even more aggressive) and the Reverse Martingale where you increase bets after a win rather than a loss. Do you find the Martingale System risky or not so risky? If it’s the latter, wait until you read about the Triple Martingale system which involves tripling your bets after a loss. There are a bunch of other system that are variants of the Martingale such as the Balvinder Sambhi system. It really is the most famous strategy out there.

The Negative Martingale system in which you increase your bets after a win is a sister system that aims to accelerate winnings on a purple streak- but you must be disciplined and decide how long you will stay on for the ride.

Martingale System Top Tip

Start your first bet low and play on a wheel that has a decent betting limit to give yourself room to cover losses. Don´t stay on the Martingale progression too long. You will end up betting a big amount for a small win.

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The Best Casino and Variant for The Martingale

We recommend playing the Premier Roulette at Betfair. They have a x2 “Double Your Bet” option that is perfect for Martingale players.

Premium Roulette Pro

Premium Roulette Pro is a Playtech variant (other examples include Mini Roulette and the excellent 3D Roulette with a maximum bet of £200 on…

Martingale System FAQs

  • If I see 3 reds in a row, should I bet on black?
    It is true that the odds of seeing 4 reds in a row is lower than the odds of seeing 2 reds in a row. But careful! You don’t bet on multiple spins in roulette, only one. The odds are the same for a single spin whether you have seen 3 reds in a row or Bugs Bunny at the table!
  • Why is the Martingale System called the Martingale?
    One theory is that the name derives from the Provençal expression “jouga a la martegalo” which translates roughly as “to play in an absurd and incomprehensible way” (!)

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.

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.

Martingale Roulette System – The Theory

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.

Roulette system martingale training

Martingale System in Practice

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.

Martingale Odds: Working Out Your Risk

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.

Martingale Strategy Demonstration
Spin ProgressionBet (Units)OutcomeTotal Profit
11Loss-1
22Loss-3
34Loss-7
48Loss-15
516Loss-31
632Loss-63
764Loss-127
8128Loss-255
9256Loss-511
10512Win1

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.

Is the Martingale Strategy Legal?

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%.

Other Roulette Systems

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.

  • Counts on winning and losing streaks
  • Bet same after a loss
  • Up wager by one unit after a win
  • Less flexible than Martingale
  • Advocates betting on 20+ numbers
  • Numbers should be spread well
  • Aims to reduce potential losses
  • Somewhat chaotic, yet very flexible

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.

The Downfall of the Martingale System

Martingale Roulette System Illegal

Roulette

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.

Martingale online roulette

Martingale Betting System

Conclusion

Roulette Martingale System Verboten

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!