The Martingale Roulette Strategy – How To Apply It
The Martingale Strategy is something you’ll hear about quite a bit, especially if roulette or blackjack are your games. Originating and popularized in 18th century France, this class of betting strategies has stood the test of time and now you can learn how to apply it to your favorite casino game – roulette.
The simplest of the Martingale strategies was designed for a game in which the gambler wins the stake if a coin comes up heads and loses if it comes up tails. The strategy had the gambler double the bet after every loss, so that the first win would recover all previous losses plus win a profit equal to the original stake.
Basically, every time you make a bet, you put down double your previous bet. That way, when that first big win comes your way, you’ll recoup all your previous losses. That’s the theory with Martingale roulette strategy, anyway, and, in a game almost entirely based on luck, the only facet in which you can apply strategies, and have them work, is in the way that you place your bets. The Martingale betting system roulette is one way in which you can make your betting strategy work for you.
What Is The Martingale System In Roulette?
You might be asking yourself ‘what is Martingale in roulette’? And ‘does martingale system work better for roulette or blackjack’? Well, let’s take a look, shall we. The roulette Martingale strategy is a popular betting system in roulette or online roulette where the player doubles their bet after every loss in the hopes of recouping all previous losses and winning a profit.
The Martingale roulette strategy involves starting with a small bet on an even-money bet, such as red or black or odd or even. If the player loses, they double their bet on the same even-money bet for the next round. If they win, they start over with their original bet. The idea is that, eventually, the player will win and earn back all their previous losses, plus a small profit.
Here’s an example of how the Martingale roulette system might work:
| Spin | Bet | Stake | Result | Profit | Running total |
| 1 | Red | $1 | Lose | -$1 | -$1 |
| 2 | Red | $2 | Lose | -$2 | -$3 |
| 3 | Red | $4 | Lose | -$4 | -$7 |
| 4 | Red | $8 | Win | +$8 | +$1 |
| 5 | Red | $1 | Lose | -$1 | $0 |
The Martingale betting system roulette can work very well as you spin the wheel but it is also risky because it requires a large bankroll and the player may reach the maximum betting limit or run out of money before they win, resulting in a significant loss.
Using the Martingale System
One of the most effective ways of using the Martingale betting strategy roulette is to focus on even-money outside bets. Wagers like red, black, odd, even, 1-18, and 19-36 all have odds of 1:1, which means they’re the safest bet you can make in roulette. And, in roulette, when so much of your fate is decided by Lady Luck, the safe bet is always a good idea and a good way to shore up your roulette martingale odds.
Pros and Cons of the Martingale Roulette Strategy
Let’s take a look at the Pros and Cons of the roulette Martingale system.
Pros:
- Martingale roulette is easy to understand and simple to apply,
- It gives you a chance to recover your losses,
- It can bring small winnings in the short-term.
Cons:
- If you hit a losing streak, you could quickly wipe out your bankroll,
- All roulette tables have betting limits, so the maximum amount you can wager will always be capped,
- You can end up betting big but for a potentially small win.
Martingale VS Paroli
Martingale strategy roulette is all very well and good, but what if you’re not totally sold? Are there alternative roulette strategies you could be using?
Of course there are, and Paroli is one of them.
The Paroli system is a betting strategy used in roulette that involves increasing your bet after a win, rather than after a loss like the Martingale strategy. The idea is to ride the wave of winning streaks and maximize profits while minimizing losses. The Paroli system involves starting with a small bet on an even-money bet, such as red or black or odd or even. If the player wins, they double their bet for the next round. If they win again, they double their bet again. The player continues to double their bet for each win, up to a predetermined number of wins or until they lose a round. If the player loses a round, they return to their original bet and start over.
The Paroli system is considered less risky than the Martingale strategy, but it still requires a degree of luck and discipline to be successful.
Anti-Martingale Roulette Strategy
In the classic Martingale betting style, gamblers increase bets after each loss in hopes that an eventual win will recover all previous losses. The anti-martingale approach, also known as the reverse martingale, instead increases bets after wins, while reducing them after a loss. The perception is that the gambler will benefit from a winning streak or a “hot hand”, while reducing losses while “cold” or otherwise having a losing streak.
However, because single bets are independent from each other (and from the gambler’s expectations), the concept of winning “streaks” is merely an example of gambler’s fallacy, and the anti-martingale strategy fails to make any money. If, on the other hand, real-life stock returns are serially correlated (for instance due to economic cycles and delayed reaction to news of larger market participants), “streaks” of wins or losses do happen more often and are longer than those under a purely random process, the anti-martingale strategy could theoretically apply and can be used in trading systems (as trend-following or “doubling up”).
Now you know everything you need to know about Martingale Roulette strategy, and can hit the casino floor with confidence that you can conquer the roulette wheel and make all your black-and-red dreams come true!
