If you talk to a casino player about roulette, most of them will tell you that they use a system/strategy in their games. The martingale strategy holds the top spot for the most popular and easiest to learn strategy when it comes to casino roulette. This strategy is perfect for both new and experienced gamblers. As a matter of fact, a lot of players use this strategy without even realizing it. If you talk to an experienced player, he will tell you only about the flaws of this betting system. However, things are not as simple as that. There is a way to put such a system to your advantage but you need to do a little research.
In this article, we will explain all the details that surround the martingale strategy. How it works, how to use it as well as all the advantages and disadvantages of the system. Even though it’s an easy strategy to learn, it’s important to know everything before going any further. Additional information will always help you when you stand in front of the roulette wheel. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about this betting system.
How to Play Roulette with the Martingale Strategy?
There are two things that a player requires to make the best out of the martingale strategy.
- Large bankroll.
- Basic math skills.
It seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? The truth is that the martingale system is extremely simple and easy to learn. There are just a couple of small details that need to be remembered. First, this strategy can only be used on outside bets. They are outside of the roulette table when the numbers are and we also know these bets as even money bets. For instance, red/black; odd/even; high/low, etc. To learn more about inside and outside bets, check our roulette guide. The other thing that has to be remembered is that a player needs to double his bet after every loss.
Here’s how it works:
The smartest thing is for your initial bet to be the table minimum. To make our example easier let’s say that the minimum is $5. So, every time you lose, you double the wager. For instance, you lose $5, the next bet will be $10. If you lose again, the next bet will be $20, and you will keep going until you win. Once a win happens, you must return to the initial bet of $5 for the upcoming round.
As you can see, this is all extremely simple and straightforward. The martingale strategy helps you accumulate smaller wins without risking your entire bankroll. We suggest you pick a live roulette table that has a high bet limit so you can keep doubling the wager if you get on a serious run of bad results. If you get to a point where it’s not possible to double your wager because you have reached the maximum bet, you won’t be able to recover all your losses.
Advantages & Disadvantages of the Martingale Strategy
Just like with every strategy out there, there are positive things but a couple of negative ones as well. The martingale strategy doesn’t give you a 100% chance to win at any roulette casino game. However, no strategy or betting system can give you that. The best you can hope for is taking full advantage of the strategy to help you increase your winnings. Below, we will talk about all the advantages but also the things you need to be careful about when using the martingale strategy.
Disadvantages
If you look at it from all sides, we can group up all disadvantages into one major issue. We are talking about the roulette house edge which is something that can’t be beaten. The idea behind this system is to pick a 50/50 type of bet and keep doubling your wager until you win. However, what we have to take into account is the casino house edge which is a small amount of money that the casino takes from your wager. This means that you can’t really double your wager when you win. For instance, let’s say you go with the odd/even bet. Your chances of getting it right are not 50/50 because of the green zero which is in a category of its own.
So, in European/French Roulette, your chances of getting a win are 48.6%. In the American version, it’s lower because there is a zero and a double zero slot on the roulette table. So, if you get on a long losing run, you might end up losing money instead. If you had an infinite bankroll, the house edge wouldn’t be a problem because you could just keep on doubling no matter how long of a losing run you get. This is where the issue goes even deeper. Every table at every roulette game, whether it’s live casino roulette or online roulette, has a maximum bet.
So, for instance, let’s imagine that the table we are playing at has a minimum bet of $5 and a maximum bet of $500. That means you could make seven bets – wagers of $5, $10, $20, $40, $80, $160 and $320 – before you are unable to double your bet.
European vs. American Roulette
In our example above, the player would go bust after 7 losses because he wouldn’t be able to double his bet anymore. In such a case, the player would lose $635. All of this would be fine if the only time you lose 7 times in a row was once every 128 cycles. In such a case, you would break even if you go bust when the 7 losses happen. However, if we look at statistics, on an American roulette wheel a run of 7 bad results happens once about every 90 cycles. In such a situation it is impossible to break even in the long run.
Things are a little better when we play European roulette which has just one zero and the house edge is smaller. On a European roulette wheel, the player would go bust about once every 106 cycles (7 losses in a row). As you can see, the numbers are much better compared to the American one but still not enough to beat the house edge. However, the odds improve on tables that have a maximum bet of $1,000 or more as that way a losing run could be longer than 7 rounds. Nevertheless, you would need a huge bankroll to cover those losses.
Advantages
Despite the issues mentioned above, it doesn’t mean that a player shouldn’t rely on the Martingale strategy. As long as the player fully understands how the system works, he could take advantage of it and actually increase his winnings. The Martingale is perfect for players who are willing to take the risk of losing a large amount of money on some occasions in exchange for frequent small wins. If you use the Martingale in live casino roulette, chances are that you’ll end most nights with small wins. Those wins might be as little as the 1st wager of $5 but it’s still better than losing all your money.
There will be times when everything goes against you and you are unable to cover all your losses by doubling because you have reached the maximum bet or the house edge is getting the best of you. However, in most cases, a casino trip will result in a player coming ahead when using the martingale strategy. The idea behind this strategy is to win fast before the house edge overwhelms you. The best scenario would be if you win after 4/5 rounds.
For example, after four losses, your $5 starting bet would turn into $80 for the 5th round. At that point, you have lost 5+10+20+40=$75. So, if you win in the 5th round, you would be about $5 ahead, depending on the house edge. If your gameplay happens to give you a win every couple of rounds, the Martingale strategy could really help you.
Conclusion
From what we have concluded in this article, the martingale strategy will give you small winnings in the short term. However, in the long run, because of the maximum bet and the house edge, the player can end up losing money. In the end, the amount you’ve lost will be bigger than the amount you managed to win. It’s simple math really, which is why a player needs to have all the information before using the martingale strategy or any other strategy for that matter. Make sure you test the strategy when you get the chance at any online roulette game. Start with a table with smaller bets and a reasonable bankroll until you get a hang of it.
No betting system can guarantee wins 100% of the time. There will always be players that have a couple of bad experiences with this system or any other. However, it’s always better to have a plan before engaging in any type of gambling. It will help you maximize your winnings and limit your losses.