The Martingale System Explained
The Martingale system is one of the most popular gambling strategies in the entire world, and dates all the way back to 18th century France.
In theory, the Martingale system is a foolproof betting system that when implemented with discipline will result in consistent gambling profits. Of course, "in theory" is a world apart from "in casino". In this day and age, the Martingale system is far from a perfect strategy.
The Concept
One of the reasons the Martingale system is so popular is because it is relatively simple. Although it can be applied to several other casino games, we're going to talk about it here in the context of roulette.
The most common application of the Martingale system in a game of roulette is to place single, even money outside bets. On a roulette table, those bets include red, black, even, odd, and groups 1-18 and 19-36. A winning bet on any of these spots pays 1:1. In other words, if you bet $5 on black and win, you receive $5 on top of your original bet, and walk away with $10 total (although most folks don't actually walk away at that point).
To implement the Martingale system, the gambler will bet in consistent increments on one outside bet, usually a small amount. For the sake of this guide, we'll say $5 on black. If black comes up, you would then take the $5 won and add it to your stack of chips, leaving the original $5 in place for the next spin of the wheel. You will continue doing this until the wheel either lands on a red number or zero (as well as double zero on American roulette wheels). As soon as a bet is lost, you would then double the amount of your original bet, making your total wager $10. If that bet wins, you have effectively recovered your total amount wagered as well as profited another $5. However, if you lose the $10 bet, you will need to double it again, betting $20. To follow the Martingale system to a "T", you must consistently double your bet with each consecutive loss until you win, at which point you will recover everything you've lost so far as well as profit your original bet ($5).
The Catch
Unfortunately, there are a couple variables that make this strategy less than perfect. It is not uncommon on an average day in the casino for a particular color to not come up for 8, 9, or even 10 spins (or more) in a row. If your original wager was $5, and you stuck to the strategy and doubled your bet with each consecutive loss, by the 10th spin of the roulette wheel you would be betting $2,560 on that one single spin in hopes of recovering everything you have already lost, along with a measly $5. If you lost again, your next bet would need to be $5,120, and so on and so forth.
This brings about two problems:
- Most people don't have the nerve to bet such large amounts of cash, especially for such a small gain.
- Many folks simply don't have the money to cover such large bets.
And even if you do happen to have nerves of steel and an "unlimited" bankroll, you will be very hard pressed to find a roulette table in any casino in the world that doesn't have a table limit imposed. We're not saying they don't exist, but good luck finding one. Especially one with a $5 minimum bet.
The Bright Side
I don't want you to think we're discouraging you. Although plenty of people have lost their shirts (and several other things) unsuccessfully employing the Martingale system, a good amount of others have actually made a pretty penny from it.
The key is to never bet more than you can realistically afford to lose, and don't get greedy. It also helps if you're sober while you're playing, but we understand that some people may find that to be an absurd request!
Other Strategies
Check out the strategy guides we have featured here on this site. Maybe you'll find something a little more suited to your gambling style!
And whatever you decide to do...make sure you have fun doing it!