Martingale Casino
In most casino games, the expected value of any individual bet is negative, so the sum of many negative numbers will also always be negative. The martingale strategy fails even with unbounded stopping time, as long as there is a limit on earnings or on the bets (which is also true in practice). Martingale System in roulette. While you can head over to BetAmerica Casino and apply it to blackjack, the Martingale gambling system is more widely used in roulette because it works best when you can bet on 50/50 odds, or as close to them as you can. In roulette, you can bet on red or black, odd or even, or the 1-18 or 19-36 number groups at nearly 50/50 odds.
A Rich History
First things first, to really understand the Martingale betting system we’ve got to take you back to its origins in post-revolutionary France. That’s where the roulette strategy originated, and was actually most popular, with a whole movement of proponents advocating this method for a surefire way to line your pockets with chips.
The strategy was one of the first ones devised for the game of roulette, also a French invention of the 18th-century, and was popularised by the huge spread of the game in France and later across to America, becoming one of the most famous and recognizable casino games in the world today.
The development of the Martingale as a betting strategy or system has actually spread into probability theory, giving some solid support for this method as a viable way to win big in now not only in online roulette but also other games where the odds of winning are close to 50%.
How The Martingale Strategy Works
So you now might be wondering, what exactly is the Martingale Strategy? It’s essentially a system of betting one can adhere to when playing games where the chances of winning are very close to 50%. Think flipping a coin, or spinning a roulette wheel on black or red.
The key to the strategy is when to increase your bet, and how much. Essentially, whenever you lose, double your bet. That’s the Martingale Strategy in its simplest form. By wagering double the amount you just lost, you have the chance to win back your losses and get an even higher footing.
What if you lose again? Well theoretically (and we’ll get to that later) if you follow the system to a tee, you’ll eventually come good and land your desired result, and all the times that you lost and doubled your wager will mean that you’ve actually lost nothing and are in a better off position than at the beginning of your losing streak.
The odds are most strongly in your favour with games that have a 50% chance of winning. Mathematically, you’re less and less likely to come up with subsequent losses the more you lose. Say you’re preparing for a game of roulette, and you bet on red.
Example: Flipping Coins
Let’s try a little coin flip example. You wager $10 on heads. It comes up tails. Following the Martingale strategy, you double your bet and wager $20 on heads. You lose. $40 on heads. You lose again. Not losing your head and following the strategy you wager $80 on heads, and are currently down $150. It comes up heads! You get your $80 back, and $80 in winnings, and are up $10 overall. Replace coin toss with any other game and you can see the theoretical potential of the Martingale Strategy.
Popular Casino Games You Can Try The Martingale Strategy On
The Martingale betting system is most applicable to games with a 50/50 chance of winning, but you can use it on any games where you wager against the house. You just might spend a longer time enduring losses before you come good, depending on the odds. Here’s a list of the more popular ones:
- Roulette (outside bets)
The Problems with the Martingale System
The Martingale Strategy is a tantalising betting system, for good reason, and in a vacuum, it works to a tee. Its mathematical principles are sound as can be, and the strategy is logical and sensical enough that make them easily applicable to many casino games.
The thing is, however, that life does not occur in a vacuum. There are a handful of principal real-world factors that may stop a keen bettor trying out the Martingale Strategy right in their tracks. These are not always the case, but definitely impact most of the time.
No One Has Infinite Money
The Martingale Strategy requires that players continuously up the ante and risk higher and higher wagers, in the face of continuous losses. The problem here is two-fold: one, that players do not always have the deep pockets required to keep upping the ante; and two, that continuous losses actually occur a lot more than intuition would suggest.
Casinos Always Have the Edge
Casinos are the entertainment institutions and businesses which primarily serve to make money. Just as you are reading this humble little article about a betting strategy from 18th-century France, casino operators are well aware of it too, and have measures in place to stop players exploiting the strategy and keep the odds in favour of the house.
For example in a game of roulette, the outside bets are not exactly 50%, and whatever bet you make – odds, evens, black, red – it’ll be slightly in the house’s favour. That’s the function of the green zeros. This means that the odds of a losing streak are slightly more than a winning streak, and for some players, that’s enough.
A measure that casinos have employed to limit the potential of the Martingale Strategy, is to place max bet limits on wagering, stopping an effort to recoup losses through the constant doubling. Such limits have caught unaware players out before and will undoubtedly continue to do so, so don’t forget to check!
Don’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover
Ultimately, the Martingale Strategy is a very attractive betting system that is grounded in some solid probability theory and mathematics. What’s more, it’s really simple to apply and can definitely result in some great streaks. However, inevitably the player will encounter some of the real-world checks that’ll pull the foundation out of the strategy, and unfortunately, that’s just the nature of casino gaming.
Frequently Asked Questions
There’s always some lingering questions to be answered, and some folks who need the answers straight and true. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the most common questions we get about the Martingale Strategy below.
What is the Martingale betting system?
The Martingale betting system is a mathematically-proven way to win casino games against the house. Each time you lose, you double your bet to ensure that your losses are earnt back. It’s most applicable to games with a 50% chance of winning, like the top games at roulette casinos.
Can Martingale Beat the House Edge?
Unfortunately, the house will always have the advantage, that's just one of the pragmatic realities of the way casinos operate, and the reason us bettors think that we can craft strategies to cheat the system is a great example of Gamblers’ Fallacy, which ignores logic and seeks patterns and opportunities to win! If you would like more information on strategies, check out our blackjack strategy page.
Does the Martingale system work?
No, the Martingale Strategy does not always work in practice. In theory it most definitely does, which is why it has endured as such a legend of casino stories. It’s just that casinos have wizened up and that there’s that little niggling issue of personal finances which limit the applicability of the Martingale System. Of course, you needn't use such a high-risk strategy when you are playing at the best online casinos, just have fun out there however you bet!
Table Of Contents
- Why is the Martingale betting system such a popular strategy?
- What can go wrong with using the Martingale system?
- Have you heard of the anti-Martingale system?
- Should you use the Martingale system?
The Martingale system is one of the most commonly used betting strategies for traditional Casino table games, as well as sports betting.
The Martingale betting system is one that many people have latched onto due to its simplicity and an assumption that no-one can possibly lose all of the time.
But does it really work? Or is it just another betting fallacy?
Read on to discover all there is to know about one of the oldest betting systems in the book.
How did the Martingale system come about and how does it work?
This particular betting strategy dates all the way back to the 18th century. The system is named after a man named John Henry Martindale, a proprietor of multiple gambling properties in the UK back in the day.
Although the title of the betting strategy is ever so slightly different from his surname, it was inspired by his belief in the system.
He would encourage his customers to use it in his Casinos, who would believe him when he said that many of his high-roller players had won vast sums of money at the tables.
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Play NowThe Martingale system quickly became a go-to approach for recreational punters as it was a straightforward and seemingly rational strategy.
There were no algorithms or equations to remember, they simply had to remember the following:
- Double your next bet after a loss
- Continue doubling your next bet after a loss until a win is achieved
- Restart the cycle again
For example, if you were to place an initial bet of $10 on black on the Roulette wheel and the ball landed on a red number, you would wager $20 on the next bet.
If you were to lose that bet, you would wager $40 on the following bet and so on, until you win a bet.
It is an approach that has proven particularly popular with those fascinated in Roulette strategies and Blackjack strategies.
Games that offer a perceived coinflip outcome on winning and losing i.e. those with the tightest house edge.
However, there are several pitfalls to be mindful of too, as we'll explain later below.
The pros of the Martingale strategy
- If you continue to double your bet after every loss, you are certain to win back the amount you lose – and improve your net winnings in the short term.
- Speaking of short-term betting, Martingale betting works best if you're thinking of playing for a short timeframe rather than a long session.
- The Martingale strategy can help beginners quickly recover losses whilst learning to play a new Casino game.
The cons of the Martingale betting system
- You'll need a large betting bankroll to be able to handle a run of losing bets, as this system depletes your bank far quicker than most other strategies.
- It's not tailored for long-term players – the longer you play, the more chance there is of the Casino's house edge eating into your bankroll.
- It's possible the Martingale system will be affected by caps on the maximum bet at any given table. If you experience a lengthy losing streak, you may not be able to sufficiently increase your bet above the maximum bet to retrieve your losses.
Should you use the Martingale system?
If you're testing out new Casino table games like online Roulette and online Blackjack for the first time, the Martingale system could be a dangerous option for you.
If you don't have a sufficient bankroll or you just don't want to risk to lose your money, have a look at this gaming website.
Open a free account and use the demo bankroll to try all the games you like. There isn't a better way to learn how the Martingale betting system works than to practice online with free money!
Martingale Choke Collar
Alternatively, you might wish to consider the anti-Martingale betting system:
- Half the next bet after every losing money bet
- Double the next bet after every winning bet
You could try this out on some of the table games at the same site with a 50-50 percent split of the bankroll.
This allows you to see whether the anti-Martingale strategy can help you capitalize on 'hot' winning streaks better than the regular Martingale.
Martingale betting FAQs
To conclude this guide to the Martingale betting system, let's go through some of the questions our readers sent us on Facebook and Twitter.
What is wrong with the Martingale Roulette strategy?
If you encounter a losing streak on the Roulette or Blackjack table, you can lose your betting bankroll alarmingly quickly.
You might think that it's impossible to lose ten times in a row when betting on red. The statistics show that there is a 784/1 chance of losing ten bets in a row for betting on a colour on a European Roulette table.
If your starting bet is $10, you could expect – statistically – to win £7,840 before encountering said losing streak.
However, this losing streak would wipe out your profits, costing you $10,230 in the process. It just goes to show why Martingale strategy is very much a short-term option and not for the long run.
Martingale Casino En Ligne
Does the Martingale strategy always work in Blackjack? Why?
As we've already touched upon, the Martingale strategy works best for Casino games that offer 50/50 'coinflip' situations.
Blackjack is (almost) one of those. In terms of table limit restrictions, some Casinos will only offer a minimum bet, with no maximum bet ceilings either, which gives Blackjack players a chance to chase their losses continuously – providing they have a bankroll that's substantial enough to handle losing streaks.
Is the Martingale strategy legal on betting and Casino sites?
Yes, Martingale betting systems are permitted when you play Casino games online. There's no reason why it wouldn't be prohibited.
In the long term, the Casinos will always take money off players, but those prepared to practice Martingale for short-term bursts could succeed.
Can a Martingale system work in Forex trading, too?
The Martingale is actually increasingly popular among Forex traders.
That's because, unlike stocks, the value of fiat currencies almost never fall to the bottom. When you trade forex, there is a 50% chance of your trade being profitable, and a 50% chance of your trade being a loss.
Martingale Check Choke
This makes Martingale strategy a possible forex trading system, however you'll still need deep pockets to handle losing runs, particularly if you make bad decisions regarding entry points into the forex markets.