Martingale system

Martingale system

The Martingale system is one of the oldest strategies for playing gambling games. It was developed in the 18th century in France for head or tail games, where the probability of winning is 50% on each round. Before long it was applied to roulette, where the likelihood of black or red winning is nearly 50%. It remains among the favourite strategies for a number of professional roulette players.

Basic principles of the Martingale system when playing roulette

The basic principle when playing roulette is simple. The Martingale strategy says that at the start a wager must be made, e.g. €1 on red or black. If a player wins, he wins €2 and has a profit of €1. If the player loses, he doubles his next bet, e.g.:

  • 1st bet on black for €1, result is red, meaning a loss
  • 2nd bet on black for €2, result if red, meaning a loss
  • 3rd bet on black for €4, result is red, meaning a loss
  • 4th bet on black for €8, result is red, meaning a loss
  • 5th bet on black for €16, result is black, meaning a WIN

The player wagered a total of 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 = €31 and won a total of €32. This generates a €1 profit and the player can start over again. Of course, a player does not have to start with a sum of €1; you can define your own starting limit.

Advantages and drawbacks of using the Martingale system to play roulette

The Martingale system guarantees a defined win if funds were unlimited. The drawback is the fact that the player has limited funds with which to play. While the probability of multiple consecutive losses is nearly zero, there is always a chance that exponential betting can have catastrophic consequences for the player. This is why the nearly certain expected incomes in the Martingale system are balanced out by the minimum risk of a loss. If you decide to use this strategy for gaming, make sure to have a large amount in your casino account in order to cover a long run of consecutive losing rounds.

Roulette