Various casino betting strategies exist that can be used for different casino games based on chance. Roulette is one of the best games to try out a betting strategy, and the Martingale system is one of the most popular for this casino game. It might seem a little complicated at first, but pretty simple to get started with if you want to try playing roulette with a specific strategy. In this Martingale betting strategy guide, we’ll break down the strategy and explain exactly what you need to do if you want to follow it. There are several things to be aware of before you try it out at an online casino UK, so if you’ve been asking ’What is Martingale strategy?’, ’How does Martingale strategy work?’, or perhaps even ’Is Martingale strategy legal?’, this is the article for you. After explaining everything you need to know about the Martingale betting system, we’ll also illustrate an example and review some pros and cons to help you decide if the strategy suits you. Keep reading to learn more.
What is Martingale Strategy?
The Martingale betting system is a progressive betting system that can be used to determine the size of your bet on every round based on whether you lost or won in the previous one. It’s a negative progression system, which means that bets should be increased on a loss and decreased on a win. That’s all there is to understanding how this betting strategy works, so as you can see, the idea is very straightforward. When you apply this roulette system in practice, you can get the hang of it within a few rounds. We’ll look at all the details of how and why this betting strategy was created later, but the idea behind the system is that when you eventually get a win, the size of that win should at least compensate for all the previous losses. The Martingale method can be applied to different games, but it’s best applied to online blackjack and online roulette games. It can also be used for sports betting. Whichever game you might try it out on, what’s crucial to understand is that it’s not a foolproof system. It’s necessary to understand that, like any other betting strategy, a 100% safe Martingale Strategy doesn’t exist, and the results might not always be in your favour. Because roulette is a game of chance, and there’s no predicting where the ball will land, it’s impossible to win consistently. If you’re wondering, ’Is Martingale a good strategy?’, the answer isn’t so straightforward. It’s a good strategy for some players, especially those who like to have a clear system they can follow, but you can’t rely on it to win.
How Does Martingale Strategy Work?
Let’s talk about the Martingale strategy how to use it in gambling and go over a few steps to remember when using the system on any casino games. The first step to using the best Martingale strategy is to set aside a bankroll for the game. This should be an amount that you can comfortably afford to lose, and no matter what the result, you shouldn’t go over this amount. Next, select an amount that will be your base unit. This amount shouldn’t be too high because the strategy involves doubling several times, so we suggest keeping it simple and low, like £1. Your first stake should be this unit, which in this case, is £1. If your bet is successful, you should bet £1 again, but if you lose, you’ll need to double it to £2 on the next round. So long as you win, you should keep betting the same amount, and so long as you’re losing, you should keep doubling your stake. When you hit a win after a losing streak, you repeat the process by returning to your initial bet size. For example, if you’ve reached a bet of £5 after four losses and you win, your next bet will be £1.
Martingale System Variations
A few variations of the Martingale system have been created. The most well-known one is the Reverse Martingale strategy, which, as the name suggests, is essentially the opposite of the classic system. Instead of doubling your stake on losing bets, the Reverse Martingale strategy states that you should double it after a win. Similarly, you return to your original bet after the first loss, not on a win. Other than this crucial difference, the Reverse Martingale version works the same in terms of setting a stake and choosing your base unit that you always return to. Another variation of the Martingale system is the Grand or Great Martingale betting system. This more aggressive version of the classic system might require an even bigger bankroll. It works like the standard version for the most part, except that when you double your bet on a loss, you’re also supposed to add an extra unit to the total bet. It’s even riskier than the Martingale or Reverse Martingale, so we wouldn’t recommend it for this reason unless you start with very small bet units, like £0.20.
Roulette Martingale Strategy
The Martingale betting system is used in roulette more than any other game because of the way the game works. In fact, it’s often referred to as the Martingale roulette strategy, and you can use it in any roulette game, whether it’s in a land-based casino, online, or live roulette. You'll need to stick to bets that pay even money to use the Martingale strategy roulette version. The Martingale system works on these types of bets only, which means your options are betting on red or black, odd or even, or high or low numbers. You can change bets as you play, but you should always stick to these three bet types mentioned above. For example, you can put your chips on red for the first round, then bet on even numbers in the next one. Since you’re placing even money bets, we recommend playing European or French roulette because the odds of winning an even money bet are better since there’s only one zero. In American roulette, there’s also a double zero pocket, which reduces the odds of winning an even money bet. Additionally, French roulette also gives you a second chance to win your even money bet if the ball lands in the zero pocket because there are two additional rules that don’t apply to European or American roulette.
Blackjack Martingale Strategy
What is the Martingale strategy blackjack version? This system is also very popular for blackjack games, especially live blackjack. The way it works in this game differs slightly from the roulette method because there aren’t different bets to choose from in blackjack. There are several side bets you can place, but these should be ignored anyway if you want to follow the Martingale system. The system only works if you only place a regular blackjack wager and avoid taking the insurance bet. With that in mind, you can follow the same steps above to play blackjack using the Martingale betting strategy. Start with a bet unit and play your hand as you normally would when playing blackjack. If you win that hand, you bet the same amount on the next, while if you lose, you double it. By now, you’ve surely gotten the hang of this system. However, the only time it may get a little complicated is when you split or double down because this will automatically double your bet before the round ends. In this case, you can still follow the strategy based on the final result on the hand and the amount you ended up betting. If you doubled down, your next bet should be based on that stake.
Who Invented the Martingale Strategy?
The Martingale strategy is one of the oldest betting systems that’s also used as a system of investing. If you’ve ever heard of the Martingale trading strategy, it refers to the same process often used in roulette and blackjack. Sports punters also use the system for sports betting, which comes as no surprise considering it's so popular. As a trading strategy, the Martingale system is based on the idea that one winning trade can compensate for all the previous trades that were lost because the initial bet, or trade in this case, would have been doubled along the way. The French mathematician Paul Pierre Levy invented this strategy in the 18th century, based on the idea that one successful wager can turn your fortune. Levy is known for creating the theory of probability, which didn’t really exist until he came along. Many also credit the invention of this betting system to Charles de Ville Wells, who is rumoured to have won huge amounts in Monte Carlo by using the Martingale system to play roulette. There’s no evidence that this strategy led him to big wins, but this story, whether fact or fiction, helped popularise the use of the Martingale system.
Martingale Strategy Example?
To understand how the system works in practice, we’ve created a table with a detailed example below, using a £10 stake as our base unit. Please note that this is just an example of a random scenario that results in a profit of £70. In practice, your results might be very different; you might see a bigger profit, a smaller one, or even no profit at all. That said, let’s look at a Martingale strategy example below:
| Bet | Result | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| £10 | Win | £10 |
| £10 | Win | £20 |
| £10 | Loss | £10 |
| £20 | Loss | -£10 |
| £40 | Loss | -£50 |
| £80 | Win | £30 |
| £10 | Loss | £20 |
| £20 | Win | £40 |
| £10 | Loss | £30 |
| £20 | Loss | £20 |
| £40 | Loss | -£20 |
| £80 | Loss | -£100 |
| £160 | Loss | -£260 |
| £320 | Win | £60 |
| £10 | Win | £70 |
Pros and Cons of Martingale System
As we’ve already mentioned, the Martingale betting system isn’t a foolproof method; like any strategy, it has flaws too. The most obvious advantage of using it is that it’s designed to compensate for previous losses, but is the Martingale system profitable in the long run? The short answer is not always. A profit isn't guaranteed, and you might not recover your losses either because you never know when you'll get a losing streak or how long it will last. Before trying out the Martingale system at an online or live casino, take a look at the main pros and cons below. Pros:
- If your bankroll allows it and you don’t exceed the table limits, you should be able to get your losses back on the first win following a losing streak.
- The system is designed to help you break even or make smaller profits in the long run. You never increase your bet when you win, so, at some point, you always return to your original bet, even if you’ve doubled it several times. This means you’re not always betting big unless you get a few losses in a row.
- The method is very easy to follow, especially compared to more complex strategies like the Labouchere strategy, the Fibonacci sequence, or the 1-3-2-6 system, which are much more advanced. If you’re new to betting strategies, the Martingale system is one of the easiest to try.
- It can be used on various games, including roulette, blackjack, and even sports betting.
Cons
- The Martingale betting system requires a large bankroll for the best chances of success, making it a highly risky system since you’re not guaranteed to make a profit after staking a large amount.
- It can be stressful to keep doubling your bet when you’re losing, as you never know when a win will hit.
- You need to be aware of the table limits as you might exceed them before hitting a win that will compensate your losses.
- The Martingale betting system only works on even money bets, so your betting options are limited to just three bet types. In blackjack, the method doesn’t work if you place side bets, so you automatically need to avoid these.
Reverse Martingale Strategy
The Reserve Martingale strategy, also known as the Anti Martingale strategy, is the opposite of the Martingale betting system we’ve illustrated in the example above, but it’s just as easy to use. There’s much debate about which version is better, with some claiming that the Anti Martingale system is better than the original because the idea is to take advantage of a winning streak. The only problem with this way of thinking is that there’s no way of predicting a winning streak. One win doesn’t mean another is next because streaks occur randomly. Indeed, this is one of the cons discussed above about the original strategy. One of the reasons why you can’t rely on this betting system is that the game is too random to make any predictions. Therefore, the chances of succeeding when using the Martingale or the Reverse Martingale strategy also depend on chance.
Other Strategies
Do you think there might be better options than the Martingale betting system? If you’re considering alternative strategies, you’ve got plenty of options to choose from. The strategies below are some of the best alternatives to the Martingale system, which can also be used for roulette and blackjack. Some may also be applied to online sports betting.
- Fibonacci Strategy - Unlike the Martingale system, the Fibonacci method uses a sequence of numbers to determine the size of bets rather than simply doubling. The Fibonacci strategy follows the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence, which starts as follows: - 0-1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21, etc. If you observe the sequence, you’ll notice that every number (after the first two) is the sum of the two numbers before it, making it easy to continue the sequence up to as many numbers as you like. To follow this system in a casino game, you create a base unit and then increase your bet by following the numbers in the sequence. On a loss, you move forward one step in the sequence, and when you win, you go back two places.
- Paroli Strategy - The Paroli system is a positive progression system which means bets should be increased when winning, not losing. According to this method, you should increase your bet by one unit. When you get three wins in a row, you go back to the original bet and repeat the process.
- D’Alembert Strategy - The D’Alembert system is one of the easiest betting strategies that can be used on roulette and even blackjack. Like most strategies, it only works on even money bets when applying it to roulette. To use it, decide on a bet unit like £1. If you lose, you increase your bet by one unit on the next round, and if you lose, you decrease it by a unit.
- Labouchere Strategy - The Labouchere strategy is a trickier strategy to use because it can’t be broken down into a few clear steps. The idea is to set a winning goal and then break it down into a sequence of different numbers that equal that amount. For example, if your goal is to win £50, it can be broken into a sequence of 20-20-10. Add the first and last numbers to get the amount you should bet. If you win, cross the numbers off ad add the new numbers to get your next bet. If you lose, you add the bet amount to the end of the sequence and bet again.
FAQs About Martingale Strategy
What is the 100% profitable Martingale strategy?
There is no such thing as a 100 profitable Martingale strategy; no known betting systems or strategies are foolproof because roulette is all about chance.
What is an example of a Martingale strategy?
A simple Martingale strategy example is a scenario which starts with a £5 base bet. Let’s say you wager £5 and win. On the next round, you bet £5 again, but this time you lose. Next, you bet £10 and keep repeating the process until you win again.
Is Martingale strategy risky?
The Martingale system is quite risky because if you get a losing streak, you’ll need to have quite a big bankroll to keep doubling and following the system. You also need to be aware of the betting limits in the game. If you increase your bet to the betting limits due to several losses, you might have to lower your stake before you can even hit a win.
What is better than Martingale strategy?
The Reverse Martingale strategy is sometimes considered better than the traditional Martingale roulette system, perhaps because players might feel more comfortable doubling their stake when they win rather than lose, but this is more opinion than fact.
Can you lose with Martingale strategy?
Yes. Unfortunately, losing is always a part of the game in roulette. It’s impossible to predict the result correctly every time, even if you follow the Martingale method or any other betting system.
All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins etc.) mentioned in relation to any game are subject to change at any time.
Welcome Offer T&C's: New players only, £10 min fund, £50 max bonus, 65x Bonus wagering requirements, max bonus conversion to real funds equal to lifetime deposits (up to £250) full T&Cs Apply