First used by gamblers in live casinos and gambling halls of Europe back in the 18th century, The Martingale System is one of the most famous and most notorious gambling systems out there. Over the centuries, gamblers have tried using this system to beat many gambling games such as Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat and even sports betting, with varying degrees of success.
The greatest allure of The Martingale System comes from its simplicity. Unlike many other gambling systems that are complex and convoluted, Martingale offers a very simple way to “beat the house”. The premise of the system is simple! The player is meant to bet on even money bets, such as Red/Black on Roulette and double his bet every time he misses. Eventually, his bet will hit, he will win back all his money plus one initial betting unit, and the process goes back to the start.
It is said that The Martingale System was very popular among the “shrewd” gamblers of the 18th century, who were convinced they had found a way to beat the casinos once and for all. Of course, the reality hit as soon as they tried to up their stakes and win the big money, as the risk got too high and the rewards too low very fast.
- The Martingale System was invented by 18th century gamblers
- The System is a progressive betting system
- Martingale offers slow paced wins with low chances of losing
- The house edge never changes no matter which system you lose
- You will need a large bankroll to successfully apply Martingale
- The house has limits on what you can bet, so be careful
How Exactly Does The Martingale System Work?
The Martingale System is a progressive betting system, meaning that the player increases his bet every time he loses. Let us assume we are playing roulette and betting $1 on our first bet. We bet the $1 on Red, and the ball lands in a Black number. No problem! On the next spin, we would bet double, meaning $2, once again betting on Red. If the Red lands, we have won $4, giving us back our initial $1+$2 and another $1 for our troubles. If not, we double the bet again and keep going until Red finally lands.
In theory, Martingale is without flaw. Going by the law of probability or even just pure logic, Red and Black or Odd and Even will each land 50% of the time in the long term and no matter how unlucky you are, your bet is bound to land at some point. This means that if you had an infinite bankroll, if the casino would accept infinitely large bets and you had an infinite amount of time, you would indeed always be a winner!
The The Martingale System can be used for other games too and not just for Roulette. Any game that offers even money bets is ideal for Martingale, and adjusted versions of Martingale can even be used when odds are not even, as the betting progression can be changed to adjust for the different odds. However, Martingale remains the most effective when used in games where the odds are even and the bet doubled when it hits.
So what’s The Catch?
Like all things that sound too good to be true, The Martingale System is also only theoretically effective. The system is based on the premise that you can double your bet infinitely, and there are two main reasons that this cannot happen. They are:
- You do not have an infinite bankroll
- The casino has limits on maximum bet size
Because of these two reasons, most gamblers who attempt betting using The Martingale System will end up going broke sooner or later. The mathematical progression that Martingale uses is quite steep, and by using it you end up betting very large sums of money very fast. For instance, if you start up by betting just $1 (which most casinos won’t even let you do on even money bets), you will have to bet $512 after just 9 misses. Doesn’t sound very bad yet? Miss another five times and you will be betting $16.284 to win A DOLLAR!
Not only is it complete madness to bet over $16.000 to win a dollar, but no casino in the world will have a table that accepts such a wide range of bets. If large bets are accepted, the minimum bet will be much higher and if the minimum bet is small, the maximum will be as well. For this reason, The Martingale System only really works in the short run and is a sure way to bust your bankroll if you try to use it over an extended period of time.
If you don’t think that streaks of 10 or 15 misses really happen in even money betting, you should think again, consult a mathematician or simply try spinning a coin a few hundred times and you will see just how unpredictable mathematics of probability can really be.
Can I Win at Online Roulette Using Martingale?
As the years have passed and online casinos have become a reality, many gamblers who have been using Martingale in brick and mortar casinos decided to try their luck with the same system in online casinos. The idea was that because online casinos accept such small initial bets and because the spins are so much faster, the probability of winning was much bigger.
In truth, online casinos do provide a great place to practice Martingale and in many of them you can actually win some cash by playing this popular progressive betting system. However, the basic issues remain the same across the online world as well. Online casinos, like live ones, do not accept infinitely large bets, nor can you have a bankroll large enough to sustain your losses over an extended period of time, and if you do than the profits you will make will be completely meaningless.
Do not get discouraged however. The Martingale System is not guaranteed to bust you. In fact, if you decide to hit the casino and play for a couple of hours, trying out Martingale can prove as an excellent strategy. Because the chances of hitting a long losing streak are relatively low, you may end up winning quite big on the night, or even on many consecutive nights.
Like any form of gambling, Martingale does give the player plenty of chances to succeed and there is really no reason not to try it out. The thing you should always remember though is that Martingale is not a flawless system, it is not a sure strategy to beat the casino and it is by no means your get rich fast ticket.
The Martingale System and “Big Winners”
The Martingale System sounds very good at first and over the years many people have fallen for it, risking their entire life’s savings, assuming the system to be without a flaw. Many of them have gone broke and many casinos around the world have made fortunes from such players who forgot to always leave themselves with an out.
If you search the internet for The Martingale System, you will find a large number of articles about it. While many, like this one, will tell you the truth of the risks and rewards of Martingale, many others will promote it as the perfect system that cannot lose, talking about how much they have won using Martingale and how the system has never failed them.
There is even a story about a real life gambler who “busted the bank” multiple times in Monte Carlo by playing Roulette using this system. However, if you think about it, many people have won at casino games using all sorts of system, and him or someone else getting lucky at some point does not mean that the system cannot lose.
Gamble Responsibly and Enjoy Martingale
So we have learned what The Martingale System is, how to apply it and how profitable and risky it really is. Now that you know exactly how it works and that it is not completely flawless, it is time for you to decide if this is a risk you are willing to take to the tables.
Just like any betting system, Martingale offers both risk and reward. With a little luck, you could run hundreds of winning spins before ever coming close to losing your bankroll, which is why the system really does sound pretty good.
Our advice is to try it out if you were going to gamble anyway, and to see how far you can get using it. After all, it does not increase or decrease the house edge in any way, so in the long run, it won’t change much. In the short run, however, you may just end up running a hot streak and winning quite a bit of cash.
Have fun using Martingale at the tables and remember not to risk the money you can’t afford to lose as Martingale is just a gambling system which does not guarantee a win nor does it decrease your chances of one.