The Martingale Betting System
The Martingale betting system dates back to at least the 18th century when gambling halls first gained popularity in Europe. It is most frequently applied to games like craps and roulette but can just as easily be applied to any game of chance. The reason that betting systems like the Martingale are not frequently used for skill-based games like blackjack and video poker is that there are real strategies that would be better employed to improve a player’s odds in those games. Furthermore, those games have betting maximums that would make it impossible to continue using the Martingale system in instances where players hit a long losing streak.
Beware
The Martingale system gives the player a high chance of winning a lot of small amounts and a low chance of losing a large amount, therefore typically users of the system will be better off in the short run. However be aware that it is inevitable that the player will eventually lose an amount so large that they go bust or hit the table limit and be unable to continue.
How does the Martingale betting system work?
The Martingale is probably the most popular betting system, not because of effectiveness, but because of simplicity. There are no complex equations to memorize here; anyone can quickly learn and use the Martingale system. The system works best on bets that have a near 50/50 chance of winning or losing, such as bets on the red or black of a roulette table. Players need only double their bet (or more) with every loss. For example, if a player wagers a minimum $1 bet on the black at the roulette table and subsequently loses, then according to the Martingale system’s rules they would then wager $2 on the next spin, again on the black and always staying on the black. If they lose again, then their next bet will be $4 and so on, doubling it after every loss. Then, when the player eventually wins they will recoup all of their losses plus a little more and their next bet will return to the original $1 to start the system again.
What is the logic behind the Martingale betting system?
At first glance, the Martingale betting system makes perfect sense. By doubling your bet (or more) after every loss, you ensure that when you do win you will win back all of your collective losses as well as a profit equal to your original bet. Returning to your original bet after every win also seems to limit your investment by keeping your wagers as low as possible. To step things up a bit and make the system pay off more quickly a player can recoup all of their losses plus a lot more if they decide to triple their bet after each loss instead of doubling it. Deciding to triple the bet after each loss must not be taken lightly though as it increases the risk exponentially as can be illustrated in the table of odds below. 
Why is the Martingale betting system flawed?
The Martingale system may sound too good to be true to newcomers but it is no path to easy money and those using the system are exposed to unlikely but high value risks for little reward. The system manipulates statistics so the player has a high chance of winning a lot of small amounts in exchange for a low risk of losing a lot. The problem is that if the system is used by a player for long enough it is inevitable that the player will eventually hit a losing streak, making a huge loss that will wipe out all of the cumulative small wins they made over a long period of time. According to the law of statistics there is approximately a 0.1% chance of losing a 50/50 bet more than nine times in a row but if a player uses the system for 1,000 bets then they are likely to see this outcome once and that could spell huge losses. The other thing is that most table games like roulette have minimum and maximum bets, which do not work well with the Martingale system as players are likely to hit the maximum table bet at some point.
Would the opposite of the Martingale betting system work?
Many players both consciously and unconsciously utilize what is known as an anti-Martingale betting system. That is, they try to take advantage of positive fluctuations in the odds by only increasing their bets when they’re winning and by only making the minimum bet when they are losing. This may seem safer, because you are only betting more when you have already made a profit, but unfortunately the end result is the same. If you keep doubling your bets as you win, then ultimately when you finally lose you lose everything you have accumulated plus any minimum bets made between wins.
Martingale Betting and “Sticky” Bonuses
The Martingale System does work very well when wagering with non-withdrawable bonuses. It is not uncommon to find situations where you can deposit £100 and get as much as £400 in non withdrawable money that you can wager with. Some casinos have maximum win rates from these deposits which can reduce the benefits of playing games such as slots or video poker as you do not get to fully benefit from your winnings. Instead of playing the full Martingale system you can start with small bet sizes of whatever game you are playing and then if you have lost some of the money and keep increasing the size of your bets (but not depositing again) until you have either busted your deposit and bonus money or made a profit.
The Best Online Casino to use the Martingale system
Intercasino have a European Roulette game that display the minimum and maximum bets, allowing you to choose what tier of play you are interested in and also making you clearly aware of the table limits before you start play. Also, this game follows the La Partage rule that provides a house edge of just 1.35%, which is the lowest you can find at any casino online. It does this by having a single zero on the table and also giving you back half of an even money bet should you land on the zero. It also allows you to place quick bets, where the ball lands within a second or two so you can go through something like 10 bets a minute if you’re fast. The game itself is powered by Amaya Gaming so you wont find it everywhere. All these elements combined make Intercasino‘s European Roulette a categorically great place to use any roulette system like the Martingale – just make sure you understand the system well first.
Have you used the Martingale system?
Have you ever used the Martingale system and what was the outcome? We would love to hear your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.
I’ve been using this strategy for the last couple of days after seeing a video on YouTube about it. I agree that it is so risky and when you get on a bad run of say 7 or 8 reds/blacks, you’re likely to lose everything you put on.
I am trying to devise my own way of making it work for the long run. I won’t be leaving my job over it though, It’d be nice to have a bit of extra cash in the bank at the end of the week/month though.
From my experience so far, I have made around £500-£600 profit from £1000 that I invested. So I have around £1600 in my account. Now that certainly isn’t enough if you get a bad run of colours. I believe this amount won’t hold up after the 8th or 9th colour which is opposite to the one you are betting on so it’s extremely risky. This is assuming you are using £1, $1 or whichever currency you use, per bet. Like I say though, in my experience over the last 3 days over playing for around 5-6 hours a day, I have only seen a run of 8+ of one colour once or twice. If I see something bad about to occur, I will stop my betting and accept that I may lose £64 or £128. Leave the computer and come back later to try and recuperate my losses. Now of course this is still risky as there is nothing to stop a straight run of colours happening again and again. I guess you need to be lucky as well. Also from my experience, I’ve noticed a good way to bet is going from red to black whether you win or lose. This will eliminate the chance of getting on a bad run of the same colour but again, if you’re really unlucky, you may just land on the opposite colour each time. Not seen that happen yet so I am keen to attempt it.
People need to remember it is a fantastic idea to take out the money that you have profited. For example, you put £500 in and you make another £500 over a few days then take that money out and put it in the bank. This way you should feel less pressure as you will not be down, even if you lose all over the money you have taken, whether you are in an online casino or a live casino. Wouldn’t recommend a live casino as the betting limits usually don’t allow for the Martingale System to work.
I think it is very possible for this system to work in the long run as long as you get out when it’s getting rough and accept that you may lose a little bit rather than keep doubling down for the 8th or 9th time. I don’t believe it’s a good idea for it to work as a standalone job so stick to your career and play around with the profit. If you lose your profit then think about giving it up as you could easily get addicted and bet more than you can afford.
Stay safe guys and bet safely.
Hi John,
Thanks for sharing your real life experience with our readers… and I definitely agree that you cant rely on this for an income. It is possible to have some fun, play around with the odds and profit from the casino here and there. However, as you state it is no day job and cannot be sustained indefinitely, nevertheless the strategy can work in the short run its just important to get out when your up. Its all about managing greed. I like your point about switching the black for the red, I have also thought about alternating bets between casinos but you need a bigger bankroll for that. Good luck
Alex
I’ve been using this strategy for a week now, but I started with a small amount – €100 and my betting unit is €0.1. I saw in many forums people talking about online games not using clean RNG all the time, and I tend to agree with them. At first everything went like a charm, but in the last two days of the month I lost near half of the initial deposit after more than 9 reds in a row. It seemed like they wanted to round their income at the end of month.
Last two days I modified a little the Martingale System by randomly rotating through all 50% bet types: red-black-odd-even-first half-second half. This gave me extra randomness which seemed to improve the results and enabled me to recover the losses and more. I have now €150. But I saw several very long monocolour streaks (~15 spins) and “0” popped twice in succession, all this during one evening! Nobody may convince me that it was random! It looks like more randomness gives results closer to statistics, which is in our advantage.
Well, as long as this doesn’t swallow your life, I think it’s OK to have extra cash, but be careful not to bet more money than you are willing to lose!
Hi Vladimir,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Remember, the more you use the strategy the more likely a long run of the same color will come up eventually, however its quite unlikely to come up when you start, but trust me it will always come at some point. You experienced it quite early on.
Regarding the RNG being clean, provided you were using a licensed casino with well known software then it is very unlikely you would ever experience rigged software. In most cases the software providers are third party companies and they have to have a rock solid RNG to stay in business and maintain their name. My guess is that your time simply came.
Good luck.
Alex
I have a different form of martingale strategy. Double your bet on every loss up to five hands. i.e. start with $5 bet and go up to $80 ( 5,10, 20, 40 & 80). On a losing streak you will loose $150 max. Then start with $10 bet and go up to $160. On a losing streak you will loose $310 + $150 which equals risk of $460 and considering the advantage of Blackjack, Splits and Double downs, a bankroll of $700 is more than enough to make money using the Martingale strategy of five losing hands. Worth trying.
Hi Sanjay,
That is an interesting way to use the martingale, which helps cap large losses from a long losing streak. Again, there is no ways to beat the odds but martingale and its variations do manipulate the odds somewhat and this is a great example. Sanjay thanks for sharing.
Alex
Forget it all guys, the casino has the edge, therefore every system imaginable will fail in the long run. With sports however, you may be able to find a positive edge by analysing form and stats etc to find value in the prices offered by bookmakers. There is no system that can make a game where the casino has the edge profitable – sure you might get lucky in the short term, but do it every week and say goodbye to your money