For as long as casino games have existed, people have been trying to create different betting strategies that will help them win. However, there is no strategy out there that can guarantee a 100% success rate. Casino games are completely random and luck plays the biggest part. Still, certain strategies can increase your chances of getting a win. One of them is known as the Martingale Strategy and it has been around for a long time. Even though math or statistics can’t really help you when it comes to casino games because luck plays a major part, playing by using the Martingale will help you increase your winnings. Below, we will share everything you need to know about this strategy.
The Martingale strategy first appeared in France during the 19th century. How these strategy works have remained the same through the years. The player needs to double his stakes each time he losses. That way, whenever you win, you will win back everything you lost plus a small profit. From that point on, this strategy was mostly used in Roulette or games where there is an even-odd bet. The Martingale strategy is considered a risky method of playing casino games. Theoretically, you always get your money back when you eventually win. However, you can go on a long run of bad results which can result in “bankruptcy” before you get a chance to win back everything. In this article, we will share all the details about how to use this strategy properly.
How does this strategy work?
The Martingale strategy is used all over the world and not just in gambling. A lot of financial investors use this formula as well. It has a unique but very simple approach. The idea behind this strategy is a mathematical formula that can be very beneficial for a person who has enough money and enough time to be patient. In the gambling world, it’s a strategy used by high-rollers who play for money, not just for fun. As we already said above, there is no strategy that can guarantee wins but with the Martingale, your chances of winning against the casino, in the long run, will be increased.
The premise is simple, you keep doubling your stakes until you get a win. At some point, when you win, you should win enough to cover what you lost so far + a little profit. However, this is just a theory and in real casino play, there are other factors that have to be considered. The only way you can win with the Martingale strategy all of the time is if you have unlimited wealth. First, you can only use this strategy on even bets where the payout is 1/1 (2.0). Next, place a bet and wait for the outcome. Each time you lose, you double your stake for the next round. When you win, you reset to the starting stake amount on your first bet.
Let’s imagine you start your game at $1, the progression will go like this: 1-2-4-8-16-32-64-128, etc. Again, in theory, this is a full-proof plan but in reality, it doesn’t work like that. Casino games have a maximum bet limit, you can’t double as much as you want. Also, every game has a house edge which means the casino takes a percentage of your winnings.
Disadvantages of the Martingale Strategy
As we said several times, this strategy works great in theory. As a matter of fact, it’s a perfect strategy – in theory. However, there are other factors that influence the game. The first thing is the “House Edge”. Every casino game has it and it will be bigger or smaller depending on the bet types you are making and the different variants that exist. What you need to remember is that the house always wins. If you play long enough, the house will eventually edge you out. For instance, let’s imagine you are betting on roulette and you pick between red or black.
This is an even bet because there is a 50/50 chance that the ball will land on either black or red. However, that’s not quite correct. The roulette also has the green zero slot which is a possible outcome as well. That’s the house edge right there because it brings your odds a little bit below 50%. The other big disadvantage that comes with the Martingale strategy is the maximum bet limit. Every casino game has a maximum bet limit which means you can’t double your stake as much as you want. If you reach the maximum bet limit before you win then it doesn’t matter if you win after that, you won’t be able to return the losses and get a small profit.
This is where the third disadvantage comes into play as well. You need to have enough money before starting a Martingale strategy-based game. You can go on a large streak of bad results and if you run out of money before you can win and recover the losses, you will lose all your money.
Martingale Strategy Variations
Since the Martingale strategy is so simple, people created different variations of it. Below, we will mention the most popular variations that are often used by casino players.
Grand Martingale System
This variation of the Martingale strategy is like a boosted variant of the original system. You still double your stake every time you lose but with the grand system, you also add an additional unit to your next bet. For instance, if you place a $1 bet and you lose, your next bet would be $3. The progression will look something like this:
1 – 3 – 7 – 15 – 31 – 63 – 127 – 255 – 511, etc.
Keep in mind that the disadvantages we mentioned above apply to the Grand Martingale strategy as well. By further increasing the stake, you can reach the maximum bet limit much faster. Also, you spend money faster so make sure you have enough to cover at least 7-8 rounds of losses before you even start the game. This variation of the Martingale system is riskier than the standard version. However, when you win, you will also win more than with the regular strategy.
Triple Martingale System
While we are talking about risk, the triple martingale system is the riskiest variant of them all. It’s a system used only by the most experienced players. We don’t recommend it to new casino players who just want to have some fun. As the name suggests, this system asks you to triple your bet when you lose instead of doubling it. For instance, if you start with $1, your next bet will be $3 and the one after that will already grow to $9. Losing six rounds in a row will already have you losing $243.
You will reach the maximum bet limit extremely fast and you can lose all your money in only several rounds. The Triple Martingale strategy is a very aggressive system and should only be used by the most experienced of players.
Reverse Martingale System
This is the most popular variant of the Martingale strategy. It’s so popular that it rivals the original in popularity. As the name suggests, this system works in a completely opposite way. Instead of doubling your stakes when you lose, you do it when you win. The strategy is less risky because the losses are limited. When you win and you double the stake for the next round, you are essentially betting your winnings. Basically, you risk only the initial bet every time.
The Reverse Martingale strategy can be used in two different ways. The first way is by limiting your progression to three wins and then restarting from the initial bet. That way you don’t have large winnings but you always leave the table with some profit. On the other hand, you can keep the progression until you reach the maximum bet limit. This is hard to achieve because it means you need to win 6 to 8 rounds in a row. However, if it does happen, your winnings will be immense.
Martingale Strategy in Roulette
As we said at the beginning, the Martingale strategy is mostly used in roulette. As a matter of fact, the first time it was used was in a roulette game. Since the strategy only works on even bets, roulette is a perfect choice. You can bet on colour (red/black), even/odd, or high/low. That’s three even bets in one game which is more than any other casino game. However, as we said several times, the house edge reduces your odds a bit. For instance, in European Roulette (one zero), the house edge reduced your odds of winning to 48.60%.
Looking at the disadvantages we mentioned, it’s important to start at the minimum bet when playing roulette with the Martingale strategy. That’s the best way to avoid reaching the maximum bet limit if you go on a bad run of results. In theory, it will all work great but make sure to pick a roulette table where you will have enough money to cover at least 10 rounds of losses. Also, pick a table that has a low minimum bet and a high maximum bet, if that’s possible. That way, you could lose 6, 7, or even 8 rounds in a row and still be able to cover all your losses and make a small profit when you win in the 9th round.