Online Roulette Strategies: Martingale System

Martingale system have emerged thanks to Roulette, which is a game that has been around since the 18th century in France when it was believed to have been invented, and it’s still going strong to this day. Of course, the game has adapted and changed a lot since, and it’s now a firm favourite with online roulette players across the world.

Given the popularity there are many strategies that have been tried and tested over the years, which can be applied to the game, and one of the most acclaimed is the Martingale system. Here we will give you a lowdown of the system, and whether it will be worth applying for yourselves when you next play our fantastic roulette game.

What is the Martingale system?

Firstly, this system is one of the oldest around and can date back 200 years to when the first elements of the strategy were implemented.
Since then, aspects may have been modified but it remains one of the oldest and respected roulette strategies out there.

Now, to the strategy itself, and whilst some of the other strategies that you come across may seem complicated, this is simple to understand and apply.

Your bets must be on something that pays out at evens. With roulette, those bets can include; 1-18 or 19-36, odd or even, and most commonly red or black. Should you win one of those bets, your stake is doubled.

Then, you get ready to place your bet and the system can come into full effect. Whether it’s £1, £10 or £1,000 the Martingale system can work – all you must do is double your stake when you lose. For instance, a series of bets would look like this;

• Bet £1 – lose.
• Bet £2 – lose.
• Bet £4 – lose.
• Bet £8 – win, returns £16.

In this scenario, you would’ve lost three of the four bets, but your stakes total up to £15, and the winnings were £16, meaning £1 profit – your initial stake.

That would work out the same at whichever stage of the chain your bet won, be it one spin, five spins or even ten spins. If you keep doubling the stakes then eventually you will win, no matter how many successive losses you record.

Also, when you win, it’s important to go back to the start, and if you repeat the cycle you will then win your initial stake again. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

Again, the overall profit will be dictated by your initial stake, should you start with £20, then it would play out like this;

• Bet £20 – lose.
• Bet £40 – lose.
• Bet £80 – lose.
• Bet £160 – lose.
• Bet £320 – lose.
• Bet £640 – win, returns £1,280.

If you don’t believe us, you can get the calculator out, but in this scenario, the total staked was £1,260, with £1,280 won on the final spin, meaning £20.

The risks are clear

From the examples, the risks of the Martingale system should be clear, and the chief problem is that you can spend a lot of money, and you can spend it quickly. Doubling the stake can get out of hand, and if it stretches beyond your budget the system fails.

A misconception is that there’s no way you could possibly suffer consecutive losses that would take all your budget. What are the chances of losing 10 spins in a row, when there’s a near 50-50 chance?

That’s what players say, but they are ignoring the golden rule – each spin is independent. There’s the same chance of landing on red or black on every spin, and what has happened previously is completely irrelevant.

So, whilst you may not expect to lose 10, 15 or 20 spins in a row, you must acknowledge that it could happen. If you are starting with a £1 stake, that is probably affordable for most players, although it presents another problem.

Should you start with £1 and lose the first four bets, like the example shown above, you will have spent £15 just to win £1 profit. Is it worth it?

On the one hand, if you keep it low and affordable, you’re potentially staking a lot of money, for little return. Whereas, if you started with a much bigger first bet, you could easily rip through your budget in no time, and another factor worth considering for the real high rollers is the table limits. Each table will have one, and should you reach that stage you won’t be able to double it again, meaning the system would fail.

Roulette is unpredictable!

One of the main attractions of roulette is the unpredictability and unknown of each spin and no system is ever going to guarantee you a win or a way around that.

Yet, the Martingale is one of the most popular and respected systems because it has a clear method that does work. If you have the budget, and don’t mind the smaller wins, it can ensure wins over a period.

It will require a lot of patience, particularly if you are only winning £1 at a time, but if you are happy to sit that out, then it can give you results. You will also need to be disciplined, and remember that each spin is independent. After four or five losses, sometimes players are convinced the next one will be different, but we know that it doesn’t work like that.

Overall, the Martingale system is a popular one, and very easy to use. It’s simple to remember – just double your stake every time you lose. The advantages and disadvantages are clear, and must be thoroughly considered before you decide to play. It’s up to you, but we think it takes away the magic and unknown of this casino classic, and it’s all about having fun.