Тhе ѕуѕtеm wоrkѕ оn thе рrіnсірlе thаt уоu саn іnсrеаѕе уоur сhаnсеѕ оf wіnnіng іn thе ѕhоrt tеrm bу bеttіng bіg tо wіn ѕmаll аmоuntѕ. Wіth thіѕ ѕуѕtеm, уоu wіll hаvе mоrе wіnnіng ѕеѕѕіоnѕ thаt lоѕіng ѕеѕѕіоnѕ, but уоur wіnѕ wіll bе fаіrlу ѕmаll. Соnvеrѕеlу, іf уоu hаvе а lоѕіng ѕеѕѕіоn thе lоѕѕеѕ mау bе fаіrlу ѕіgnіfісаnt, but unfоrtunаtеlу, thеrе іѕ nо ѕuсh thіng аѕ а fооl рrооf ѕtrаtеgу thаt wіll guаrаntее thаt уоu аlwауѕ wіn.
Тhе Маrtіngаlе ѕуѕtеm іѕ mоѕt соmmоnlу uѕеd оn оutѕіdе bеtѕ, оr еvеn сhаnсе bеttіng. Тhеѕе аrе bеtѕ ѕuсh аѕ Rеd/Вlасk, Оdd/Еvеn, аnd 1-18/19-36. Іf уоu fоllоw thе Маrtіngаlе ѕуѕtеm thеn уоu mау ѕtаrt wіth а bеt оf 1 оn Rеdѕ, іf іt lоѕеѕ уоu dоublе іt tо 2, thеn 4, thеn 8 аnd ѕо оn. Ве аwаrе, thаt thе ѕіzе оf thе bеtѕ іnсrеаѕеѕ vеrу quісklу, аftеr јuѕt 14 bеtѕ уоu wіll bе bеttіng 8192 оn а ѕріn (luсkіlу thеrе аrе Rоulеttе tаblеѕ thаt wіll аllоw уоu tо bеt аѕ lіttlе аѕ £0.01). Іn gеnеrаl, іt іѕ wоrth ѕtаrtіng wіth thе lоwеѕt роѕѕіblе bеt аllоwеd bу thе tаblе.
Following this system, you would keep betting until you win. Then you would return to your original bet of £1 for the next round. Remember, you can make it more interesting by changing what you are betting on, but you need to make sure that you are placing bets that have the same odds.
Theoretically, if you follow this system you will always come out on top. But it is essential to remember how quickly your losses can add up. If you start with a bet of £1 and lose ten bets in a row then you have already made loses of £1023. Then, when you win, your profit will be just £1. This is what is meant by betting big to win small. However, if you enjoy the thrill of the game and you are not looking to score a huge win then there is no reason not to use this system.
Another trap that players fall into is the belief that it is highly unlikely to lose 10 Red or Black bets in a row. However, if you look at the odds then you will realise that it really isn’t that unlikely. If you are betting on Black on a European Roulette table there is a 1 in 784 chance that you will not win for ten spins in a row. Another detail that can’t be ignored is the presence of the green 0, you could have a run of four Reds, a Zero and then five more Reds, leaving you without a Black.
If these odds are starting to put you off then don’t worry. You need to remember that the odds at the start are 1 in 784 but they are very quickly reduced. On the first spin there is a 1 in 784 chance of not hitting a Black for ten spins, but after the fifth spin the odds are dramatically reduced as you have already had five losing spins. That said, long streaks of the same colour do occur.
By changing the system slightly, it is possible to use the Martingale on the Dozens and Column bets. Each of these bets covers 12 numbers and will normally payout at 2:1, so if you bet 1 you win 3. To use the Martingale on these bets you need to change the progression slightly so it looks like this:
1 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 6 – 9 – 14 – 21 – 31 – 47 – 70 – 105 – 158 – 237 – 355.
The system needs to be changed as the maths is not as straightforward as it is for the even payout bets. As a result, the profits from a win vary between 1 and 2 depending on where you are in the progression. Here is a small table showing you the first few stages:
Bet Placed Total Loss Profit if Bet Wins
1 1 2
1 2 1
2 4 2
3 7 2
4 11 1
With this system, after fifteen consecutive losses your total loss would be 709 and your next bet would need to be 355 to cover the previous losses. That means that your total bet would need to be 1064, again a very large bet for something that covers less than a third of the table.
Once again, it sounds like there must be a very small chance of fifteen spins in a row without a Dozen or Column bet winning, but the odds are surprisingly short. Playing on a European Roulette table the odds are 1 in 358.
In other words, it is far more likely to go fifteen spins without a Dozen/Column bet winning than it is to go 10 spins without a Red/Black bet winning. As a result, if you are strictly following the odds and on a limited bankroll then the system works far better on even chance bets.
Another variation is to use the system on double Dozen or Column bets, in other words you bet on two Dozens or two Columns simultaneously. This would use the bet progression: 1 – 3 – 9 – 27 – 81- 243. You need to place the same bet on both Dozens or both Columns at the same time.
This system covers over half of the Roulette wheel so you will win more than half of your bets and that makes it quite a good system. The problem is the rate at which the size of bets increase. You are tripling your bet after each loss so after just six bets you will have lost 728. On a European Roulette table there is a 1 in 531 chance of placing six losing bets in a row. Once again, the use of this system very much depends on your bankroll and how much you can afford to lose.
Whatever type of bet you are placing, when using the Martingale system you have to be aware of table limits. All Roulette games have table limits and once you have reached the maximum bet you can no longer follow the progression. You have to keep this in mind when choosing your starting bet, as you will need to leave yourself space to keep doubling in the event of a losing streak.
When playing with the Martingale system on Outside Bets you are not going to win a huge amount of money. However, if you are playing for fun rather than to get rich, and you manage your bankroll sensibly then it is a great way to have fun knowing that in the end, you should come out with enough money to keep playing.
The system can also be adapted to work with inside bets. The progressions are of course different and the odds become extremely complicated. However, here is a table of the different bet types and the progression that you should use.
Bet Type Progression
Line Bet 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 3 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 10 – 12 – 14 – 17 – 21 – 25 – 30
Corner Bet 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 3 – 3 – 4 – 4 – 5 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 12 – 14 – 16 – 18 – 20 – 23
Three Number Bet 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 5 – 5 – 6 – 6 – 7 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 – 16
Split Bet 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 6 – 6 – 6 – 7 – 7 – 8 – 8 – 9 – 9 – 10 – 10 – 11
Single Number 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 6 – 6 – 6 – 6 – 6 – 6
By now you should understand the Martingale system, its advantages and disadvantages. In short, it requires you to place big bets to win small amounts of money, and the system can be destroyed by table limits. On the other hand, with proper management of your bankroll and enough patience, the system will see you come out on top in the end.
