The Martingale system is one of the most famous betting strategies. It originated in France and has been used for about two centuries. The system is not just used in casinos; some people have applied it in investment and other ventures where the odds are 1:1. The Martingale system is not designed to help you win huge sums of money. Instead, it is meant to help you win small amounts of money consistently. Also, it is supposed to reduce the chances of ending up with losses.
Martingale Betting System Explained
This betting system is used on even money outside bets. In roulette, these are:
- Red or Black
- Odd or Even
- 1-18 or 19-36
In the Martingale system, you have to double the next bet if you lose. For example, if you start with 2 chips and lose, you will stake 4 chips in the next round. If you still lose, you have to stake 8 chips in the following round. This should go on until you eventually win. If you win, the system is reset to a new starting bet.
Whenever you win, you will recover all your losses and win one extra chip.
Does Martingale Work as a Gambling Strategy?
In theory, the Martingale system would be effective all the time. However, in the long-term, the house will win since it has some advantage over the player. Even bets in roulette don’t have a 50% probability as most novice players imagine. The exact probability is slightly lower, and this means the house will win most of the times.
A good way to apply this system would be to check how much money you are willing to spend for the entire session, and split it into small units. That way, you will not run out of money in the first few sessions. You will have more chances of winning, and this means you will have more opportunities of recovering your losses.
If you choose to start with a large unit, you will quickly run out of money in the first few rounds since you will have to double the bets. For example, if you start the game with 10 chips and lose the first round, you will have to bet 20 chips. At this point, you will have lost 30 chips already. If you are on a losing streak, you will spend a lot of money on the game and might still end up losing money at the end of the day.
The Limitations of the Martingale System
Like all gambling strategies, the Martingale System has its limitations. As noted, one of the biggest limitations is the fact that you may end up running out of money before recovering your losses.
You should also note that the system only guarantees you a small win at the end of every round. Even if you have to bet with 200 chips, you will only win an amount equal to the original bet. The rest of the money will cover the losses you incurred along the way. In reality, the system involves risking huge sums of money with the hope of winning small amounts of money.
The system is also designed for games where the player has a 50% probability of winning, like the toss of a coin. In roulette, this is not the case. The real probability of winning in a 1:1 bet is around 48%, and this small difference leads to the frequent losses. It is easy to run into a losing streak and run out of money.
You also need to consider the roulette limits imposed by the casino. Even if you place a very small bet at the start of the game, you may lose too many times and get limited by the table maximum. If you reach this point, it is possible for you to move to a table with higher limits, but you may still reach the maximum bet allowed at that new table. You would need to find a table with infinite maximum bets for this strategy to work.
Conclusion
There are many online gambling sites which allow people to play games for free. You can try to apply the Martingale system in one of these casinos. That way, you will be able to determine how reliable the system is.