The Martingale Betting Strategy for Casino Gaming

3 years ago
The Martingale Betting Strategy for Casino Gaming
08:34
04 Feb

Most regular punters are familiar with the Martingale strategy, even if not by its exact name. Even today, when nearly all of us have access to incredible computers with an inexhaustible supply of information on every topic, there is still debate on this betting strategy. 

Casino fans around the world have all heard of this system. The casinos found on https://www.netentcasinonodepositbonus.com/netent-casinos/games/video-poker/ have no doubt all been used to experiment with the strategy over the years.

There is also debate on the difference between theory and practice. Some argue that the Martingale strategy only works on paper but doesn’t stand a chance in the real world due to the large bets that are sometimes needed.


History and How it Works

So what is the Martingale betting strategy and where did it come from? You might be surprised to hear that it is in fact from France in the pre-revolutionary era. It was a massively popular strategy amongst roulette players from that same time period. 

The key to the Martingale betting system is to use it in a game where the odds of success are in the region of 50% every time. If you win the bet then your next bet remains the same size. On the other hand, if you lose then you double the bet size.

This doubling gives you the chance to win back your lost stake from the first bet. If you win the second bet then you reset your bet size back to the original size and the system starts from the beginning.

If you win your first bet your bet size remains the same. It only increases after a losing bet. 

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? After all, what are the chances of not hitting a win once every few bets. If only it were so simple.


Games to Use the Martingale Strategy on

The classic example for the Martingale system is betting on red or black on a roulette table. This is as close to 50% as you will likely see for a game. The exact odds are 48.6% for European roulette and 47.4% for an American wheel where there are a green 0 and 00.

Blackjack, baccarat, and craps are all suitable as well.

Some of you might already be thinking about sports betting using this strategy where the odds are rarely 50%. As you will see below this is not as simple as you think. 


Issues with the Martingale Strategy

The principles of the Martingale betting system are as sound as you could wish for. Mathematically, everything checks out just fine. The problem is that people massively underestimate just how often bad runs happen.

Most gamblers, particularly those who never look deep into any betting related mathematics, would assume that in almost every case a result such as seven or eight in a row losses would be the worst expected run. 

Could you imagine a roulette wheel landing 10 or more times in a row on red? Well, it does happen, and a lot more frequently than you expect.

The other issue is the huge sums required to keep the system going, and not to mention that fact that it might get difficult to get your money on in the first place if the bet is massive.

Imagine using this system for horse racing where you bet on the favourite every time. It sounds unlikely that a series of races would extend by more than a few until a favourite won, but again, it does happen frequently enough.

If your unit size is $1 and you lose 11 bets in a row, you will have to bet $1,024 just to clear your losses. It’s up to you if you have the stomach to hold out on such a streak. We wish you luck!


Summary

If you try the Martingale strategy out, a couple of things are guaranteed to happen. Firstly you will experience some massive streaks of good fortune, and you also receive a vivid wake-up call about the reality of how often your luck can turn sour and for how long.

Appreciate that there is a reason why this system isn’t being used by all and sundry. 

Before you try any kind of new betting strategy, you should do a test using play chips. Don’t forget to check out NetEnt for some casino suggestions where you can try the games out for free.


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Mark from London in the UK is a professional cash game player, and part time journalist. A massive chess fan and perpetual traveller.Read more

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