Pros and Cons of Using the Martingale Roulette Strategy When Playing Online Roulette

Can you beat the casino with the Martingale roulette strategy? Do you have a better chance to beat the casino using the Martingale strategy if you’re playing online?  Can this strategy help your roulette play here at Springbok, THE no deposit casino for you?

Of all the roulette strategies, the Martingale strategy is the best-known and most popular online casino technique. The strategy dates back to the 18th century when it was used on coin flips. No one is certain of the strategy’s origins but it quickly gained popularity because, when the strategy is in place, the gambler wins his stake.

In short, regardless of the variation of the Martingale strategy that’s in place, the gambler doubles his bet after every loss. In that way, the first win recovers all previous losses and wins a profit equal to the original stake.

The most logical casino game to which to apply the martingale strategy is roulette since a player who bets on the color (black or red) or the number (odds or evens) has a 50% chance of hitting a win since there are only two bet options.  

The Martingale strategy is seen as a sure thing by its supporters. A gambler who can continue to double his bets will almost certainly eventually hit the right option and he can then win back his entire stake.

Origins

No one is certain how the Martingale Strategy got started but many historians believe that the name came from John Henry Martindale, a London casino owner who would win more often than he would lose. He would encourage visitors to his casino to place double value bets when they lost, claiming that, if they were patient, they would make back their losses.

One gambler who used the strategy to his advantage was Charles Wells, an English-French engineer who became rich in 1891 when he turned 4,000 France into 1,000,000 in 3 days of play at a Monte Carlo casino.

The Strategy

There are multiple variations of this strategy but all are appropriate for both online and brick-and-mortar casino roulette.  It doesn’t seem to matter in which type of casino you’re playing since the strategy is the same for both venues.

In its basic form, you double the value of your stake every time you have a losing bet. If you win, you go back to the value of your original bet. In roulette, you bet only on alternatives that give you double the stake back when you achieve a win – odds and evens or reds and blacks.

For example:

• If you place a $1 on the color “black” – if the ball comes to rest on a black section in the roulette wheel, you win.
• In the next round, you play with a $1 stake because you won.
• If you lose, you should double your next bet to $2 to make up for the 2nd round’s losses.
• Now, let’s say that your 2nd bet loses. On your third bet, you need to wager $4.
• If that $4 bet wins, go back to a $1 bet and start the process over again. In the meantime, you’ll come out $3 richer.

As you double your last stake on losses, you will maintain a net profit on your original bet. You’ll need a good-sized bankroll to be able to do this since, when doubling up, you’re not always guaranteed to see a win before you run out of money.

The Odds

Using that $1 bet as an example, after nine losses you will have spent $512 just to get your $1 back. On the other hand, the chances of losing nine times in a row are very low -- 1,000:1 which is uncommon. The risk is always there though and you have to factor that in when you decide how to play your game.

It makes no difference if you’re using the Martingale strategy on a roulette wheel online or on-site. The results come down to the amount of money you have to bet and the question of whether you’re willing to risk it all.

Here are some statistics for you to consider: Thirty rounds on the roulette wheel at $1 a bet on odds/evens or red/black, regardless if you win or lose, will bring you, on average, a 46% session profit. If you’re using the Martingale strategy your 30 spins would increase to an average 82% profit.

On the other hand, remember that strings of consecutive losses actually occur more often than you would think and such losses can bankrupt a gamer quickly.