Martingale Roulette Strategy | The Complete Beginner’s Guide in 2024

Are you a roulette player looking to play more strategically? As a casino game, it is based on fate and randomness and there is little within the player’s direct control. However, one can still apply a winning strategy. In this guide, you’ll learn how to apply the Martingale strategy roulette and all the details to this popular betting system. Next time you’re at the roulette tables, remember what experts at MySer-Gambling have taught you! 

Fundamentals of Playing the Strategy

The Martingale roulette strategy is a very simple betting system to follow. In fact, many gamblers might be using it without even realizing they are! It is one of the most well-known strategies but despite its popularity, experienced gamblers rarely use this strategy. These folks are well acquainted with the risk.  

It is recommended that the Martingale should only be used with even money bets where the odds of landing your bet are close to 50/50. For example, reds/blacks, highs/lows, or odds/evens. How it works is with every loss, the player doubles their bet. With a win, the player goes back to their initial bet – pretty simple, right? The Martingale hinges on the idea that at some point, you will land a win and recoup any losses that incurred on your way there. 

There are also variations on the Martingale, such as the Reverse Martingale strategy roulette where the player doubles their bet with every win and returns to their initial bet after a loss. Then, there’s the Grand Martingale, which is the same as the Martingale but on a larger scale so the bets will be a larger sum.  

Pros and Cons to the Martingale

Of course, as with anything in life, there are pros and cons of Martingale strategy roulette. Starting with the pros, this strategy is easy to understand and easy to follow. There aren’t many steps to follow or remember, as say, the Labouchere method, which is quite involved. In addition, it is a sound strategy in theory. If you’re placing even money bets, then the odds are about 50/50 that your bet will land. Let’s say you bet on black – what are the odds that red will land 5 or more times in a row? Sounds unlikely, so at some point any losing streak will end. When it does, you will recoup your losses and perhaps some profit.  

Hold that thought as we discuss the cons. The truth is that the Martingale has a very steep progression so players can run out of money very quickly. While theoretically the strategy is sound, the truth is losing streaks do occur quite often. And before you know it, your initial bet of $10 could go up to a thousand-dollar stake. Your bet amount could even exceed the maximum table limit and throw off the strategy. 

An article published on the gambling site, Wizard of Odds, illustrated an experiment where a coin was flipped 200 times. What they found was that streaks happen a lot more frequently than one might think. In fact, the probability that the coin landed on heads or tails 7 times in a row was 80%. Therefore, the chances that you hit a losing streak are actually very high. Let’s say you start off with a $10 bet on red. After 7 losses, your bet increases to $640 and your losses total $1270! As this example shows, the Martingale is a very aggressive strategy that comes with a lot of risk.  

There are people way smarter than me who have delved into the Martingale roulette expected value of payouts. What they’ve found is that in the long run, players lose each time they play this strategy. You can play around with a Martingale strategy roulette calculator online to calculate the suggested bet amount after a loss. What this calculator ultimately shows is that an infinite bankroll is necessary to come out on top.  

At first glance, its simplicity may give the illusion that it’s a safe strategy to employ. However, as you now know, the Martingale is a very aggressive strategy that comes with some serious risk. Some say the Martingale is worth it if you want frequent small wins. However, the flipside is that you must be comfortable risking large losses and that doesn’t sound like an attractive trade off by any means. 

Different Roulette Strategies

With that being said, the Martingale is just one of many different strategies that players can use when playing roulette. All have their own methodology and pros/cons that make them appealing.  

One such strategy is the D’Alembert. Similar to the Martingale, this is a progressive betting system. With each loss, the player increases the bet by one unit. With each win, the player decreases the bet by one unit. In contrast with the Martingale, this is a flat progression system, so it is much more conservative, less aggressive, and, therefore, less risky.  

Another is the Fibonacci. Just like the D’Alembert, this is a flat progression system, but it follows the famed Fibonacci sequence:  

1 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 8 – 13 – 21 – 34 – 55 … 

With each loss, the player increases their bet to the next number in the sequence. After a win, the player goes back two numbers in the sequence. This is one of the safest strategies out there.  

Then, there’s the James Bond, which focuses on covering a good portion of the available bets to increase the odds in your favor. This is a good strategy if you don’t plan to spend a long time at the tables and want to play a quick round. Play this strategy with multiples of $200. Place $140 on highs, $50 on line bet from 13 to 18 and $10 on zero. By covering most of the table, the player only loses if the ball lands between 1 and 12. This is a great beginner strategy.  

Ready to Play

There you have it! The Martingale strategy roulette summary and breakdown of the pros and cons. If you are keen on trying this strategy in gameplay, we encourage you to play a demo game before playing real money roulette. Even if you do not end up using the Martingale regularly, it’s a smart idea to know many different strategies. The best roulette player is an informed roulette player. Knowledge and experience will get you far in the world of gambling! Make sure to read our other articles on roulette strategies like the D’Alembert and Fibonacci to become more of an expert roulette player. Happy Gambling! 

FAQ: Martingale Roulette Strategy