The Martingale strategy refers to betting on a game outcome with two possibilities with roughly equal probability. It’s more widely used in roulette because it works best when you can bet on 50/50 odds or as close to them as you can. For example, you could bet on red or black, odd or even, or the 1-18 or 19-36 number groups at almost 50/50 odds in roulette. You don’t technically get 50/50, however, because of the green zero number.
Following the Martingale system in roulette is straightforward. Start with a low bet amount of, for example, £1. If you win, repeat. But if you lose, bet £2 next time. You keep doubling your bet amount until you win again. Once you do, you go back to £1 and start over. The concept is that you will continue to get your money back while keeping the profits from your £1 wins. While this may be true, the only way to guarantee a profit from the system is to leave after your first profitable win.
You don’t have to make the same 50/50 bit over and over again. For example, while reasoning indicates a 50/50 chance of it being black or red at the start of each round, you don’t have to keep backing black until it hits. The fact that the last number was black does not make the next number more or less red.
Does Martingale Work for Roulette?
Yes, because betting options in Roulette offer almost even chances, the Martingale Strategy can be used there. But, in terms of winning, does it work? Not with confidence, as you should have figured out by now. What works and what doesn’t work, on the other hand, has a lot of interesting characteristics. I’ll go over everything in detail further down. There are multiple bets in Roulette with varied chances and, as a result, variable rewards for what you bet if you win.
The game is based on the spinning Roulette wheel, A ball is cast and allowed to roll around the wheel a few times before landing in one of 37 or 38 (depending on the Roulette variant) little boxes containing numbers ranging from 1 to 36. For American Roulette, the remaining box, or boxes, are 0 and 00. Except for 0 and 00, each number has a colour allocated to it. Furthermore, in a real casino, each number is odd or even, but we obtain 0 and 00, which are neither odd nor even. You can also wager on single numbers and groups of numbers, but the odds are too far from 50/50 to be helpful.
We can remain with the red-or-black bet as well as the odd-or-even bet for analysis. In both circumstances, the odds of winning are 18/37 (or 18/38 in American Roulette), while the odds of losing are 19/37 (or 20/38 in American Roulette). The crucial thing to remember is that a win in both of these circumstances (types of bets) equals the amount wagered. So if you bet £10 and win, you’ll get your money back plus an extra £10.
The house advantage is the slight probability difference in the player’s favour, which I’ll explore shortly. This talk, however, will be quick because its importance to the Martingale approach in Roulette is minor, so I’ll just disregard it for now.

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Steps in the Martingale Strategy for Roulette
- To employ the Martingale Strategy for Roulette, you follow these steps:
- You pick a type of bet that offers the win-what-you-bet return as described above
- You bet the base amount (e.g. £10) in the first round on one of the outcomes.
- It doesn’t matter which outcome you bet on. Just choose red or black, odd or even, as you like.
- If you win, you bet the base amount again.
- If you lose, you double your bet in the following round, i.e. £20 after one loss, £40 after two subsequent losses
- As soon as you win after a couple of subsequent losses, you return to the base amount for the bet in the following round.
These steps are followed until one of the following things happens:
- You keep losing subsequent rounds until you lose all your money
- You decide to walk away
You’ll either have a net win or a net loss. Below, I show you graphs for probabilities of winning or losing as the number of rounds increases and you keep playing. But before that, there are a couple of other things that need clarification.
Using the Martingale System
Only bet on even-money outer bets — 1-18, 19-36, Red, Black, Even, and Odd – to use the Martingale effectively. They have the best chance of winning (almost 50%), but the smallest payment — 1:1. This means you’ll win the same amount you bet on the spin. In general, those are the safest wagers you can make in a roulette game. If you want to try your hand at these forms of wagers, go to one of the best online casino sites.

Is the Martingale System Allowed in Casinos?
In theory, the Martingale system is legal in casinos. But, exactly, what does “in principle” imply? It means that you can place your bets according to the rules of that specific Roulette table in that specific casino. So, what does that imply? In a genuine casino, this means that there are rules and limits for the types of bets that can be put at a Roulette table. Of course, we can simulate an endless number of bets (don’t worry, we’ll still do that and look at the most general situation). Still, when interpreting the results or even setting the simulation, we’ll have to consider actual restrictions at simple Roulette tables in actual casinos.
Is it Legal to Use the Martingale System for Casino Betting?
For online casinos, the Martingale system is legal. This system is neither illegal nor prohibited. As a result, individuals aren’t concerned about legality. Instead, it is the advantages and disadvantages that influence the winning rates. The Martingale technique is known to increase your odds of winning. However, it comes with several limitations that limit its application. When you hold a winning hand, the rules become more stringent.
How can the Martingale system fail?
While it’s true that you have to win a 50/50 bet at some time, you can never predict a streak of bad luck. Using the Martingale technique to double your bet every round can quickly build up. Consider a ten-bet losing streak (not unheard of):
By the time the tenth bet comes around, you’ll have to put down £512 – which we think you can afford, even though you’ve already lost £511. And don’t even think of losing another spin Because the next needed bet is £1,024!
But let’s pretend for a second that you have a large bankroll and can keep playing no matter how high the stakes climb until you win and recoup your losses.
Hidden Dangers When Using Martingale
As previously stated, the Martingale technique is regarded as exceedingly hazardous and is only utilised by a small percentage of experienced players. If you use it, the primary problem is that you can quickly run out of money – only a few rounds if terrible luck strikes. Furthermore, most online live roulette UK tables have betting restrictions, which you are highly likely to hit after a long losing run, preventing you from doubling up and recovering your losses. This is when the Martingale system fails miserably and can lead to a slew of issues.
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