What is the Martingale Online Casino Strategy?
Of all the betting systems that have been invented for roulette, the simplest is probably the Martingale. Online casino fans may in fact use it, or a variation of it, on several games, but it was originally invented for roulette, and that is the game with which it is still primarily identified. The Martingale online casino system has one basic rule: double up after any losses.
The logic is deceptively simple: the even-money bets in roulette (odds/evens, red/black, 1-18/19-36) have a chance of winning that is only slightly less than 50% (because the 0 or 00 will lose, whichever way an even-money bet is placed). So if a player guesses wrong and places a losing bet, there’s the same chance that the next bet will win.
By doubling the stake and betting on the same option, the player will recoup the previous loss and still show a profit equal to the initial bet. If the second bet loses, the player doubles up again, because the same principle will operate. So, presuming that a winning bet occurs before a player’s money runs out, the player will always make a profit, however small.
Are there Any Drawbacks?
The Martingale online casino betting system is the easiest to learn, but it is by no means fool-proof. There are also variations like the reverse Martingale, which involves doubling up after wins, not losses, and other versions of the system that raise or lower stakes by arithmetic, rather than geometric, progressions. However, the one thing they all have in common is that they all require deep pockets. A run of nine or ten successive losses is unfortunate, but in no way statistically improbable.
A player who starts off betting five chips and who suffers even eight successive losses will require more than 1 200 chips to place a ninth bet: for the chance of a five-chip profit. That is, of course, assuming that the player is at a roulette table that offers bets as low as five chips and as high as 1 200 on the same even-money chances. So a Martingale online casino system, to work effectively, requires two things: a player with massive reserves who is content to play for small wins on big stakes, and a casino that does not impose a maximum bet limit on its even-money options.
Complexity versus Effectiveness
The Martingale online casino betting system does have one important point in its favour: its simplicity. Anyone can do it with no practice, as long as they have a big enough bankroll and are playing at a casino with no table limits. There are many other roulette betting systems, however, some of which allow players to spread more bets around the table, thus increasing their odds of a win at a payout a lot better than even money.
Most of these systems are quite complex, though, so it may take lots of practice before a player can use them effectively while playing for money. This helps explain why the Martingale remains a popular betting system among online roulette players who are looking for uncomplicated casino entertainment.