February 9, 2021

What Is The Martingale Strategy in Gambling?

Everyone who places wagers wants to discover a smarter way of betting. One approach you might like to consider is a progressive strategy like Martingale.

How does it work and what are your chances of winning with it?

How Does It Work?

This is a progressive betting system, which means that you double your stake every time that you lose. Once you win, you go back to your original wager amount. So, if you start playing roulette in this way with $1, you will increase to $2 and then $4 after successive losses. If you win on the next game, with an $8 wager, the stake then goes back to $1.

It is best used on bets that are even money, or close to it. On roulette, you will want to use it on the likes of red, black, odd, or even, etc. You can also use Martingale on blackjack if you like, as the odds of winning any hand are close to evens.

As well as in these games, the Martingale strategy can also be seen in other areas such as investments in the financial markets. However, it is most commonly seen in the betting world, where a lot of people have faith in it as the best betting strategy.

The Possible Benefits

A look at the numbers around this strategy gives us an encouraging start. If we look at the example from earlier, you would have bet $16 to win $1. Basically, you are betting a fairly large amount to win a small profit.

The numbers certainly stack up, and most studies suggest that Martingale should eventually give you a win. It is a question of keeping ongoing and raising the stakes until you hit a win that recovers any losses and gives you some profit.

Of course, the results are better if you get the win more quickly. If you win on your first spin or hand, the profit is gained immediately. The key is in then starting again with the original stake and trying to make another chunk of profit.

The Potential Drawbacks

No betting system is perfect, and Martingale is no exception. The biggest risk here is that a losing streak can see your stake increase rapidly. 5 or 6 losses in a row and you could start worrying that you might not be able to keep raising the stake much longer before you go bust.

Therefore, you need to have a decent amount of funds in your account to play with this strategy. If you start off with a small amount, you could run out of cash before you grab a win. There is also the fact that some tables have betting limits that you might reach if you have a really unlucky run of losses.

Who Does It Suit?

As we have seen, the Martingale Strategy suits someone who wants to play roulette or blackjack. You will need to the patient too, as it can take some time to build up profits as you play. This isn’t a way of getting rich on a single spin of the roulette spin or one hand of blackjack.

You will also need to start off with a decent amount of funds in your betting account, to lower the risk of running out of cash following a losing streak.

If this sounds like it is right for you then you might like to give it a try. Just remember to stick to the progressive nature of the strategy by choosing your next stake wisely.

If you like the idea but aren’t fully convinced, you could look into alternative strategies like Fibonacci, the James Bond system, and the reverse Martingale.

For further info visit TwinSpires.com to learn what is martingale strategy.

About the author 

Peter Hatch


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