Roulette betting strategies and systems are used by players to control their spending, manage their bankroll, and potentially improve their odds of winning. There are countless strategies out there, and they all claim that they work, but the reality is that there is no strategy that guarantees you will win all the time.

Roulette is a game of chance, so it’s virtually impossible to win all the time if you don’t have a dose of luck. But, some of these strategies have been proven to be effective in the short run, or at least as ways to manage your bankroll better. The most popular one is the Martingale Strategie, an old system that has been used for decades, and focuses on increasing the size of the wager after losing. The idea is that, if you double the size of the wager, you will make up for all the consecutive losses once you win. But does it work? Is the Martingale the best betting strategy for roulette? That’s what we are here to find out.

How the Martingale Strategie Works

The idea behind the Martingale roulette system is really simple: you double your wager until you win. You should start with a small-enough bet, though, because the bet sizes can grow pretty quickly. Also, you should only bet on even-money bets like Red/Blacks, or any other even-money bet. 

The plan of the strategy is that when you eventually win, that one win will cover all the previous losses, and you will profit exactly the amount you started with. So, if you started with $1, regardless of how much the bet size grows, you will win $1.

In practice, the system would work like this:

• Let’s stay you start with a $1 bet on Red. You lose. You now wager $2.
• You lose again. You now wager $4. Unfortunately, you lose again.
• You wager $8 on the same bet type, but you lose again. The next bet is $16.
• You lose again, so you now have to wager $32. You do that, and you finally win.
• You have won exactly $64. That’s enough to cover all your losses (1+2+4+8+16+32 = 63), and you make $1 in profit.

Sounds perfect, right? Unfortunately, this strategy has some serious pitfalls that hurt it in the long run.

The Ups and Downs of the Martingale Strategie

The best thing about the Martingale is that it gives you a sense of control because you have a clear path to follow. You either double the bet, or get back to the start. The logic seems foolproof, and it can indeed be a great option in the short run. The strategy can help you bounce back quickly and win some cash. But, let’s check some of the downsides:

Long sessions can be costly: The biggest problem is that a long losing streak can deplete your bankroll very quickly. You might not think that it’s possible to lose 10 times in a row, but roulette is a game of chance – so it’s very realistic that you might lose many times in a row. Yes, you will eventually bounce back, but you might run of money by then.

Hitting the table limits: Even if you were to play with unlimited budget, the single biggest problem of the Martingale are table limits. The majority of roulette tables have lower and upper table limits. This means that there’s a maximum you can wager at any point. If the table limit is set to $100, for example, and the Martingale strategy requires you to wager $128 in the next round, you will run out of options. This means that you will have to count your losses and end the session.

The strategy does not change the odds: Regardless of which roulette variant you play, be it the European, American, or any other, the Martingale strategie does not alter the odds. There’s still a house edge, which means that in the long run, the house will win. As always, you need luck on your side to come out as a winner.

Alternatives to the Martingale Strategie

The Martingale strategy is considered a high-risk one, so if you’re not comfortable with the high risks associated with it, there are other betting systems you can try that might suit you better. Check them out below.

Oscar’s Grind

This strategy is the epitome of ‘slow and steady wins the race’. It’s a grind, so the idea is to increase the wager size by just one unit if you win. Again, you only bet on even-money bets, and in the case of a loss, the bet size is the same. A round is completed when you make a profit of just 1 unit. This is a much slower strategy than the Martingale, but also much less risky.

D’Alembert Strategy

The approach in D’Alembert is much gentler than in the Martingale system. Here, you increase the bet by each loss, but by 1 unit only. Also, if you win, you decrease the wager size by 1 unit. This way, you will have more control over your bankroll and it’s much less likely to lose all your bankroll quickly.

Reverse Martingale

Many consider the Reverse Martingale strategy to be better than the original Martingale. Here, you’re riding on winning streaks, rather than chasing losses. This system is also known as the Paroli, and here, you double the wager size after each win. If you lose, the wager goes back to the original unit size. Again, it might involve sizable bets, but you can decide to stop whenever you want to and come out in profit – which is the key to this strategy.