Ever since the very first gambling games appeared, perhaps as early as 2500BC according to some, man has sought ways to improve his chances of winning. The creation of the modern-day casino has made this quest for profit more desirable because every single casino game gives the house the edge.
The house edge is the amount by which the casino is expected to win, and while some players might think it’s unfair the odds are stacked in the casinos’ favor, it’s to be expected. Without the house edge, there would simply be no casino. And in any event, far from closing down, new casinos are opening up.
With this in mind, gamblers seek to find any advantage they can to increase their chances of making a profit and reduce that house edge. One way is by following a betting system.
There are many betting systems out there, including the Fibonacci Method and the James Bond Strategy, named after the suave British spy. But by far the most popular of them all, because it’s easy to understand, is the Martingale Betting System
What is the Martingale Betting System?
This pattern-based betting system is most commonly used at the roulette tables, although you could use it for blackjack, too. It works where you have 50/50 bets, like red or black, odd or even, or 1-18 and 19-36 bets in roulette.
You start with a low bet amount; let’s say $1 for simplicity. If you back red and it comes in, you repeat the $1 bet on the same red bet or any other 50/50 bet for that matter. You keep pocketing your $1 profit each time until you lose. When you do, you must double the bet next time, so put down $2 on a 50/50 bet.
Things can get a little scary because you must keep doubling your starting bet every hand until you win a bet again. When that happens, you start back at $1 again and repeat.
On paper, the Martingale strategy for roulette, which you can use in a brick-and-mortar or online live casino, is profitable. With it, you will always get to a winning bet eventually, getting your money back, plus you will have pocketed various $1 wins along the way. Some people will go on a winning run and then walk away with a decent profit.
What Can Possibly Go Wrong with Martingale?
Unfortunately, quite a lot. You can’t keep losing 50/50 bets forever, so your fortunes will change eventually. But who is to say you won’t be hit with a freak run of losing bets? Very soon, the amount you need to wager to continue with the system skyrockets, perhaps crippling your bankroll before you have a chance to win your money back.
This shows how soon it can happen:
- Bet $1, lose
- Bet $2, lose
- Bet $4, lose
- Bet $8, lose
- Bet $16, lose
- Bet $32, lose
- Bet $64, lose
- Bet $128, lose
- Bet $256, lose
- Bet $512
With this example, we can see that, from a starting point of just $1, we need only lose nine roulette rounds in a row to face a bet of $512. That’s on top of all the money we have lost in the previous rounds!
Such losing streaks are not as uncommon as you think, so unless you have very deep pockets, you could lose everything fast.
There is a second problem. At most casinos, there will be a table stake limit. Imagine your horror if you started off low, kept losing up to the point of, say, needing to bet $1,000 to stick with the Martingale system, only to be told you cannot stake that much at the table. The whole betting system is lost!
Martingale Betting System in Blackjack
Although roulette is where the betting system is most effective, owing to its 50/50 odds (although strictly speaking, they are not 50/50 owing to the green zero segment), you can use Martingale in blackjack.
But you must be disciplined and not be tempted to double down during the game, split, take insurance when offered, or bet on any of the side bet tabs. Doing so means you are altering the amount you wager and not sticking to the rigid Martingale format.
Does the Martingale Betting System Work?
Strangely, yes, it will work, but only if you have a bottomless pit of money. If you can, hypothetically at least, afford to lose 500 bets in a row and pay the astronomical stakes until you win, then you’ll get your money back and perhaps profit with a few of those $1 wins along the way.
But it seems like an awfully stressful way to make a few bucks. Perhaps the best thing to do at the casino is accept the house edge for what it is – a tax on your evening’s casino entertainment. Anyone can make a profit in the short term by playing their normal game over one or several sessions, so just relax, enjoy yourself, and see if your luck’s in.
