The Martingale Betting System
Introduction: The Martingale Betting System
The principle of the Martingale betting system is that the player makes a bet. If he loses, he doubles the next bet. If he loses again, he once more doubles that complete bet. The idea is to keep going until you win back, not only all your losses but also the bet itself. Keep in mind that this is a betting system, so don’t confuse it with a money management system. This is most definitely is not! The Martingale strategy is often applied to roulette as well, as the probability of hitting either red or black is close to 50%.
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An Example of the Martingale Betting System
Imagine you are sat in the casino. You’re playing on a $5 minimum table. The maximum possible bet is $500. So, if you’re a proponent of the Martingale betting system, your betting might look as follows:
You bet $5 and you lose, so:
Your next bet is $10. If you lose:
Your next bet is $20. If you lose:
Your next bet is $40. If you lose:
Your next bet is $80. If you lose:
Your next bet is $160. If you lose:
Your next bet is $320. If you lose:
Your next bet is $640….
Beware Bet Size Rises Exponentially
In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to forget, but with the Martingale betting system, the bet size rises exponentially. As most casinos have a $5 table minimum bet even to play, and also have an upper limit of $500, it would take you a mere 8 losses to be above the table limit. And even if you could go higher than the table limit, you would be spending $640 to win back $5! That’s bonkers. But you would of already “invested” $635 in your previous bets. Looking at the cold hard numbers, it’s difficult to actually call it a “system”, as that might imply some sort of benefit.
The Martingale Betting System: The Roulette Table
Yes, we’re sure that you’ll find some people claiming to have had great success with the Martingale betting system. And maybe they have been lucky over the short term. But, sooner, rather than later, reality will intercede and they and they’re bankroll will come crashing down to earth. In roulette, it’s common to see people using this technique, mainly for betting on the red/black. Now the standard US roulette wheel has a zero and double zero. This means that the house has an edge of 5.56%. To pick the right color, you’re already looking at 18:20 odds. With the house edge, it means that the chances of a losing streak are going to be higher than those of a winning one.
About Streaks in Gambling
Streaks, winning or otherwise, can happen at any time. Whether it’s all the traffic lights turning green as you approach them in your car, or winning five spins at the roulette table in a row, they are a possibility. The problem is that many gamblers believe that the chances of losing 6 in a row are remote. But in reality, the odds of a streak of 6 losses in a row are much higher than many people intuitively believe. There have been psychological studies that show that since people know that the odds of losing 6 times in a row out of 6 plays are low, they then go on to incorrectly assume, that in a long string of plays, the odds are also very low. This is the classic “gamblers fallacy”.
Better Odds With Different Games
Have said that using this system is a hiding to nothing, it can be more successful at different games. For example, using the Martingale betting system when playing blackjack will produce better results than play, say, at the roulette table. In blackjack, there’s the chance to get a 21. Here you’ll be paid out 3:2 on your bets. You could also get a double-down or a split, which would really start to increase your bankroll.
Conclusion: The Martingale Betting System
Because the Martingale betting system is facing the house edge, it can never win. Theoretically, maybe, but that would assume you having an infinite bankroll to make an infinite number of bets played over an infinite amount of time. Not really a real-world situation. For those of you who want to try something different, but the same, then there’s always the “Reverse Martingale betting system”. Exactly the same as the above, except that you’ll be doubling your winning bets as opposed to your losing ones. But remember, that repeating something stupid in the hope of a different result, just makes you an idiot!
The system works on online gambling sites as well, so check out how to win the jackpot online and use your newly learned tricks.
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