Many "Roulette Systems" Are Based on the Martingale System

Published on March 31st, 2017 6:11 pm EST


If you have ever come across a web site or email that is touting a "roulette system", chances are that they are pushing a system that is based on the "Martingale System".

With the "Martingale System", players place progressively larger bets after they lose. The idea is that eventually you will win, thereby making up all of your previously lost bets.

For instance - let's say that you walk up to a roulette wheel and decide to put down $20 on red. You end up losing, so you put down $40 on red. You lose again. You bet $80 on red and win this time, which gives you $80 in profit.

So, you lost $20 and $40 before winning $80 in profit, which gives you a total profit of $20 for your three bets.

As mentioned, most "roulette systems" will tout a Martingale-like system, where you put progressively bigger bets down until you eventually win.

The problem with this strategy, of course, is that you will eventually suffer through a bad enough run that will wipe out your entire bankroll. This isn't just a possibility - instead, it's a mathematical certainty. Could you survive 10 straight losing bets until the Martingale system? Could you survive 20 straight losing bets?

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The Martingale system works perfectly fine until it doesn't - you could be cruising along, making perfectly good money and then you run into a string of bad spins that wipes you out.

Could you walk away after losing five straight spins? Probably not - you'll probably want to keep putting down bigger and bigger bets until you win your money back. The problem is that the wheel can go against you for a much longer period of time than your bankroll can remain solvent.

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If you are going to play roulette, the best way to go is to devise a "system" that allows you to maximize your enjoyment without destroying your bankroll. This might involve lowering, not increasing, the size of your bets when you are losing.

As always, have fun at the table!