In the game of Roulette, the martingale system of betting is one of the most popular betting strategies. It is important to know the pros and cons involved in this betting system.
Placing bets according to the Martingale system
This betting strategy is utilised on the outside bets which include odd/even bets, black/red bets, high/low bets. The inside bets provide winning odds of 50% but generally have a very low payout. If the player wins a payout of 1:1, he gets the same amount he has placed his bet on. If the player has placed his bet on the black number and wins the game, he wins an amount worth the black bet along with another chip.
The Martingale system has its own share of risks but it is easily understood by the players. In online Roulette, the player can apply this strategy to maximise his winnings.
How the Martingale system functions
Martingale betting system is based on the Roulette doubling strategy. In this method, the player puts his bet on one of the outside bets. Upon losing one round, he doubles up his bet and continues doing so till he wins the game. Upon winning, he can cover up the losses incurred during the game and win an amount worth the original bet. The player again starts the game with the original bet and applies this same strategy till he wins the round.
Doubling the bets
If the player places a bet on the black number but the ball in the Roulette wheel lands on red, he loses the game. He can place another bet on the black number which amounts to two black bets. In other words, he doubles the amount. If the ball lands on black, the player wins an amount worth the original bet and uses another black chip to make up for the losses that occurred during the game. But if the ball again lands on red, the player doubles the amount and places four black bets. The same process is repeated during the whole game. This can continue forever- the player doubles his bet upon his first loss after securing his first win, gets one chip and uses the other one to recover from the losses. In theory, the Martingale betting system can be effective but in actuality, it's easier said than done. There are a lot of external factors that affect the gameplay and can have both positive or negative influences on the game.
There is no obvious answer to prove whether the betting strategy will be a hit or flop in the actual game. But the player must remember that the odds of a green zero play against the player. His chances of the ball landing on an outside bet may or may not be 50%. But the strategy is not enough to win against the house advantage.
Disadvantages of the martingale system
This betting system has not been favoured by many professional and skilled Roulette players. One of the main cons of this strategy is that people will lose out on their money very quickly. He may exceed the betting limit which may compel him to double the bets and place more bets till he might actually exhaust his money. Once the player reaches the betting limit, he is not allowed to bet anymore and fails to make up for the losses he made during the game. The betting system does more harm than good in this situation. When the game is on the verge of losing, the player places more bets. In a game, upon ten losses, he needs to put a total of 1024 bets to recover from the losses. He adds 1023 chips to make up for the previous losses. At this point, the player has either lost all his money or has hit the betting limit. If he cannot double any more bets, he loses out on all his bets along with huge amounts of money even though the impact generally stays for a short period.
The player has to play for multiple rounds till he claims a reasonable amount. Because he can only win one chip in a single round. The more rounds he plays, the more losses get piled up. He may suffer from table limits or bankruptcy. Such factors make the players sceptical from using this strategy.
Should the martingale system be used?
Players do suffer from a dilemma from using the Martingale system at an online casino or live Roulette. The casinos usually do not get affected by the losses as they have placed an extra zero on the Roulette wheel. Also, the betting limit shields them from the loss. The casinos can profit off a player in the long run irrespective of what theory or strategy he uses. But it all depends upon the player whether he is willing to use the betting system or not. Apart from this, he may research about other betting strategies that may help him take full advantage of the game.
Small winnings all because of the Martingale system?
The player can try the Martingale system. There are online sites that do offer free play money feature which allows the player to maximise winnings through the application of this strategy. It is true that for shorter durations, the Martingale system can offer small winnings. But in the long run, the player is bound to suffer from loss and will have a bad experience at the Roulette table.
The Martingale system is ideal for players who are looking for small wins or are not afraid of losing some money. Anyone who is new to the game of Roulette can easily pick up the betting system. He can apply the strategy both at an online casino or a traditional casino.