Martingale System is Really Bad in Roulette

The most discussed gambling system ever is the Martingale system because of its ease of use and perceived benefits. All you need to do to use the Martingale is double your bets after every loss, and you will do no worse than break even in a session. For example, if you bet $5 and lose, your next wager would be $10; if you lose here, your next wager would be $20. Assuming you won the $20 bet, you’d be right back to even, and looking to gain profits on the next bet.

In theory, the Martingale is the perfect betting system because it will seemingly always help you break even, or do better. Unfortunately, most casinos realize this, which is why they impose table limits to prevent players from effectively using the Martingale. However, in an effort to draw players, some casinos offer games with no betting limits, thus enhancing the Martingale’s effectiveness.

If you’re the type of person who would play one of these no betting limits games just to properly use the Martingale, you should know that roulette is not one of the best casino games to play. The reason why is because roulette’s most common form – European roulette – carries a 2.70% house edge. Now this isn’t the worst house edge in the world, and you could do a lot worse by playing other games. However, it’s not the best house edge either, meaning you’re putting yourself at an even bigger risk when using the Martingale.

Contrast this to another casino game like blackjack, where the house edge is 0.5% when players use correct strategy. If you were to use the Martingale here, you’re nearly at a 50-50 split when facing the casino; this means you have a slightly better chance at not continually losing, and putting your bankroll at risk with the Martingale.

But when you move to roulette, the 2.70% house edge means you’re dealing with a little higher chance that you could continue to lose with the Martingale, and eventually run out of money trying to double your bets. Long story short, don’t try the Martingale with roulette because it poses more risk than lower house edge games.