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The Martingale betting system is one of the simplest and most versatile betting systems for online (or any) gambling.
It can be used for blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps and many other games.
The system doesn’t require card counting or any complex brain busting calculations. This is what makes this strategy so popular amongst gamblers, the simplicity and ease of use.
The Martingale betting system is most effective when the player has sufficient capital to fund a large bank roll. The larger the bank roll, the more sustainable the profit is.
The Martingale Strategy
The strategy involves doubling up the bet amount until a winning round is achieved. Once achieved the bet amount returns to the lowest betting limit and it increases again until another win is achieved. By increasing the bet amount after each losing round, the next winning round will cover the past losses. As a result a steady accumulation of profit is achieved.
The more rounds of betting, the lower the odds of having consecutive losses.
Martingale Round by Round Explanation
Round 1 – Bet $1
- If you win, play Round 1 again. Profit $1.
- If you lose proceed to Round 2 and double your bet amount.
Round 2 – Bet $2
- If you win, return to Round 1 and start again. Net Profit $1.
- If you lose proceed to Round 3 and double your bet amount.
Round 3 – Bet $4
- If you win, return to Round 1 and start again. Net Profit $1.
- If you lose proceed to Round 4 and double your bet amount.
Round 4 and onwards
- If you win, return to Round 1 and start again. Net Profit $1.
- If you lose proceed to the next round and double your bet amount.
The lower the betting limit the longer you can sustain consecutive losses to achieve a profit

The above chart shows that as the losses accumulate the bet amount continues to double. The bank roll for 10 rounds is $1,023, and the last bet amount is approximately half of the total bank roll. The chart can be extended further by adding more rounds. The additional rounds will show an increasing bet amount and an increasing bank roll. The increasing bank roll is inversely correlated to the risk. As we can see in the following charts, the higher the bank roll the more rounds can be played thus lowering the overall Probability of Consecutive Losses.
Probability of Consecutive Losses
In assuming a betting limit of $1, and winning percentage of 50%, the Probability of Consecutive Losses is approximately 1 in 1,000. This means, you need a bank roll of $1,023, and that there is a 1 in 1,000 chance of losing the entire bank roll.

Should probability of a % of Winning fall, the Probability of Consecutive Losses rises. In the below table, the % of Winning has been reduced to 49%, leading to a slightly higher Probability of Consecutive Losses at 1.2 in 1,000.

10 Rounds maximum being played at assumed win to loss ratio of 49%. 1.2 in 1,000 of losing entire bank roll.
Martingale Variables
The % of Winning
The % of Winning is driven by the type of game that you play. Blackjack, Roulette and Craps have the best % of winning in casinos. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t apply the system to other casino games. It just means, you need to extend the number of rounds to be played in order to achieve the same Probability of Consecutive Losses.
The Number of Rounds
The more rounds you play, the more bank roll you will need. Inversely, the Probability of Consecutive Losses will fall. If you reduce the number of Rounds played your risk of Consecutive Losses increases.
Betting Amount
Of course, if you lower your betting amount the less bank roll you will need. Having said that, your net profit will reduce giving a slower accumulation of net profit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Martingale can be used for any casino game, in fact any game of chance in theory can use this strategy. It is most useful for games that have close to even % of Winning ratio and players with sufficient bank roll.
The only reason is that 10 is a round number and in the example it can be easily understood. You can choose as many or little rounds as you like and change the betting amounts. Obviously the higher the betting amount the more bank roll you will need, otherwise you will have to reduce the number of rounds instead.
The lower the % of Winning for a player the higher the Probability of Consecutive Losses. The influence can be quite high, particularly if you play a game which has very poor player odds. So try and stick to the games that give the best odds for the player, these include blackjack, roulette and craps.
For sure. Online gambling, and typically the Live Dealer online casinos offer the same odds as a land based casino. RNG algorithms are used for the functioning of online gambling, which equates to real playing odds at a physical casino.