Martingale Strategy: Why It Works & Why It Doesn’t 

A few years back, some letters were published from the legendary “Enigma Code” mathematician Alan Turing. The letters, dated 1933, showcased some of Turing’s attempts to sketch out roulette strategies, pointing to some of the strengths and weaknesses of each. 

Turing’s attempts to ‘solve’ roulette should not be surprising, as many of the world’s finest mathematical minds have – and still do – attempted to puzzle out a formula, looking at complex areas like chaos theory. Yet, we know that the most famous strategy – and perhaps the most effective – is the martingale strategy. 

In mathematical terms, there is a beautiful simplicity about the martingale. It can work on just about every type of roulette game, including when you play online roulette games, but there are some drawbacks, and with all roulette systems, it’s certainly not foolproof. 

So, how does it work? In essence, the martingale strategy involves betting on even-money outcomes (odd-even, red-black, etc.) and doubling the bet each time until a successful outcome is achieved. 

The Math Behind The Strategy Holds Up In Perpetuity

So, for instance, let’s say that the initial bet was a $5 on red. If it loses, you place the next bet as $10 on red. If it loses again, you double the next bet on red to $20. Say, that bet won, you would be paid $40 total. The total outlay ($5 + $10 + $20) was $35, so you would make a $5 profit. This will hold firm across all possible wagers, as long as you abide by the rule of doubling the previous bet and sticking to even money bets on the roulette table. 

What, then, are the drawbacks? There are two main problems. The first is that you can only keep doubling so long as you do not exceed the table betting limits. For instance, if the table had a $1,000 betting limit and you started with a bet of $100, you would only get four turns before you could no longer double the wager. It might feel statistically unlikely that “black” would come up four times in a row when you are betting on “red,” but it does happen. It’s for this reason that the martingale strategy should only be played at tables with high limits, and why you should do a little research first. 

Only Small Gains Are Possible Through This Roulette Strategy

The second drawback is the relatively low profit that can be achieved by using the martingale strategy.  In our example above, we said that a $5 profit was paid. This is equal to the outlay of the first bet, and it will always be the case that the profit can only ever be equal to the initial wager. For example, if your first bet was $1, and you kept doubling numerous times, even when ultra-high stakes are being put on the table, the returns would only ever be $1 (in this example). 

All of the above provides the basics of the martingale strategy. As mentioned, it is incredibly simple, and, in fact, it probably feels a little too simple. A lot has been written about it over the decades, but the mathematics behind it is fundamentally sound. Indeed, Turing himself pointed out that the martingale strategy is useful in short bursts. 

Yet, as highlighted, there are two serious drawbacks, one of which could cost you to lose all your money should you fall afoul of the table limits. But if you are chasing a profit, albeit a small one, the strategy is self-evident. It’s not about roulette: it’s purely about the math, and you don’t need to be a genius like Alan Turing to work it out.