Can You Keep Doubling Your Bet On Roulette Until You Win?
It is not uncommon to find roulette players utilising various roulette strategies whilst playing.
One of these strategies includes doubling your bet until you win, a strategy called the Martingale Strategy. The Martingale system is one of the most popular strategies, but its success rate may not measure up.
In this blog post, we will discuss what the Martingale strategy entails, whether it is legal and allowed in roulette casinos, and whether or not it works.
Doubling Your Bet In Roulette: The Martingale Strategy
The Martingale strategy involves doubling your bet size after every loss until you make a win.
The idea behind it is that if you win eventually, you can recuperate your losses. Then, after winning, your bet size resets back to the initial bet size.
If using the Martingale strategy, you place any of the even-money outside bets with a 1:1 payout - i.e. Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even. Below is an example of how it would play out if you were to begin with a £10 wager:
(Bet size – Result – Current winnings)
- £10 – Loss – - £10
- £20 – Loss – - £30
- £40 – Win – £10
- £10 – Win – £20
- £10 – Loss – £10
- £20 – Win – £30
Is The Martingale System Legal & Allowed In Casinos?
Yes, the Martingale system is legal and allowed in casinos. There is no law or rule currently that prevents roulette players from using the Martingale system.
However, casinos usually have a maximum limit of bet sizes allowed on a table, so players would not be able to double their bet sizes indefinitely. It also helps prevent problem gambling or spending large amounts of money on gambling.
But, the system itself is allowed and legal. But keep in mind that just because the system is legal, it does not mean it works. It only means you can use it freely. The effectiveness is another question altogether.
Does The Martingale Strategy Work?
No. The Martingale strategy does not guarantee a win or help recuperate losses, as many claim. Instead, it can end up using up your bankroll quicker than not using the strategy. If you end up on a losing streak, the wagers are increasing at an exponential rate, so the more often you lose, the bigger the losses become.
For example, if you place a £20 initial bet and lose four times in a row, you would have lost £300. Now, imagine that the table betting limit is £250. You cannot place a £320 bet (the next in the sequence) to try to "recover" your previous losses.
Besides, that bet is now extremely expensive, and you cannot even guarantee that it will not result in another loss.
Why The Martingale System Doesn't Work
As indicated above, the Martingale system does not really work, and there are various reasons why that may be. Ultimately, the Martingale system does not work because it does nothing to improve your odds of winning.
The odds remain the same while your bet size keeps increasing. That ultimately leads to one of two things, and in most, both things: using up your bankroll or reaching the table limit.
Still, barring all that, this system does not work because every spin of the wheel in roulette is independent of the previous spin. The previous spins must have at least a slight influence on what lands next for the Martingale system to work. For example, players may believe that if you lose three times in a row, surely, in the fourth spin, you are bound to hit a win - this is the gambler's fallacy.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. The odds of any number landing are the same on every spin.
The Martingale strategy, like most other roulette strategies, sounds better in theory. The house edge and maximum betting limits are put in place by the casino to combat these strategies. And that's not even considering the players' bankroll.
For this strategy to be effective, there would have to be no maximum bet, and the player would need a near-limitless bankroll, which is just not feasible.
Last Word
Overall, the idea of doubling your bet on roulette until you win does not work in practice, no matter how good it sounds in theory. That is why these strategies are better described as bet management systems since they can provide some structure to your betting instead of betting randomly if that's what you want. But they cannot increase your chances of winning, and they do not guarantee recovering losses.
All types of roulette and other casino games are random in nature and cannot be predicted. Each spin is independent of the last. Therefore, there is no telling when you will win or even if you win at all.
The best course of action is to set a budget, stick with it and do not chase your losses. Most importantly, please gamble responsibly.
*All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins, etc.) mentioned in relation to this game are subject to change at any time. Game features mentioned may not be available in some jurisdictions.