The Dangers of the Martingale in Roulette
You may have already heard of the martingale, this game technique that is centuries old, used in certain games of chance, such as roulette, Blackjack, or even some sports betting. The martingale refers to different strategies that involve progressively increasing the bets when the player loses several times in a row. Some roulette players try to master them in order to win money at the casino and minimize their losses, but they forget that these techniques do not change the expected outcomes in roulette. What exactly is the martingale? What are the different types of martingales in roulette? Why are they unreliable? We'll explain!
Explanation of the Martingale
The martingale is a strategy used by many players who want to win at roulette. Its principle is based on compensating losses by doubling the value of the bets, meaning that a win would cancel out all previous losses. For example, the player bets CHF 1.- on a roulette game and loses. On the next round, they double the lost bet and bet CHF 2.-. If they win, they recover their previous losses (CHF 1.-), take back their bet (CHF 2.-), and make a profit. As long as they don’t win, they increase the value of their bet each round. When they win, they restart this cycle with the initial bet.
The martingale technique in roulette applies only to even-money bets, such as bets on red or black, even or odd numbers, or the high/low option, as these bets have a payout rate of two to one if the bet wins. These techniques may sometimes help limit losses, but they have no influence on the outcomes and provide no guarantee of winning. They can also result in significant losses in the event of an unfavorable run of spins. Therefore, it is strongly discouraged to implement them. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to apply martingale strategies in online casinos, as most of them impose betting limits on tables and may also have specific terms and conditions that limit or even prohibit the use of such strategies.
Different Martingales in Roulette
The Classic Martingale or Hawks Martingale
The classic martingale in roulette is the most common form. It consists of doubling the bet after each loss, on even-money bets, in order to recover the sum of previous losses and make a profit at least equal to the initial bet. The limit of the classic martingale is the player's budget. Indeed, after a series of losses, the player may have wagered all their money without recovering their initial bet. Moreover, it is important to remember that this technique does not affect the spin and does not guarantee long-term wins.
The Grand Martingale
The grand martingale in roulette is a variant of the classic martingale. In this strategy, if the ball lands on black, the player always bets on red the next round, based on the belief that this color is more likely to appear. This belief is commonly referred to, albeit incorrectly, as the gambler’s fallacy. Furthermore, the betting system in the grand martingale is more aggressive: the player doubles the previous bet after a loss and adds an additional unit.
The Piquemouche Martingale
In roulette, the Piquemouche martingale aims to minimize losses and extend gameplay. Its betting system is different from other martingales. This strategy involves continuing with the same initial bet after a win and adding just one unit to the initial bet after a loss. After three consecutive losses, the initial bet is doubled. This technique is therefore less risky and allows for longer play, but the gains are also lower, as the player must win twice in a row to compensate for the losses, unlike other methods.
The Alembert Martingale
The Alembert martingale is one of the simplest strategies in roulette. Its principle is easy to understand and apply: after a losing spin, the player increases their bet by one unit, and after a winning spin, they decrease their bet by one unit. This practice helps limit losses and more easily stick to the “gaming” budget allocated for roulette, but in the case of several consecutive losses at the start, the player will take longer to recover their bet, which is not guaranteed!
The Paroli Martingale
In roulette, the Paroli martingale is a strategy aimed at maximizing gains. It involves doubling the bet after each win. It is considered less risky, as the game ends after the first loss. A limit is set so that the player can stop after a win and avoid continuing to play until losing everything. However, although it presents fewer risks, it is still imperfect: in case of a losing round, the player cannot recover their bet.
The Sawtooth Martingale
The sawtooth martingale in roulette consists of starting with a bet of ten units and then reducing it by one unit after each loss. After two consecutive losses, the bet is reduced to just one unit, until the next winning spin. The goal of the sawtooth martingale is to limit losses in the event of a losing streak, but it requires a significant starting budget.
The American Martingale
The American martingale in roulette is based on a simple principle: a win should be enough to cover two losses. In practice, after two consecutive losses, the player bets the sum of the two last lost bets. If the bad streak continues, the amount bet must correspond to the sum of the bets made in the first and last lost rounds of the series. The American martingale requires a good memory and is not an infallible strategy for limiting losses in roulette, as a long losing streak can quickly hit the betting limits in some casinos and exceed the player's budget.
The Whittacker Martingale
The Whittacker martingale in roulette is a gambling tactic based on a specific mathematical sequence. To determine the next bet, you must add the two previous bets together, creating an arithmetic sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc.). This strategy is characterized by a progressive increase in bets, and its goal is to cover two losses with a single win. However, the Whittacker martingale requires two consecutive wins for the player to recover the initial losses. After a win, the player restarts their sequence from the beginning.
The Cyclical Martingale
The rules of the cyclical martingale follow a cyclical pattern, as its name suggests. The main goal of this martingale is to cancel out losses based on the cycles of rounds in a roulette game. For example, with a three-cycle martingale, after a loss of five units, you follow the next cycle: 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 3, 9, 9, 9. Once the player is no longer in the negative, the cycle ends, so patience and focus are required. Caution: the cyclical martingale only works in the case of a winning streak, so it is rather irregular and unstable, and offers absolutely no guarantee.