The Martingale strategy is simple, which is why it’s so widely used. The core idea is to double your bet after every loss on even-money bets (bets that pay 1:1). Classic examples include:
- Red/Black
- Even/Odd
- 1–18 / 19–36
If you win once before you run out of money or hit a maximum bet, you recover all previous losses and gain a profit equal to the base bet.
How the classic Martingale works
Assume you start with a base bet of 1 unit:
- Bet 1 → if you lose, next bet is 2
- Bet 2 → if you lose, next bet is 4
- Bet 4 → if you lose, next bet is 8
- … and so on
If you win at any point, you gain a profit equal to the base bet (1 unit in this example) and then you restart from the base bet.
Example table (classic Martingale with base bet = 1)
Table
| Bet number | Bet | Win (pays 1:1) | Gain | Total bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 15 |
| 5 | 16 | 32 | 1 | 31 |
| 6 | 32 | 64 | 1 | 63 |
| 7 | 64 | 128 | 1 | 127 |
| 8 | 128 | 256 | 1 | 255 |
| 9 | 256 | 512 | 1 | 511 |
| 10 | 512 | 1024 | 1 | 1023 |
Note: In each round, a win yields a net gain of 1 base unit, and the total amount wagered grows quickly.
Variants of Martingale
Advanced Martingale
A drawback of the basic Martingale is that after many losses you will only gain one base unit when you eventually win. The Advanced Martingale changes the progression:
- Instead of doubling after a loss, you add 1 base unit to the next bet while continuing to double.
- Example progression: 1, 2, 4, 8, … becomes 1, 3, 7, 15, …
In other words, after a loss you double the bet and add one base unit(based on the example), which increases both potential gains and risk.
Reversed Martingale (Paroli) Strategy
The Reversed Martingale doubles the bet after a win instead of after a loss:
- Start with a base bet of 1.
- If you win, bet 2 next; if you win again, bet 4; and so on.
- If you lose, you reset back to the base bet of 1.
This approach aims to maximize profits during winning streaks while limiting losses during losing streaks. If you lose, you simply lose the base bet; several consecutive wins can yield a profit, depending on when you decide to stop.
Quick takeaways
- Martingale is built on recovering all losses with a single win, but it requires a large bankroll and/or high betting limits.
- Variants (Advanced Martingale, Paroli) modify progression rules to manage risk and potential rewards.
- Real-world suitability depends on table limits, bankroll, and risk tolerance.