The Martingale System
The Martingale System is probably the
most commonly used betting system today.
It involves doubling the bet after each
loss, to cover losses, and win the
original stake. The Martingale System sounds
perfect to newcomers - it's impossible to lose,
because losses are always being covered, right -
and many people swear by it. It also has
the lure that it usually appears to be working very
well at first. However, Casinos have "table-limits" in
place to stop the player doubling-up so many times. On
a roulette table, this may range from a lower
of £5 to a maximum of £500. This means
that a bet can only be doubled seven times
(£5 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2) times. You also
need a big enough bank-roll to be able to cover such
long periods of losses. And when you lose, you lose big
time, and are putting down a huge stake just to
make the original winnings (£5!).
Martingale Variations
There is a variation of the Martingale System,
often called the "Martingale II"; this only involves
attempting to cover losses after an initial loss, so the
bet is only doubled after one less. For example,
£5 + £5 x 2 x 2 etc... This reduces the size
of the bankroll needed, but also reduces potential winnings.
In summary: The Martingale is a luring system, the odds of
a sustained string of bets going against you and you
running out of bankroll or hitting the table limit, is rare...
However, when it happens it is extremely expensive and
on average, will wipe out all your previous
losses - and then some.
Think you can make the Martingale system work? Try William Hill Casino, where you can download
games to play for free or real money.
