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Table Games Martingale Roulette strategy

Discussion in 'Table Games' started by Knucklehead69, Mar 16, 2015.

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  1. Knucklehead69

    Knucklehead69 Low-Roller

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    I've never been a Roulette player but a friend was talking about the Martingale strategy. You bet totally on red or black and after you lose you double the bet until you win. The whole thing based on your color will eventually come up and you will win your original bet amount. Did some research and the odds of the same color coming up 5 times in a row is 2.4%

    I know this strategy is used in Blackjack, but was wondering if anyone has had any luck with this strategy in roulette.

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. DaiLun

    DaiLun R.C., L.C., and A.A.N.G.

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    The problem with that strategy is that your color can lose 10 or more times in a row and you can't double your bet high enough to make back your money.

    Also, remember that 0 and 00 are in play here. Your statistic showed the "positive result". What were the percentages on your color "Not" coming up 5 times in a row? Probably a higher percentage.
     
  3. Knucklehead69

    Knucklehead69 Low-Roller

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    Agree that you would need a large bankroll to make this work. Having your losing color hit 5 times in a row and having to double each time (even at a $10 original bet) would be a $320 5th bet. That would cause some serious "pucker" in my world.. but I guess i'm just looking at the odds of having that happen which to me are pretty low.
    Going to give it a try when I'm in Vegas in 3 weeks... Will post an update!
     
  4. Not at the table Carlos

    Not at the table Carlos Cheapskate

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    Please do update after your vegas trip. Hope you don't get in a bad luck situation with that.

    I'm curious to hear of anybody's experience using this system. Personally I hate it, as I feel like it is a possibly HUGE risk to win several small amounts. I know those small wins accumulate, but to me you have to risk a lot of money to use it.
     
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  5. earth-3

    earth-3 VIP Whale

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    This is why casino's also have maximum bets on table games. It stops this system cold when you have dug yourself into a nice big hole.
     
  6. rhinoman7

    rhinoman7 A Diamond in the Ruff

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    Not only do you run the risk of your bet becoming larger than your bankroll, but also hitting the table maximum. In the above example, the 5th bet would be $320, but what if the table maximum was $200?

    In theory, this "strategy" sounds almost fool-proof, but in reality it just isn't very practical.
     
  7. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    Many people have tried this strategy and failed. Just think about it this way: you would have to win this wager 32 times in a row to make up for one loss! I think almost every time I have walked up or played at a roulette wheel, I have seen one color come up at least five times in a row. Will martingale work sometimes? Sure. But you're going to lose, probably more often than you think.
     
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  8. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    Betting "systems" are an easy way to lose all of your money. If you hate money, by all means go all-in on this system.

    http://wizardofodds.com/gambling/betting-systems/
     
  9. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    I've seen 19, 17 and 16 in a row in Bacc.

    the odds of that are in the millions, yet I've not played near that many shoes.

    your strategy has been tried before by many people

    and they're all broke.
     
  10. PayTriple

    PayTriple VIP Whale

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    Did you guys actually read this article?
    It says that there is NO difference in the expected losses no matter what system you use, and that no matter how you bet, you are using a system: even flat betting is a system!
     
  11. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Martingale will never work on any table game in Vegas.
    With the exception of blackjack, every other game involves independent events - craps, routlette? Every throw of the dice and every spin of the wheel, the odds for a given event are identical... it's like flipping a coin - just because tails has come up 8 times in a row, does NOT mean the odds of heads coming up on the next flip is any better than 50/50. The coin has no memory. The wheel has no memory. The dice have no memory.
    Now, with all of that said, I have to admit that Martingale could potentially work with sports betting, as each event generally has no upper limit for the bet size. Presumably, you will eventually pick the correct "winning" side of a sports bet.
    Even the Cubs win a game every now & then...as well as the Raiders or Jaguars.

    But let's assume for a moment that the tables have no upper limit.
    When you examine each bet individually, it is an extremely risky proposition for a miniscule positive result.
    Let's say you start with your $10 roulette bet on Black, & we'll pretend that there's no zeros on the table.
    $10-$20-$40-$80-$160-$320-$640-$1280-$2560-$5120-$10,240.
    If Red comes up 10 x in a row (and even I have seen that happen), you will be risking $10,240 to win back your original $10.

    Think about that - risking $10K to win $10.
    You would never do that ahead of time...even if your odds of winning were 5-to-1 or 10-to-1...and in this case, your odds are exactly the same as they were on your first $10 bet - 50/50.

    That is the key to understanding why Martingale is one horrible idea... Risk versus reward.
    If you are not willing to bet $10K to win $10, then you should never be willing to do so...not even if you're down $5010.
     
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  12. dannyocean

    dannyocean High-Roller

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    Right here. You can do it, but the odds don't change based on the system you bet with. It'll only increase your swings. To me, a defining factor is what your risk of ruin is and what your personal tolerance for the swings (positive and negative) is.
     
  13. IWannaBeInVegas

    IWannaBeInVegas VIP Whale

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    As a dealer at a casino, I can say this with absolute fact:

    Everyone has a system, the casino has a system and theirs works.
     
  14. ardee

    ardee It's only money.

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    Martingale isn't a system, it's a suicide pact.
     
  15. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    OP, your stat of 2.4% for it to come up the same color in a row is correct, however, in Roulette you are not betting on if it will happen 5 times in a row...you are betting on that single spin...which is 100% independent of the previous spins.


    5 times in a row is not rare...
    [​IMG]

    I have seen 10 times in a row several times as well...
     
  16. monkeyshed

    monkeyshed Highest Vegas Slot Jackpot in 45 Trips = $650

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    When I turned 21, my father's only advice to me was that if I gambled, NEVER use the Martingale system. According to his story, he began with $5 and lost. He continued to double his bet to regain his money + a slight win. After 8 consecutive losses, he was down over $1200 (all of his bankroll at the time). While I wish he was just "telling a story" to make me understand how bad this idea was, I could feel the hurt in his eyes and voice, and knew it was a true story.
     
  17. 98green

    98green Tourist

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    It is certainly a fact that a Martingale does not change the fundamental house percentage of the particular game.

    And it is also true that table limits, your bankroll, and/or personal tolerance for losing may prevent you from executing your Martingale in that perfect vision (if I keep doubling I can't lose). Even without those limits, there are laws of large numbers math that say eventually you hit a streak that will break your bankroll.

    Those caveats aside, a Martingale can effectively change the "shape" of your win/loss profile as long as you know what you are getting yourself into. If you are willing to risk up to 63 units to win 1, and know that losing those 63 units will happen around 1 in 64 or so "trials" (ignoring house advantage for a second) double-until-6-losses Martingale can "work."

    Some people are risk takers, and like to drop one unit on a number for the 1 in 38 chance to win 35 units. Similarly, someone might find equal joy in putting a unit on 35 of the 36 numbers for a 35 in 38 chance of winning a unit. Both are bucking the same house percentage, but one likes to trade small frequent losses for infrequent big wins, and the other likes to trade infrequent big losses for small frequent wins.

    A Martingale is just a more convoluted way of doing the second strategy
     
  18. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    I think that's the point. You cannot escape the house edge by betting certain ways. With Martingale most people will either run out of money or hit the table limit eventually and then be out tons in a very short period.
     
  19. Char1

    Char1 VIP Whale

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  20. dannyg1001

    dannyg1001 Low-Roller

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    I use it to get free drinks! if you can find video routlette with a 25 cent minimum bet on red and black it works great, $1 machines also work but its riskier. I have ended up busting a couple of times but then its only $20 and I can usually get more than that worth of drinks. I wouldn't have the nerve (or money) to try it at a table!
     
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