A Guide to The Reverse Martingale System

How to Use the Reverse Martingale System

The Reverse Martingale is a positive progressive betting system, meaning you are supposed to increase your bet after a win. It is extremely similar to the Martingale system, which is the most popular roulette strategy in the world. The difference is that while the Martingale requires you to double your bet after every loss, the Reverse Martingale states that you should double your bet after every win!

To start using the Reverse Martingale you first need to decide on an initial stake. It is advised to bet with the table minimum, as you will place increasing bets that can become quite costly. The strategy then states that you should double your bet after every win. If you do not win, you keep the same initial bet. Below you can see the progression of bets, assuming that you consistently win:

1 – 2 – 4 – 8 – 16 – 32 – 64 – 128 – 256 – 512 – 1024 – 2048 – 4096 – 8192 – 16284

After five wins on the trot, your stake would be €16. By this point, you’d have already bet €15 and won €30. However, if your sixth bet is a loss, you return back to your original bet, which is €1.

The concept behind the Reverse Martingale system is to try and maximise the returns from winning streaks. Many roulette players experience winning or losing streaks. That means winning between 5 or 10 times in a row or losing 5-10 times consecutively. Whilst the Reverse Martingale is considered a safe way of playing, it has its flaws. We will cover them later on.

Advantages of Using the Reverse Martingale System

A major advantage of the Reverse Martingale is that you will not lose too much money when on a losing streak. If you happen to lose on your first 5 tries, you will have only bet €5 (assuming you are using the minimum €1 bet). When losing rounds beyond the first one, you are essentially just losing money that you have won in the previous round.

For instance, if you lose on the second round, your bet will be €2. In the first round, you will have placed €1 and won €2. Thus, you would only be losing money that you had won.

Now consider, losing on the third round. The third round will cost you €4. However, on the previous two rounds, the first and second, you will have bet €1 and €2 respectively, and won €2 and €4. Thus, you still make a profit of €1 from the first round. This is a clear demonstration of why it is such a popular betting strategy.

The Disadvantages of the Reverse Martingale Strategy

Unfortunately, there are no betting strategies that are fool proof and will make you rich. All of them have flaws and the big one is the house edge. The odds will always swing in favour of the casino. In the case of roulette, it is the presence of 0 that gives the house its edge (and 00 as well for American Roulette).

Whilst the bets pay even money, your chances of winning are not 50%. Because of the neutral green zero, which is neither red or black, odd or even and not contained in 1-18 or 19-36, the house has the advantage. On a European and French Roulette table, the chances of winning are 48.6%. On an American Roulette table, these odds are reduced to 47.2%. Thus, no matter what strategy you use, the house will always have the edge.

The other thing to consider is that no matter how many wins a player racks up, it only takes one loss to lose it all. Whilst some players may argue that the money lost was just the casino’s money, the reality is that it was in the player’s hands before the round. This is why it is good to know when to close shop and walk away with a profit.

Using the Reverse Martingale System

The Reverse Martingale betting strategy is extremely easy to learn. However, that may not be enough. It is a good idea to consider how you wish to use it. Below, we demonstrate two different ways of using the Reverse Martingale system.

The Aggressive Approach

In this scenario, the player tries to hit a winning streak and continue this feat until they can walk away with a massive profit. Most players that try this approach are looking at 8 or 9 wins on the trot. Realistically, however, there is a 0.38% chance of doing so for 8 wins and only a 0.19% probability of achieving 9 consecutive wins. This is the riskiest way of playing, particularly as you can lose all your profit in an instance, but it leads to the most rewards (if Lady Luck is on your side). After 8 wins, you are looking at €255 in your account whilst 9 wins will take you to €511.

The 3-Round Reverse Martingale

The second method will help you try to keep a little profit instead of risking it all on every spin. In this scenario you play for only three wins, before returning to your original bet. Thus, if you start off with €1 and win, your next bet will be €2 followed by €4. This can lead you to a total of €14 from €7 placed. Regardless of whether you win or lose on the third round, you return to your original stake and repeat the process over again. The rewards are not as large, but you have a higher chance of making a profit in the long run.

Benefits of the Reverse Martingale versus the Martingale

The Martingale system is the most popular roulette strategy as it gives you a chance of making a profit over a short period of time. However, the problem with it is that you need a huge bankroll to fund the system.

With the Reverse Martingale, you do not need to double up your bets after every loss, instead after every win. This gives you some leeway to modify the rules slightly and create your own system. Instead of doubling the bet after every win, you can follow a 3-round system, a 4-round system or any other modification. In doing so, this gives you a better chance of making a profit over a longer period of time and extending your time spent at the roulette table.

Closing Remarks

The Reverse Martingale strategy is one of the oldest and most popular because you do not lose too much at first, especially if you bet the table minimum. However, after a few losses in a row, you will notice your bankroll slowly deteriorate. The benefit is that it only takes a few wins in a row to turn your fortunes around. If you are having an exceptionally lucky day, a long winning streak can lead to a massive profit. The important thing is to know when to leave. The best way of doing this is setting a goal before you start playing and to walk away once you have reached your target.