$100 bankroll
With $1 bets: 6 losses covered, then a $64 bet with $37 left. In our test, that player reached $150 in 48.8% of sessions. With $5 bets: only 4 losses ($75), then $80 needed with $25 left.
Martingale strategy guide · Updated October 2026
Martingale Roulette Strategy: Calculator, Betting Chart and Odds
The Martingale system doubles your bet after every loss, so one win gets everything back plus your first bet. Enter your base bet and bankroll to see how many losses in a row you can cover, what stops you, and your real chance of reaching a goal.
With $1 bets and $100, Martingale covers 6 losses in a row. The next bet would be $64 with $37 left, and that happens in about 1 in 55 sequences on a European wheel.
- Free Martingale calculator
- Exact odds, not guesses
- Real table limits from 8 casinos
We earn a commission if you sign up through our casino links. It doesn't change the maths: every figure on this page is calculated from the wheel's real odds.
Martingale Calculator: How Far Will Your Bankroll Go?
Exact odds for a classic Martingale on red or black. Change any number and the results update.
Base bet
Bankroll
Stop when you're up
Assumes red or black, zero losing, and a session that stops at your goal or when the next bet can't be placed.
With $100 and a $1 base bet, Martingale covers 6 losses in a row. Bet 7 would be $64, and you'd have $37 left.
Losses covered
6
then the bankroll stops you
Losing run
1.8%
chance a sequence loses all 6 (about 1 in 55)
Reach your goal
48.8%
chance of reaching $150 first
Average result
−$6.31
average result per session
Red: the bet you can't place. Gold line: the money you'd have left. Tap a bar for details.
| Bet | Stake | Total lost | Win | Reached |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1 | $1 | +$1 | 100.0% |
| 2 | $2 | $3 | +$1 | 51.4% |
| 3 | $4 | $7 | +$1 | 26.4% |
| 4 | $8 | $15 | +$1 | 13.5% |
| 5 | $16 | $31 | +$1 | 7.0% |
| 6 | $32 | $63 | +$1 | 3.6% |
| 7 | $64 | Can't place it: $37 left | ||
With a $1 base bet on a European wheel. Total lost: if this bet loses too. Reached: the chance a sequence gets this far.
Each sequence wins $1 98.2% of the time and loses $63 1.8% of the time. One lost sequence wipes out 63 wins.
Tables that fit your Martingale
Single-zero live tables that take a $1 bet and go up to at least $32, so your bankroll runs out before the table limit does.
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MyBookie12 of 13 tables fit · $0.10 to $10,000
Play now
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Wild Casino6 of 11 tables fit · $0.50 to $12,500
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BetUSAll 3 tables fit · $0.50 to $12,500
Play now
From the limits posted on each casino's live tables, checked October 2026. The limit on red or black can be lower than the table maximum. Compare limits at 8 sites
The rules
How the Martingale System Works
Martingale is a negative progression: your bet goes up after a loss. It's played on even-money bets (red or black, odd or even, 1–18 or 19–36), where a win pays back exactly what you bet. Those bets win 18 times in 37 on a European wheel, not half the time, because zero loses.
The idea is simple. However many times you lose, the next bet is bigger than all the losses so far put together, so one win clears them and leaves you one base bet up. The catch is that the bets double, and doubling gets big fast.
Pick a base bet
This is your first bet and your profit on every sequence. Most players use the table minimum or a small slice of their bankroll.
Double after a loss
Lose, and the next bet is twice the last one: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 base bets. Keep the same color or switch; it makes no difference to the odds.
Reset after a win
A win ends the sequence one base bet ahead. Go back to your base bet and start again, or stop if you've hit your goal.
A $5 Martingale sequence, step by step
Three losses, then a win. Watch the running total.
- Bet 1$5Loses · −$5
- Bet 2$10Loses · −$15
- Bet 3$20Loses · −$35
- Bet 4$40Wins · +$5
The $40 bet wins $40, which covers the $35 already lost and leaves you $5 up: exactly one base bet. Next sequence, you bet $5 again. You bet $75 in total to win $5, and if bet 4 had lost too, you'd be $75 down and facing an $80 bet.
Martingale chart
Martingale Betting Chart
Every bet in a losing run, for a $1 and a $5 base bet, with the chance of losing that many in a row on red. A win at any row ends the sequence one base bet up.
| Bet | $1 base: stake | $1 base: total lost | $5 base: stake | $5 base: total lost | Chance this bet loses too |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1 | $1 | $5 | $5 | 51.4% (1 in 2) |
| 2 | $2 | $3 | $10 | $15 | 26.4% (1 in 4) |
| 3 | $4 | $7 | $20 | $35 | 13.5% (1 in 7) |
| 4 | $8 | $15 | $40 | $75 | 7.0% (1 in 14) |
| 5 | $16 | $31 | $80 | $155 | 3.6% (1 in 28) |
| 6 | $32 | $63 | $160 | $315 | 1.8% (1 in 55) |
| 7 | $64 | $127 | $320 | $635 | 0.94% (1 in 106) |
| 8 | $128 | $255 | $640 | $1,275 | 0.48% (1 in 207) |
| 9 | $256 | $511 | $1,280 | $2,555 | 0.25% (1 in 403) |
| 10 | $512 | $1,023 | $2,560 | $5,115 | 0.13% (1 in 784) |
| 11 | $1,024 | $2,047 | $5,120 | $10,235 | 0.065% (1 in 1,527) |
| 12 | $2,048 | $4,095 | $10,240 | $20,475 | 0.034% (1 in 2,974) |
"Chance this bet loses too" is the chance of losing that many bets in a row from the start of a sequence, on a European wheel (19 losing pockets out of 37).
The two formulas you need
After n losses with base bet b, you've lost b × (2n − 1) and the next bet is b × 2n. Six losses at $5: $315 gone, and a $320 bet to place.
Why the 10th bet is the scary one
From $1, the 10th bet is $512 and you've already lost $511, all to win $1. Ten losses in a row on red happen about 1 in 784 sequences: rare, but play long enough and it shows up.
Bankroll
Martingale Bankroll: How Many Losses Can You Cover?
Losses in a row each bankroll covers before the next doubled bet is more than you have left, ignoring table limits. Under each number: the chance a sequence loses them all on a European wheel.
| Bankroll | $1 base bet | $5 base bet | $10 base bet | $25 base bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | 53.6% | 313.5% | 226.4% | 151.4% |
| $100 | 61.8% | 47.0% | 313.5% | 226.4% |
| $200 | 70.94% | 53.6% | 47.0% | 313.5% |
| $500 | 80.48% | 61.8% | 53.6% | 47.0% |
| $1,000 | 90.25% | 70.94% | 61.8% | 53.6% |
| $2,000 | 100.13% | 80.48% | 70.94% | 61.8% |
| $5,000 | 120.034% | 90.25% | 80.48% | 70.94% |
| $10,000 | 130.017% | 100.13% | 90.25% | 80.48% |
A bankroll of $1,000 with $5 bets covers 7 losses ($635) and leaves $365, not enough for the $640 bet 8. Doubling your bankroll buys about one more loss in a row, never more.
$500 bankroll
With $1 bets: 8 losses covered ($255), then $256 needed with $245 left. With $5 bets: 6 losses ($315), then $320 needed with $185 left.
$1,000 bankroll
With $1 bets: 9 losses covered ($511), then $512 needed with $489 left. That run happens about 1 in 403 sequences, and costs you 511 wins.
Rule of thumb
To cover n losses, you need 2n − 1 base bets: 63 for six, 127 for seven, 255 for eight, 511 for nine and 1,023 for ten.
Table limits
Martingale Table Limits at Real Roulette Sites
The table maximum caps a Martingale even when you have the money. For each casino, the single-zero live table that takes your base bet with the highest limit, and how many losses in a row it lets you cover before the next bet is over the cap.
| Casino | Widest single-zero table | $1 base: losses covered | $5 base: losses covered | $25 base: losses covered | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyBookie | $0.10 to $10,000 | 14last bet $8,192 | 11last bet $5,120 | 9last bet $6,400 | Play |
| Wild Casino | $0.50 to $12,500 | 14last bet $8,192 | 12last bet $10,240 | 9last bet $6,400 | Play |
| BetUS | $0.50 to $12,500 | 14last bet $8,192 | 12last bet $10,240 | 9last bet $6,400 | Play |
| BetOnline | $0.50 to $12,500 | 14last bet $8,192 | 12last bet $10,240 | 9last bet $6,400 | Play |
| Ignition | $10 to $3,000 | 9last bet $256 | 9last bet $1,280 | 7last bet $1,600 | Play |
| The Online Casino | $1 to $10,000 | 14last bet $8,192 | 11last bet $5,120 | 9last bet $6,400 | Play |
| Cafe Casino | $10 to $3,000 | 9last bet $256 | 9last bet $1,280 | 7last bet $1,600 | Play |
| DuckyLuck | $0.50 to $6,000 | 13last bet $4,096 | 11last bet $5,120 | 8last bet $3,200 | Play |
From the limits posted on each casino's live tables, checked October 2026. "—" means no single-zero table we saw takes that base bet. The limit on red or black can be lower than the table maximum, so check it in the game. To reach a $10,000 cap from $1 you'd need $16,383 in your account.
Best table for MartingaleMyBookie's widest table runs $0.10 to $10,000. That's room for 14 losses in a row from a $1 base, or 17 from a $0.10 base, before the table stops you. On a $1 to $100 table, the cap comes after 7.
Play at MyBookieLosing streaks
How Often Do Losing Streaks Happen in Roulette?
A Martingale lives or dies by its longest losing run. Here's how often each one turns up on an even-money bet, per sequence and over 100 sequences.
| Losses in a row | European wheel | How often | American wheel | At least once in 100 sequences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 7.0% | 1 in 14 | 7.7% | 99.9% |
| 5 | 3.6% | 1 in 28 | 4.0% | 97.4% |
| 6 | 1.8% | 1 in 55 | 2.1% | 84.3% |
| 7 | 0.94% | 1 in 106 | 1.1% | 61.2% |
| 8 | 0.48% | 1 in 207 | 0.59% | 38.4% |
| 9 | 0.25% | 1 in 403 | 0.31% | 22.0% |
| 10 | 0.13% | 1 in 784 | 0.16% | 12.0% |
| 12 | 0.034% | 1 in 2,974 | 0.045% | 3.3% |
"At least once in 100 sequences" is the chance that at least one of 100 Martingale sequences hits that many losses in a row, European wheel. A $1 player trying to win $100 needs about 100 sequences.
The wheel has no memory
After eight blacks, red still covers 18 of 37 pockets. Waiting for a streak before you start, or switching color mid-run, doesn't change the chance of the next spin.
Rare per sequence, likely per session
Seven losses in a row is 1 in 106 for one sequence. But a session is many sequences, and over 100 of them the chance of at least one 7-loss run is 61.2%.
The honest answer
Does the Martingale Strategy Work?
It works most of the time and fails expensively. Each sequence usually wins one base bet; occasionally it loses every bet in the run. With $1 bets and $100, a sequence wins $1 98.2% of the time and loses $63 1.8% of the time. Multiply it out and the average is a loss of about 17 cents per sequence.
That's not a quirk of these numbers. Every roulette bet loses 2.70% of what you stake on a European wheel on average, and a series of bets can't add up to anything better. Martingale changes the shape of your results, not the total.
Reached $150
48.8%of 200,000 test sessions starting with $100 and $1 bets on a European wheel.
Couldn't place the next bet
51.2%Those sessions lost most of the $100. Average result over all sessions: −$6.32.
By wheel
51.5%French with La Partage, against 48.8% European and 43.4% American.
Test results from our strategy simulator: 200,000 sessions per figure, up to 1,000 spins, ending at $150 or when the next bet couldn't be placed. They agree with the exact odds in the calculator above. See how Martingale compares with 7 other systems.
Variations
Martingale Variations: Reverse, Grand and Mini
Double after a win
Reverse Martingale (Paroli)
Raise after wins, reset after a loss, and bank the profit after three wins in a row. You never chase losses, but you need streaks to win.
How Paroli worksDouble plus one
Grand Martingale
After a loss, double and add one base bet: 1, 3, 7, 15, 31. A win pays a little more, but six losses cost 120 units instead of 63, and the next bet is 127.
See the Martingale betting chartCapped run
Mini Martingale
Set a maximum number of doublings, say four, then take the loss and reset. It caps what one run can cost. Set the table maximum in the calculator to try it.
Try it in the calculatorSlower climb
D'Alembert
Add one base bet after a loss instead of doubling. Bets grow slowly, but a single win no longer clears the run.
How D'Alembert worksMartingale on dozens and columns
A dozen pays 2 to 1, so you don't need to double. The progression 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 wins back your losses plus at least a base bet. But a dozen loses 67.6% of spins, so six losses in a row happen 1 in 11 sequences, far more often than on red.
Before you play
Martingale Tips: How to Play It Without Getting Burned
None of these beat the house edge. They keep a losing run from costing more than you planned.
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Pick the number of losses first
Decide how many losses in a row you'll cover before you sit down, then size the base bet to match. Seven losses need 127 base bets.
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Play a European wheel
In our test, Martingale reached its goal in 48.8% of sessions on a European wheel and 43.4% on an American one. The 00 costs you every time.
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Check the limit on even-money bets
The maximum for red or black can be lower than the figure on the lobby tile. Check it in the game before the run reaches it.
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Set a win goal and stop
Martingale makes one base bet per sequence. Pick a modest goal, bank it and leave. Playing on just gives a losing run more chances to arrive.
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Accept the stop
When a run can't be covered, take the loss. Don't reload or raise the base bet to win it back in one go.
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Read the bonus terms
Many bonuses exclude roulette or ban progressive betting. Martingale with bonus money can void the bonus and any winnings.
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Mind the clock at live tables
Live betting windows are short. A doubled bet you don't place in time leaves the sequence half done.
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Practice free first
Play a few sequences with free chips in our roulette simulator and watch how quickly bets climb in a losing run.
Real money
Best Roulette Sites for Martingale
Martingale needs a low minimum to start small and a high maximum so the table doesn't stop you before your bankroll does. These sites post the limits on their live tables. Pick a European wheel: none of them has a French table with La Partage.
#1
MyBookie
Single-zero tables from $0.10 to $10,000
200% up to $2,000
Read our MyBookie review
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MyBookie
Single-zero tables from $0.10 to $10,000
200% up to $2,000
Read our MyBookie review
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#2
Wild Casino
Single-zero tables from $0.50 to $12,500
250 Free Spins
Read our Wild Casino review
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Wild Casino
Single-zero tables from $0.50 to $12,500
250 Free Spins
Read our Wild Casino review
Play now
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you sign up through these buttons. They open real money casinos, not our free tools. Ranked as on our best online roulette sites list; compare all 10 in our roulette site reviews.
Martingale Roulette FAQs
What is the Martingale roulette strategy?
A betting system where you double your bet after every loss and go back to your first bet after a win. On an even-money bet such as red, the first win of a sequence wins back every loss in it plus one base bet. It's the best-known roulette system, and it doesn't change the odds of any spin.
Does the Martingale strategy work in roulette?
It wins small amounts often and loses big amounts rarely, and the big losses outweigh the small wins. In our test, a $1 Martingale with $100 reached $150 in 48.8% of sessions on a European wheel and lost most of the $100 in the rest. The average result matched the house edge.
How much money do you need for Martingale?
To cover n losses in a row you need your base bet × (2^n − 1). With a $1 base, 6 losses take $63 and 7 take $127; with a $5 base, 6 losses take $315. Use the calculator on this page to check your own numbers.
What are the odds of losing 7 times in a row in roulette?
On an even-money bet, 0.94% on a European wheel (1 in 106) and 1.1% on an American wheel (1 in 89). Over 100 sequences, the chance of at least one 7-loss run on a European wheel is 61.2%.
What happens when Martingale hits the table limit?
You can't place the next doubled bet, so the sequence ends with its losses. A $1 Martingale on a $500 maximum can bet $256, but not $512. That stops you after 9 losses even if you have the money.
Is Martingale better on red or black, or on dozens?
Classic Martingale is built for even-money bets. A dozen wins less often (32.4% on a European wheel), so losing runs come sooner, although a dozen pays 2 to 1 and needs a gentler progression: 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9. Neither changes the 2.70% house edge.
Can you get banned for using Martingale?
Not for the betting system itself. Casinos are happy for you to double your bets, because it doesn't change the odds. Some bonus terms do restrict betting patterns, so read them before you play a progression with bonus money.
Does Martingale work better on American roulette?
No, worse. The extra 00 makes losing runs more likely: in our test, Martingale reached its goal in 43.4% of sessions on an American wheel against 48.8% on a European wheel.
What is the Reverse Martingale?
The opposite approach: you double after a win and go back to your base bet after a loss, usually banking the profit after two or three wins in a row. It's also called the Paroli system. It risks less per run but needs winning streaks to pay off.
Can I practice Martingale for free?
Yes. Our roulette simulator gives you free chips to play the system by hand, and the strategy simulator plays 10,000 Martingale sessions at once so you can see how they end. Free chips have no cash value.
How we worked it out, and references
The calculator and tables use exact probabilities for a classic Martingale on an even-money bet: a loss chance of 19/37 on a European wheel and 20/38 on an American wheel, zero losing in full, and a session that ends at the goal or when the next doubled bet is more than the money left or the table maximum. We checked the formulas against 400,000 simulated sessions. Table limits are from each casino's live lobby. Further reading: the Martingale system at Wizard of Odds, Peter Pflaumer's statistical analysis of the roulette Martingale and Random Services on roulette probabilities.
21+
No system makes roulette safe
Set a budget before you start, never borrow to keep a progression going, and stop when it's gone. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit ncpgambling.org for free, confidential help.