Reverse Martingale in Roulette: Double After Wins
In the standard Martingale roulette strategy, you double your bet after each loss. One win recovers your losses, but a string of losses digs the hole to H-E-double-hockey-sticks.
If you park that car and put it in reverse, the Reverse Martingale doubles your bet after each win, capitalizing on a killer hot streak instead of attempting to chase a loss.
It’s a simple method and safer than many other systems. But like all roulette methods, it doesn’t eliminate the house edge, and it comes with its own set of downsides. We’re cruising over all the main points today.
What is Reverse Martingale in Roulette?
Let’s back up for a second. Or as some would say, put it in reverse.
What is the Reverse Martingale system, exactly?
The Reverse Martingale is a positive progression betting system, meaning you only increase your bet when you win. Unlike negative progression systems, such as the regular Martingale, with the Reverse Martingale, you maximize profits on a win streak. It’s also known as the Paroli system.
This system is designed for even-money bets, since they have the highest, *near* 50-50 chances of winning. (Key word: near. It’s actually either 47.4% or 48.6%, depending on whether you’re playing American or European roulette.)
These fairly even odds are essential for the Reverse Martingale because you have a realistic chance of stacking back-to-back wins.
How to Use the Reverse Martingale Strategy
The Reverse Martingale system works on any outside, even-money bet in roulette. Those include red or black, high or low, or odd or even. You shouldn’t use it on dozens, columns, streets, or any other inside bet.
Let’s say your base bet is $5 on black. If black hits, you double the next bet to $10. If black lands again, you double to $20. Another win? You bump it to $40. You only raise the bet after a win. The second you lose, you immediately slam the brakes and reset back to your original $5 wager.
A round in action might look like this:
- $5 win → bet $10
- $10 win → bet $20
- $20 loss → reset to $5
Key Rules and When to Stop
A critical aspect of the Reverse Martingale is setting a clear exit point before you place your first bet. Otherwise, one ugly spin can Tokyo-Drift-reverse-entry your entire winning streak, AKA it’s gone.
Many experienced roulette players cap the number of times they double the bet. Others stop after reaching a specific profit goal or after hitting a certain number of consecutive wins.
For example, you might decide:
- Stop after 3 consecutive wins
- Walk away after earning a $50 profit
- Never double more than 4 times in one streak
After a certain point, one loss after a long streak wipes out the profits from that progression and sends you lurching back to square one.
Managing Risk and Understanding Effectiveness
The Reverse Martingale earns respect for focusing on smart money management (only increase when you have the funds to do so) and emotional discipline (walk away while you’re still ahead) rather than blindly trying to bulldoze the casino. As we learned from many “pro” roulette players, that never works.
Roulette is still inherently luck-based, and the house always carries an edge. No betting system changes that, not even one that rewinds the VHS tape like a very good customer.
What the Reverse Martingale does do well is minimize risk by only increasing bets during wins and returning to the base bet after a loss. In that way, you only risk your capital, and not your original bet. Still, it stings when you kiss goodbye to a good set of gains. Christian Bale gets it.
Since you’re only increasing your bet after a win, table limits and betting caps are much less dangerous with the Reverse Martingale. You rarely slam into those terrifying table maximums that make regular Martingale players sweat through their shirts. But even if you did, it wouldn’t matter because you’d have already locked in a nice profit.
To aid with discipline and control impulse betting, some roulette players track streaks and session results in a notebook or app. You can name it your Journal of Back That Thang Up.
Common Misconceptions & Strategy Comparisons
Many roulette systems sound brilliant on paper. But most assume conditions that almost never exist in real life. It’s a shame, too, since we all wanted flying cars to exist by now. 1990s movies lied to us. That’s why the classic Martingale system gets so many players into trouble.
With the regular Martingale, you double after every loss to recover previous losses and squeeze out a tiny profit. That’s all fine and dandy, until you’re on your 7th loss in a row, betting $320 to recover $5. Then, you either run out of money or—bam! Crash into the table limit.
The Reverse Martingale attempts to remedy this by doing the opposite. Now, instead of chasing losses, you run alongside winners. You only increase bets after successful spins, then reset immediately after a loss, falling into a built-in safety net.
But the downside of the Reverse Martingale is that if you’re on a winning streak, you can increase your bet until the cows come home (or you hit the table limit, whichever happens first), but one loss will wipe out your gains. At least in this case, you still have your original bet, so you didn’t really lose anything. Technically. Kind of like how Leo lost the Oscar race for 22 years, but we all know he won in our hearts.
Reverse Martingale Tips and Summary
The Reverse Martingale is safer than many classic roulette systems, which is why it’s a popular roulette strategy. You only risk your winnings, not your base capital.
With any roulette strategy you use, be it the dozens, James Bond, or 666, the biggest key to success in roulette is walking in with a clear plan already locked in. Decide your starting bet, your profit target, and exactly how many times you’ll double before stopping.
Those predetermined exit points are more important than lucky socks, moon phases, or a good luck wink from Jen at the nearby blackjack table. Hang on, Jen, we’re busy here.
When using the Reverse Martingale, stick to even-money bets like red/black, high/low, or odd/even. They give you the most likely chance of hitting a win streak.
And, although we’ve already said it, we really can’t stress this enough: Self-control is your strongest tool. “Easier said than done,” said the empty bag of Oreos. But this is different. You will eventually lose a win streak. Therefore, you should quit while you’re ahead, or risk losing everything.
Reverse Martingale Roulette FAQ
Does Reverse Martingale guarantee profit?
No. There is no roulette strategy that can guarantee wins. This system helps control your risk, but it does not beat the house edge.
What if I hit a loss after three wins?
If you lose after three wins, reset to your original bet and start again. Don’t try to recover the loss by switching to the regular Martingale. Stick to your plan and slowly build to your win goal.
What type of bets should I use?
Only use even-money bets with the Reverse Martingale. Those include red or black, high or low, and odd or even. These each have a near 50/50 shot.
Can I keep doubling on every win forever?
Theoretically, sure. But for starters, the table will have a betting limit, so you’d have to stop once you reach it. Also, it’s safer to stop after a set number of wins to lock in your profit and avoid risking giving it all back.
What if I want bigger profits?
There are other systems you can try for bigger profits, but they require far more risk. The Reverse Martingale is made for smaller, consistent wins.