The Martingale and Other Betting Progressions
A betting progression changes the size of your next bet based on whether the last one won or lost. The best known is the Martingale: double after every loss. Here's how it's played on the Pass Line, how far the doubling goes before it meets the table limit, how the other progressions work, and a free table where you can practice it.
Practice the Martingale freePlay money and real casino odds. The table can bet it for you each roll while you watch how it plays.
How the Martingale works
- Bet one unit on the Pass Line, say $5.
- If it loses, double it for the next come-out: $10, then $20, and so on.
- When a bet wins, go back to one unit. The Pass Line pays even money, so the win covers the losses in that run plus one unit.
The doubling sequence
Starting at $5, each bet after a loss and the total lost so far:
| Losses in a row | Next bet | Lost so far |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $5 | $0 |
| 1 | $10 | $5 |
| 2 | $20 | $15 |
| 3 | $40 | $35 |
| 4 | $80 | $75 |
| 5 | $160 | $155 |
| 6 | $320 | $315 |
| 7 | $640 | $635 |
| 8 | $1,280 | $1,275 |
| 9 | $2,560 | $2,555 |
| 10 | $5,120 | $5,115 |
Two things stop the doubling: your chips and the table maximum. With $1,500 in chips, after eight losses in a row the next $1,280 bet can't be covered. Our table's maximum is $5,000, so the $5,120 bet after ten losses can't be made. On the practice table, when the next double would pass the maximum, the Martingale starts over at one unit.
Other betting progressions
- Reverse Martingale. Double after a win instead of a loss, and go back to one unit after a loss.
- Paroli. A reverse Martingale with a stop: double after each win, and go back to one unit after three wins in a row or a loss.
- D'Alembert. Add one unit after a loss and take one unit off after a win.
- Fibonacci. Bets follow 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 units, each the sum of the two before. Move one step along after a loss and two steps back after a win.
- Labouchère. Write a line of numbers, say 1, 2, 3. Bet the first plus the last. Cross both off after a win; add the amount lost to the end after a loss. The series is over when the line is empty.
- Oscar's Grind. Aim to win one unit per series. Raise the bet by one unit only after a win, and never so far that a win would take the series past one unit up.
The house edge
A progression changes the size of each bet, not its edge. On the Pass Line every bet keeps 1.41%, whatever its size and whatever came before it, because every roll is independent of the last. How we check the odds.
In crapless craps
A Martingale on a crapless Pass Line follows the same steps; the bet keeps 5.38% there, and it's decided differently: a come-out 7 wins and nothing loses on the come-out.
How to practice it here
- Tap the button below, or at the table tap the round ♟ button at the top right and pick The Martingale.
- Roll. The table bets the Pass Line on each come-out, doubling after a loss and going back to one unit after a win.
- The strip under the table shows the rolls, the shooters and the strategy's running total, kept apart from any bets of your own.
- Tap Turn off any time and carry on by hand; the bets stay on the table as yours.
Questions
What is the Martingale in craps?
A betting progression on an even-money bet such as the Pass Line: double the bet after every loss and go back to one unit after a win, so one win covers the run of losses plus one unit.
How many losses in a row can a Martingale cover?
It depends on your chips and the table maximum. Starting at $5, eight losses in a row cost $1,275 and the next bet is $1,280. At our $5,000 table maximum, the bet after ten losses, $5,120, can't be made.
What is the Paroli betting system?
A reverse Martingale with a stop: double your bet after each win, and go back to one unit after three wins in a row or after a loss.
What is the D'Alembert system?
A progression that adds one unit to your bet after a loss and takes one unit off after a win.
What is the Fibonacci betting system?
Bets follow the Fibonacci sequence, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 units. You move one step along after a loss and two steps back after a win.
Does a betting progression change the house edge?
No. It changes the size of each bet, not its edge. Every Pass Line bet keeps 1.41% whatever its size, because every roll is independent of the last.
More craps strategies
- Craps strategies: every strategy explained, each with a free table to practice it.
- Regression: start bigger and come down after the first hit.
- Pressing your bets: full, half and power presses.
- The dark side: Don't Pass, Don't Come and lay bets.
- Play Bubble Craps free
Play money only. No real wagering. No strategy changes the house edge; every roll is independent. About Mini Velvet · Contact