Martingale calculator

What a doubling sequence really costs. Set the starting lot, the multiplier, the step distance and how many steps you plan, and see the lot at every step, the total lots, the move needed to break even and the loss if the grid runs out before price turns.

Your numbers

Instrument

Pip size

Direction

Buy / longSell / short

Account balance

First entry price

Starting lot

Multiplier per step2.0 doubles · 1.5 softer · 1.0 flat grid.

Steps planned

Step distance (pips)Before the next step fills.

Take profit (pips)Measured from the last entry.

Leverage (for margin)

Custom leverage (1:?)

Account currency

Fill in the form to see the result.

Educational arithmetic on the figures you enter. Example prices are placeholders, not live quotes; contract sizes and pip definitions vary by broker. Not financial advice.

How it works

A martingale sequence adds a bigger position every time price moves against the last one, so the average entry follows price down and a smaller bounce closes the whole set:

lot at step i = starting lot × multiplier^(i − 1) total lots = sum of every step's lot break-even pips = (lot-weighted average entry − last entry) in pips floating loss at i = Σ lot(j) × (i − j) × step distance × pip value worst case = the set stopped one step past the last entry

The table gives each step its own row: the lot, the running total, the entry price, how far price has to come back from the last entry just to break even, and what is floating against the account at that moment as a share of the balance.

Where it breaks

Doubling turns a small first loss into an enormous last one: six steps at 2.0 from 0.01 lot is 0.63 lots total, ten steps is 10.23 lots. The sequence wins often and loses rarely, and the rare loss is bigger than every win before it. The calculator shows the step where the balance runs out and where the broker's margin blocks the next step, which is usually earlier than traders expect.

Worked example: gold

Gold, 0.01 lot, multiplier 2.0, 100-pip steps, 6 steps, $5,000 balance:

lots 0.01 → 0.02 → 0.04 → 0.08 → 0.16 → 0.32 (0.63 total) covered 500 pips of adverse move (50.00 in price) break-even 90.5 pips back from the last entry floating −$570 when step 6 fills (11.4% of the balance) worst −$1,200 if price runs one more step (24.0%)

Price only has to come back about 90 pips from the last entry to close the whole set at break-even, which is exactly why the method feels safe, and the account has roughly 700 pips of room past step 6 before equity is gone.

Add two more steps and the same grid holds 2.55 lots: the worst case is $5,020 on a $5,000 account, and equity now hits zero only 99 pips past the last entry. The sequence that felt safe at six steps is the whole account at eight.

Switch the multiplier to 1.5 and the same six steps hold 0.21 lots with a $510 worst case — but break-even moves out to 143 pips, so a 100-pip target no longer closes the set in profit. That trade-off is the whole decision.

FAQ

Questions traders ask

What is a martingale strategy in trading?

Adding a larger position each time the market moves against you, so that a smaller move back closes the whole set at a profit. The classic version doubles each step. It produces a long run of small wins and, eventually, one loss that can be larger than all of them together, because the exposure grows exponentially while the account does not.

How many martingale steps can my account take?

Two lines answer that. "Steps the balance funds" compares the floating loss at every step against your balance and names the step where it runs out, and "equity hits zero" says how much further price can run past the last step before the account is empty. With 0.01 lots, a 2.0 multiplier and 100-pip steps on gold, a $5,000 account has about 700 pips of room past step 6 — and only 99 pips past step 8.

What multiplier is safer than 2.0?

Anything below 2.0 recovers more slowly but keeps the worst case within reach: 1.3 to 1.5 is common, and 1.0 is a flat grid where every step is the same size and the average entry moves at half the speed. Enter each one and compare the total lots and the worst-case loss at your own step count; there is no multiplier that removes the risk.

Does the calculator work for a grid or a dollar-cost-average entry?

Yes. Set the multiplier to 1.0 for a flat grid of equal lots, or to a figure between 1 and 2 for a weighted one. The break-even column is the useful part either way: it tells you how far price has to come back from the last entry before the whole set is in profit.

Can I use my own pair and pip size?

Yes. Gold is the default with 0.10 as the pip; the instrument list covers silver, the major and cross pairs, indices, oil and BTC, and every one of them has an "Enter it myself" option for the pip size. For anything not listed, choose Custom instrument and enter your broker's contract size and pip size.

Is martingale recommended?

No. DGCPUBLIC publishes this calculator so the arithmetic is visible before anyone runs the method, not as a recommendation. The tool shows the loss that ends the sequence as plainly as the recovery that makes it attractive. Nothing here is financial advice.

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