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Martingale Betting System: How To Use Martingale Strategy for Sports Betting (Double Down)

Publish Date: 30/05/2021
Fact checked by: Mark Lewis

The Martingale Betting Strategy is a common wagering system that has been around for many years and is used by gamblers all over the world. This strategy starts by wagering a small base amount that gamblers can afford.

This amount is adjusted accordingly to follow along with losses to help recoup that money lost. The wagering technique is simple to learn, and with just a bit of practice, gamblers can begin using it. Any players interested in learning more about the system should take the time to learn how to make the most of it overall.

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Pros and Cons of Martingale Betting System

Martingale Betting Strategy: Pros & Cons
  • Can work well in the short term
  • Useful for managing wins and losses
  • Generate consistent profits when used correctly
  • Beginner-friendly and easy to use
  • Mostly beneficial for players with large bankrolls
  • Can be a very risky strategy
  • It doesn't guarantee a profit
  • Usage can be restricted by table limits

How the System Works: Explaining the Martingale Betting Strategy

The Martingale betting strategy is one of the oldest wagering techniques and it proves highly effective for most short-term wagering sessions. In fact, as long as gamblers have a large enough bankroll, and a high enough betting limit, they are likely to come away with wins quite often when using the betting strategy. The system is a simple one that relies on modifying the total bet size based on wins and losses. By following the strategy precisely gamblers can ensure that they profit the same amount every single time they get a win.

How to Use the Martingale Strategy

Using the strategy is very simple to do. The strategic Martingale betting strategy starts off with wagering a small base amount that gamblers can afford to wager and it adjusts from there depending on whether the wager is successful or not.

Each time the gambler places a winning bet, they should place the base bet in the next round. Let’s imagine that the base bet is $2.00 in this example. Each time the player places a winning wager, their next wager amount would be for $2.00. Now imagine that the player loses a bet and loses $2.00.

In order to react to that, they would double their last wager amount to $4.00. If they win that wager they would profit by the $2.00, but if they lose again they will have to double their wager amount once again to $8.00. Another loss would demand a wager of $16.00, and another would be $32.00. Once that player wins again, they will go back to wagering $2.00.

While using the system, it’s possible to maintain a steady profit over the short term as long as too many losses don’t stack up and overwhelm the player's bankroll. The system is reliable but can be risky during major losing streaks. Even gamblers with very large bankrolls can be out of money quickly with enough bad luck.

Players have lost tens of thousands of dollars or more in a short period using the Martingale system, though that’s more common with fast-paced games than it is with sports betting. That’s why it’s always important to only wager with an amount of money you’re prepared to lose. Wagering more than that is always a bad idea because there’s never a guarantee that you’ll win on a sports wager, no matter how good the wagering system is.

Choosing a Wager: A Small Starting Bet is Essential

The most important step to making the Martingale strategy work properly is to choose an appropriately small wager amount to begin with. For instance, a player with a $200 bankroll should choose a wager amount of just $1.00 or $2.00 to make the system workable. Someone with a $1,000 bankroll could wager up to $5.00 for the base amount without too much trouble as long as the losing streak isn’t for too long. The main mistake that players make when using the system is to start off wagering too much because they want to profit more dramatically. This leads to losing their entire bankroll when they hit a losing streak. With smaller wagers players can lose more rounds in a row without going through their full bankroll.

BetResultProfit/Loss
$1Win$1
$1Loss$1
$2Loss$3
$4Win$1
$1Win$2
$1Win$3
$1Loss$2
$2Win$4
$1Win$5
$1Loss$4
$2Win$6
$1Loss$5
$2Win$7
$1Win$8
$1Loss$7

There is a Major Risk Factor

There’s a major risk that comes along with using the Martingale betting system, and that’s the chance of losing your entire bankroll. To use the system properly gamblers must place wagers that grow in size each time that they have a losing wager. If they have enough losing wagers the players can end up without money left over. When this happens the money is all lost. That’s why the system is risky to use and why gamblers that make use of the wagering system must take care. Too many losses in a row can result in all their money being lost as well.

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Are Other Systems More Effective?

The Martingale system is just one of many different betting systems available today. With so many different systems to choose from, it can be difficult to justify one over the others. Gamblers must take a look at the different wagering options and choose one based on all the benefits and downfalls of each of the different systems.

With that said, here are some of the alternative methods bettors can check out:

The Fibonacci Betting Strategy

The Fibonacci betting system increases your bet after each loss based on the Fibonacci sequence and decreases it by two steps after a win. It is not as aggressive as the Martingale System, and it is ideal for players who prefer a cautious approach.

The Reverse Martingale System

The Reverse Martingale System doubles your bet after each win instead of after each loss. This approach aims to maximise profits during winning streaks and reduce losses during losing streaks. Though it might seem unusual, some players find it effective.

The Kelly Strategy

This strategy uses advanced formulas to try to predict the appropriate amount to wager based on the chances of winning and the payout from the wager. It is more difficult to learn the Kelly strategy, but it can also offer impressive prize payouts without being quite as risky as the Martingale system.

The D'Alembert System

This System increases your bet by one unit after a loss and decreases it by one unit after a win. It aims to balance wins and losses, slowly recover losses, and make a profit. This system is less aggressive than the Martingale System but can still be effective.

Why Betting Systems are Useful

One of the worst things that a player can do when placing a wager is to be emotional about the wagering decision being made. Emotional betting leads to gamblers wagering huge amounts on games they are excited about while wagering a much smaller amount about games they aren’t interested in. This is the wrong approach to take with sports betting.

Instead, gamblers should take a more methodical approach to wagering. They should wager around the same amount of money with each bet that they place down, or at least use the same system for all of their wagers regardless of how interesting a particular matchup is. Doing this results in more reliable wins and helps make gambling a simpler process.

Getting too attached to specific wagering decisions can lead to losing more money than necessary and to make other poor wagering decisions that could otherwise be avoided with just a bit of care and planning.

A betting system takes the emotion out of sports betting and wagering decisions in general. With all the emotion removed from the equation, gamblers are more likely to achieve consistent profits and skip over the risk of making poor decisions overall.

Risky sports betting will result in major losses eventually. Adding a sports betting system to follow along with over time helps reduce the risk of that happening. Sure, it takes time to find the perfect system, but testing out different options is a good way to start trying to make the most of online wagering overall.

Try the System out at a Real Sportsbook

It’s one thing to consider the possibilities of a sports betting system, it’s another to try it out using real money to see how it performs. We’ve assembled a list of high-quality sportsbooks offering powerful bonus offers and other specials for interested gamblers. Players that want to try out the systems can take the time to join up with one of these sites and try the wagering system after becoming members. Sign up today, start wagering and make use of the Martingale betting strategy to try and win more consistently.

Conclusion: The Martingale Betting Strategy is a Useful Tool for Bettors

While it might not be the best wagering strategy for every gambler, the Martingale sports betting strategy is a powerful tool that can result in some rewarding or reasonable profits from gambling sessions. Sports bettors can make use of the system reliably as long as they have a large enough bankroll and the confidence to place the oversized bets during a losing streak. The system doesn’t offer guaranteed wins, but can result in more consistent wins over time for some players.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Martingale Betting System

🤔What are the three types of martingale?

The Martingale Betting System has three major types: the standing, the running, and the German martingale. Each one of these three types of martingales are utilized in different ways, for different purposes, and in diverse disciplines.

Yes. The Martingale system is perfectly legal. A number of online casino players make use of it to check how much to stake on each hand or spin of the wheel. Bettors can also make use of the Martingale system in sports betting. But bear in mind that a horse racing Martingale system would be difficult.

💰How much money do you need for Martingale?

One of the downside of the Martingale Betting system is that it needs a large bankroll to be effective. As you raise your bet size after each loss, you will need to have enough money to cover the next bet.

📌What is the best Martingale strategy?

In the Martingale trading strategy, after losing, you should make your trade double and hope that you will win. If you lose again, you should double the size of the trade and so on. Then if the fifth trade wins, it will mostly cover the past losses and bring you earnings.

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