martingale betting system - an introduction

We want to start out with pointing out that in order to make money and win regularly you need to have a betting system in place one way or the other. On top of that; money management is obviously the key no matter what betting system you choose to pursue. We have written an excellent piece on money management for sports betting. We urge you to check it out.

Introduction to the martingale betting system

Betting systems like the Martingale theory is a popular one for a reason; martingale can really make people rich. It is however not for the faint at heart. It can be as brutal as it can be effective. It does not have any mathematical edge over randomly chosen bets even, but its simplicity draws attention to it.

Be aware that almost every season there is a new betting system that pops up, and its creators are bragging about how successful it is in every available channel. Forget these hype betting systems. They usually only bring on a world of hurt. The Martingale betting system can hurt you too, but is a betting system that has been around since the 18th century so a lot of information on its application is available.

It may not be better than any other betting system, but it has created a lot of boom, not only bust on its way to modern day gambling. If you keep your betting stakes under control, and go for bets with a positive EV you can have a lot of fun using the martingale betting system.

How does the martingale betting system work?

The basic concept of the Martingale betting system is rather simple. The Martingale System is a chase method. You pick the stake and the amount you look to win. Let's assume we live in a fifty-fifty world for a while and that the odds of everything are 2.00. Now, say you wager $5 on the Saints to win. Your goal is to win $10. If they lose you double the bet on their next game.

It is imperative to understand that you must have a fairly big bankroll if you are thinking about going with this system. The betting stakes can escalate very quickly. We will touch on that subject below.

Where is martingale applicable?

The Martingale betting system can be used for a variety of gambling games. It is very popular with roulette players. Often they will bet on for instance red or odd number. If it doesn't hit, they double their wager on the next spot.

Sports bettors have found success using it with regard to following trends and streaks.  Let's take one example from NHL; the grand salami. Let us remain in the joyful world of fifty-fifty where the odds on everything are 2.00.

The grand salami wager is the total points that will be scored in all games in a particular day. Let’s say the NHL tonight has a line of 43 goals. You wager $5 on the over. If it goes under, you then wager  $10 tomorrow that it goes over. A win get you your initial bet you lost back and a short profit. You then start again at the base amount.

The bankroll and the swings

As we said above, the importance of having a large bank roll is important in the event you get into a streak of games where you are losing. For example, in the NHL the Grand Salami can go over the total for eight straight days every now and then. This would be a tough ride if you are betting under using the Martingale betting system. By day nine you would not be feeling to comfortable. Remember, you started out wanting to win $10. Now you got to bet an ass whipping $1280 to get that $10. Where is lady luck when you need her huh? Let's say it finally went under and thus you now made your $10. If it went under the 10th as well you are ahead of the game and making money. This time with a lot less sweat.

To drill the concept of  swings home: The following two days went over, followed by an under. As you can see there is potential to make a solid profit, however you have to be able to ride out the bad streaks, and in order to do that you need a big bankroll. How big bankroll do you need? Please see our infographics article on this subject.

Anti-Martingale betting system

In comparison an Anti-Martingale System works by way of decreasing the amount wagered after a loss, and increasing your wager after a win. For example, you bet $5 on the Rangers to win their game; you then would wager $10 on them to win their next game. If you lost the initial bet, you would then bet $2.50 on them to win their next game. This system reduces the losses when your streak is running cold, but returns more money when you are running on a hot streak. The Anti-Martingale system is a popular one among many successful sports bettors. We have dedicated a full article to this subject. Check it out.

The final comments

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