It is a simple strategy best suited for beginners. The strategy has just two rules:
- double the bet amount after a loss;
- if you win, use the initial bet amount again.
The strategy works with odds of 1.90 or higher. If the odds are lower, the player will remain in the red even after a win. Let's look at an example:
You use the Martingale strategy and select events with odds of 1.85.
- First bet โ EUR 10. Loss.
- Second bet โ EUR 20. Loss.
- Third bet โ EUR 40. Loss.
- Fourth bet โ EUR 80. Win.
The winning bet earned you
EUR
148. During the strategy, you bet EUR
150. This means you ended with a loss of KZT
2.If you chose events with odds of 1.90, then in the same situation the fourth bet would have earned you
EUR
152. This is EUR
2 more than the amount you bet for the entire strategy.The lower the bet, the greater the chance of profiting
With each loss, the amount doubles, so the size of the first bet determines how many bets you make during the strategy. The more bets, the higher the chance to recoup after a long losing streak.
Let's see how many bets you have enough money for if you bet 1% of your bank.
Bet number | Bet size | Total bet amount |
1 | 1% | 1% |
2 | 2% | 3% |
3 | 4% | 7% |
4 | 8% | 15% |
5 | 16% | 31% |
6 | 32% | 63% |
7 | 64% | 127% |
The seventh bet already takes you over your bank limit, so you only have enough money for 6 bets. If you want to stretch your bank for a larger number of bets, then you'll have to reduce the first bet amount to 0.5%. In this case, you have enough money for 7 bets.
The Martingale strategy can be completed earlier
Any betting strategy is just a set of rules to use your bank efficiently. If you are uncomfortable making bets according to a certain strategy, you don't have to.
There are two ways to stop a strategy:
- Stop betting. In this case, you will not compensate the money you lost and you will remain in the red. The size of the loss depends on the stage when you stop betting.
- Bet on events with low odds. Any event you are certain about will do. If the bet wins, then the winnings compensate for part of the money you lost on the strategy.
You are using the Martingale strategy and have already lost four bets in a row for
EUR
150. The amount of your next bet is EUR
160.You are afraid that after a few more bets your bank will run out, so you decide to end the strategy. You find an event with odds of 1.50. This is less than the strategy recommends, but you are sure of the bet. You bet
EUR
160 on it.The bet wins, and you get
EUR
240. You spend a total of EUR
310 on the strategy. Ultimately, you end EUR
70 in the red. It does not feel good, but it is better than losing everything.The Martingale strategy is not risk-free
Even with an unlimited pot, the strategy still is not risk-free. All betting companies have a maximum bet size. If your bet amount reaches it, then you will not be able to continue the strategy and you will lose everything. There are two ways of avoiding this.
- If you have more thanEUR1,000 in your account, then bet less than 1%, for example, 0.2%. In this case, the bet size will increase more slowly, and you will be more likely to finish the series before reaching the bet limit.
- Choose popular events. These events are called big markets, where betting companies offer maximum limits.
There are better strategies available than the Martingale strategy
One of them is the chasing strategy. When chasing, you can choose odds below 1.90 and the strategy still compensates for losses. The amount of the second and subsequent bets is calculated based on a formula that takes into account the odds of the bet and amount lost:
S = (X + Y) รท (k - 1)
We wrote
a separate article
๏ปฟ about chasing. You can read it to learn more.