Sports Betting Martingale Considerations
What if I told you that you could use a system to lock in a win consistently while betting on sports? Furthermore, what if it was using a system that all of the "experts" swear won't work?
Most gamblers are familiar with the Martingale betting system, even if they don't know it by the correct name. If you know about the Martingale, don't quit reading just because you "know" it can't work.
Give me a chance to shake your thinking about the Martingale just a little bit.
How the Martingale Works
The Martingale system doubles the amount of the wager after every loss. When you finally hit a win you win enough to cover all of your previous losses and still have a win equal to your original bet.
For example, if your first bet is for $20 and you lose three bets in a row and win the fourth here is the step by step process.
Bet $20 and lose.
Bet $40 and lose.
Bet $80 and lose.
Bet $160 and win.
Your total wagers equal $300 and your total return is $320 for a profit of $20.
The Road to Ruin
The problem is that you eventually lose enough wagers in a row to run out of money or the bets get so high that you can't find anyone to take them.
Using a Martingale system on most gambling games is a sure road to financial ruin. You can even find long rambling supposedly "scientific" papers about how it doesn't work in the long run and why you should never use it.
A Dirty Secret
Let me share a dirty secret with you. I have used the Martingale many times in sports betting situations profitably. Of course the experts will say that it is just a matter of time before it catches up with me, but I think once you learn my methods you may feel it is a good idea to try it too.
The reason the experts are correct about the Martingale and why I have used it successfully isn't at odds. They are discussing random events with wagers placed on them at close to 50/50 odds. Examples of these bets are baccarat wagers on the dealer or player, roulette bets on black, red, odd, or even or even money wagers on the flip of a coin.
The way I use the Martingale is using statistical trends in sports betting. The most clear cut example is home teams during the baseball season. You need to conduct your own research before risking any of your own money, but here is a solid way to make money.
Home teams in MLB rarely get swept in three game series. It is even rarer for them to get swept in four game series. There are two ways you can use this information to place winning baseball wagers.
The safest way is to wait for a home team to lose the first two games of a three game series or the first three games of a four game series and then place a money line wager on them to win the final game. If they don't win, wait until the situation comes up again and place a bet big enough to cover your first bet and show a profit.
Money line bets are almost never equal so you may have to adjust your bets up or down instead of just doubling them, but the overall concept is the same. Though I don't do this every time the opportunity comes up, I have made money using this system in the past.
The other way to use this information is a more aggressive approach. You can start placing wagers on the second game of any series where the home team loses the first game. If they also lose the second game you increase your bet for the third, etc.
If you plan to use this system, especially the more aggressive version, you need to have a very large bankroll in comparison to your first bet. You will face losing streaks. Once you start tracking how often home teams get swept though, you will see how this system can be profitable.
As a matter of fact, you shouldn't dream of using a system just because someone suggested it. Always research it yourself so you can see if it is profitable.
Improving the System
Most successful betting systems aren't quite as simple as the one I described above. The main reason is because the sportsbooks are aware of the same trends that most sports bettors are and may move the lines or adjust the odds to make it harder to turn a profit.
You need to take a simple system like the one I described above and improve it so it is unique. The more unique your system is, the harder it will be for the sportsbooks to figure out what you are doing and take measures to cost you money.
Here is how I have tweaked the system above to make it even more powerful.
Every profitable baseball bettor knows how important starting pitchers are to which team wins any individual game. I always track starting pitchers closely when I am betting on baseball. You need to know how the starting pitchers have been pitching all year and in their last start and last few starts.
By knowing as much as possible about the starting pitchers in the final game of a series you can get an even better indication of who will win. When you combine this with the home team tendency of not getting swept you can find profitable betting situations often.
You also combine all of these details with the other things you use to make baseball bets and you can quickly develop an in depth winning system.
Conclusion
Look for other statistical tendencies in any major sport and you may find places where you can profitably use a Martingale system. Once you find a profitable situation keep working to improve it so you can develop a winning system of your own.
