It is one of the most controversial budget management methods, because it is based on the mathematical concept of doubling. Also used in casinos and horse racing, it is known for the aggressiveness of its progression. Thanks to the info in this guide, you can decide if it’s right for you.

What is the Martingale method?

When we talk about the Martingale method we are referring to a strategy used for gambling and online gambling and also applicable to sports betting. This system was invented in 18th century France and is still used by many players around the world today. This is a very simple progression, requiring an event with two equally likely outcomes and a potentially infinite bankroll.

This strategy is also known as the “doubling method”, precisely because it consists of doubling your bet every time you lose the previous bet. Originally born for games like heads and tails, the Martingale requires some precautions to be successfully applied to bets as well

How does this progression for sports betting work?
The system we are analyzing was created to be used with games in which each bet has a 50% chance of winning and allows you to double your bet.

Martingala Formula

The martingale is used with odds around 2 with a return of 1 unit for each win. In betting, however, we know very well that the favorite teams most of the time are quoted around 1.5 odds. So how do you bet a martingale with these odds?
This is the formula for calculating how much you need to bet on your next bet after losing:

bet = (previous bet + possible gain) / (odds – 1)

Let’s take an example:

I bet €10 on Juventus at odds of 1.5 who are playing against Udinese.
The match ended 1-1 and so I lost.
I play the next match for Juventus at 1.8 against Roma.
How do I calculate how much I have to bet to earn on the 1.8 odds and also recover the €10 lost in the previous match?

Followin the martingala formula above I have this

Bet= (10€”previous bet” + 8€ “possibile gain = 10×1,8-10”) / 0,8 = (10+8)/0,8 = 18/0,8 = 22,5€

I bet 22,5 on 1.8 and Juventus win 2-1. So I earn 22,5*1,8= 40,5

40,5 less 22,5 less previous stake = 8€

With this method, winning what we would have won at the beginning but with the winnings achieved with the last odds won by recovering everything previously lost. You can go on for many steps but in the end the gain will be given by the last quota.

If you don’t mind exposing yourself so much and if you have paper betting behind you that doesn’t lead you to 4 or more losing bets later on, I believe you can use this strategy profitably. But remember it’s always a martingale and draining the bankroll in a few days is certainly not for professionals.


The solution is to create a separate bankroll for these types of games without affecting the main bankroll.

You can try martingala using a bonus here where you have to bet 12x your deposit to withdraw the bonus. You can easily bet 1200€ with your first deposit of 100€ and using a bankroll of 200€ with the bonus.

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