Staking Systems
The Martingale System
The Martingale System is a negative progression betting strategy.
How it works
All bets have to be odds of 2.0 or above.
Let's say you're placing £10 bets on even-money outcomes (e.g. Over/Under 2.5 at odds of 2.0).
After each loss, simply double your stake until you hit a winner. Then revert back to a £10 bet.
Example
| Bet | Stake | Result | Cumulative Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £10 | Loss | £-10 |
| 2 | £20 | Loss | £-30 |
| 3 | £40 | Loss | £-70 |
| 4 | £80 | Win | £10 |
You started with £10, lost 3 times and bet £80 on the 4th. That win covers all previous losses and secures a £10 profit.
The Reverse Martingale (Paroli) System
Instead of chasing losses like the regular Martingale, the Paroli system is a positive progression betting strategy.
How it works
All bets have to be odds of 2.0 or above.
Let's say you use a base stake of £10, and your goal is to win 3 bets in a row.
Double your stake after each win. Whenever you lose, or have 3 wins in a row, start over with the original £10.
Example
| Bet | Stake | Result | Cumulative Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £10 | Win | £10 |
| 2 | £20 | Win | £30 |
| 3 | £40 | Win | £70 |
| 4 | £10 | Win | £80 |
| 5 | £20 | Loss | £60 |
| 6 | £10 | Loss | £50 |
| 7 | £10 | Win | £60 |
| 8 | £20 | Win | £80 |
Fibonacci Betting System
The Fibonacci system is a negative progression strategy where you increase your stakes after a loss, but not exponentially. Instead, you follow the Fibonacci sequence:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 ...
How it works
Each number is the sum of the two previous numbers. In betting you would skip the 0 and start at 1 point (e.g. 1 point = £10).
After a loss, move one step forward in the sequence. After a win, move two steps back. This can only be used with odds of evens or above (2.0).
Example 1
| Bet | Fibonacci | Stake | Result | Profit | Cumulative Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | £10 | Loss | £-10 | £-10 |
| 2 | 1 | £10 | Loss | £-10 | £-20 |
| 3 | 2 | £20 | Loss | £-20 | £-40 |
| 4 | 3 | £30 | Win | £30 | £-10 |
| 5 | 1 (2 back) | £10 | Win | £10 | £0 |
Example 2
| Bet | Fibonacci | Stake | Result | Profit | Cumulative Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | £10 | Loss | £-10 | £-10 |
| 2 | 1 | £10 | Loss | £-10 | £-20 |
| 3 | 2 | £20 | Loss | £-20 | £-40 |
| 4 | 3 | £30 | Loss | £-30 | £-70 |
| 5 | 5 | £50 | Loss | £-50 | £-120 |
| 6 | 8 | £80 | Loss | £-80 | £-200 |
| 7 | 13 | £130 | Win | £130 | £-70 |
| 8 | 5 (2 back) | £50 | Win | £50 | £-20 |
| 9 | 2 (2 back) | £20 | Win | £20 | £0 |
| 10 | 1 | £10 | Win | £10 | £10 |
Labouchere (Cancellation System)
The Labouchere System works on a custom sequence of numbers, representing target profit units. You bet the sum of the first and last numbers in the sequence. If you win, cancel those two numbers. If you lose, add the amount staked to the end of the sequence.
The goal is to cancel out the entire list.
This can only be used with odds of evens or above (2.0).
Example 1
Let's say your target is £60, and you divide that into a list of equal points like this:
10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Each number is £10.
Your first bet would be the first and last number in the sequence 10+10 = £20.
| Sequence | Bet | Result | Cumulative Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 10 10 10 10 10 | £20 | Loss | £-20 |
| 10 10 10 10 10 10 20 | £30 | Win | £10 |
| 10 10 10 10 10 | £20 | Win | £30 |
| 10 10 10 | £20 | Loss | £10 |
| 10 10 10 20 | £30 | Win | £40 |
| 10 10 | £20 | Win | £60 |
Once the sequence is empty, you have hit your profit target.
Example 2
Target is £21 using a sequence of 1,2,3,4,5,6.
| Sequence | Bet | Result | Cumulative Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,2,3,4,5,6 | £7 | Loss | £-7 |
| 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | £8 | Win | £1 |
| 2,3,4,5,6 | £8 | Win | £9 |
| 3,4,5 | £8 | Loss | £1 |
| 3,4,5,8 | £11 | Loss | £-10 |
| 3,4,5,8,11 | £14 | Win | £4 |
| 4,5,8 | £12 | Win | £16 |
| 5 | £5 | Win | £21 |
Maria Staking Plan
The Maria Staking Plan is a percentage-based staking system designed specifically for lay betting, made famous by a user called Maria on a betting forum.
The strategy adjusts your lay stakes as a percentage of your bank, depending on the odds selection.
The liability will vary depending on odds.
| Odds Range | % Bank to Lay |
|---|---|
| <= 3.5 | 1% |
| 3.6 - 7.4 | 0.6% |
| 7.5 - 11.0 | 0.4% |
| > 11 | No bet |
Example
Let's say your starting bank was £3,000.
| Bet | Odds | Stake | Liability | Result | Bank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.2 | £30 (1%) | £36 | Loss | £2,964 |
| 2 | 5.0 | £18 (0.6%) | £72 | Win | £2,982 |
| 3 | 9.0 | £12 (0.4%) | £96 | Win | £2,994 |
| 4 | 3.5 | £30 (1%) | £75 | Win | £3,024 |
| 5 | 6.5 | £18 (0.6%) | £99 | Win | £3,042 |
| 6 | 1.5 | £30 (1%) | £15 | Loss | £3,027 |
At the end of each day, calculate your new bank after wins/losses.
Adjust future stakes according to the new bank size using the same percentage bands.
For example, if your bank the next day is £3,200, then 1% will be £32 instead of £30.
This allows your stakes to scale gradually as your bank grows or shrinks.
D'Alembert System
The D'Alembert System is based on the idea of increasing your stake by 1 point after a loss and decreasing it by 1 point after a win.
The odds need to be 2.0 or more.
Example
| Bet | Stake | Result | Profit | Cumulative Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £10 | Loss | £-10 | £-10 |
| 2 | £20 | Loss | £-20 | £-30 |
| 3 | £30 | Win | £30 | £0 |
| 4 | £20 | Win | £20 | £20 |
Progression Examples
| Sequence | Staking Pattern |
|---|---|
| L L W | 1 - 2 - 3 |
| L L L W W W | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 3 - 2 |
| W W L L W | 1 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 3 |
