We tested 5 betting strategies and discovered those that can yield a profit

If you’re the type of person with a lot of sports knowledge and would like to find a way to monetize it, you have arrived at the right place.

We tested 5 of the most successful betting systems for you over a series of 100 bets each.

The results were not quite what we were expecting. Based on our findings, proportional and matched betting work well, compared to Fibonacci and Martingale, which failed to deliver any results.

If you want to find out if betting systems are for you, you will love this article.

Without further ado, let’s dive right in:

Introduction to Sports Betting

The first thing you should know is that betting requires predicting a sporting event. There are countless betting options, ranging from the final result and number of goals to the first person to score and live in-play betting. 

Considering their predictions and risk, bookmakers will set the odds for each outcome of an event that you can bet on.

For example: if you find 1/6 odds for Barcelona beating Getafe and 30/1 for a victory from Getafe, betting C$100 on the 1/6 odds would bring you C$166 profit, while the 30/1 odds would yield C$3000 in profit.

The odds in our example indicate that the bookmaker believes that Barcelona has relatively high chances of winning the game. However, the winner is never guaranteed.

Unexpected results occur regularly in the sports betting industry. That is why betting on your favorite is not a good strategy, since it increases your chances of losing in the long run and missing value bets that could be identified using the proper resources.

Tips: Statistics show that 95% of inexperienced bettors tend to lose money in the long run. That is why you need to have a strategy and use the right tools to help you minimize risk.

The 5 Betting Systems that we tested

Now that you have a better idea of how betting works, it’s time to have a look at the 5 betting systems that we tested for this experiment:

Strategy 1: Martingale System

After every loss, you must double your bet to recover your previous losses and make a profit equal to your original wager.

For instance, if you start with a C$10 bet and lose, the next one should be C$20 and so on, until you finally win.

Even though the Martingale sounds good on paper, the system does not work in a real-life scenario. More on that later.

Strategy 2: Fibonacci Sequence

In case you don’t remember math classes from high school, the Fibonacci sequence is

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144,…

The sequence starts at 1, and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two.

For example: if you lose your first bet of C$10 (1 unit), you need to place your second bet, which is also C$10. Losing your second bet means that the third bet needs to be 2 units or C$20. If you win, you need to move down 1 unit back to C$10.

Strategy 3: All in bet

This strategy is one of the riskiest we’ve tested since it requires you to bet your entire balance on every wager.

There are only two possible outcomes: you win big or lose everything.

Strategy 4: Proportional Betting

This strategy requires you to bet a percent of your bankroll and increase the bet value by the same percentage after each winning betting.

For example: if your bankroll is C$2000 and you decide to bet 10%, you would initially bet C$200.

If the wager is successful, you must add your winnings and calculate 10% of your new bankroll for your next bet.

Thus, if you won C$400, you would have a total of C$2400. If you calculate 10% of the new amount, you will have to bet C$240.

Strategy 5: Matched Betting

The main advantage of wagering at an online bookmaker is the ability to use the matched betting strategy. Online gaming websites constantly reinvent their marketing strategies to attract new customers and maintain a stable relationship with existing users.

That is how matched betting was invented. Essentially, whenever you join an online bookmaker, the operator will offer you an incentive that “matches” your deposit by a given percent.

This bonus guarantees that you will get at least one risk-free bet, which can bring you considerable profit before you even start wagering your own money.

Important: Matched betting comes in many shapes and forms. To avoid any confusion during your decision-making process, use a curated list of gambling platforms and read some expert reviews to determine which operators have the most advantageous wagering requirements.

In comparison to the other systems mentioned above, matched betting is more focused on risk management. That is because even if you lose your free bet, you will still have money in your balance.

The secret of matched betting success is to lay your bets off. By backing your regular bets using the free credits, you will win the wager regardless of the event’s outcome.

The results – Which betting systems actually work?

Before we present you the winning betting strategies, we have some advice for you:

Avoid betting using the Martingale and Fibonacci.

Why?

Because theoreticians invented these strategies. Thus, even though they look better than the other systems on paper, they will not work in real-life, unless you have unlimited funds at your disposal.

Here is a quick example that proves these strategies can’t bring you profit in the long run:

Suppose you start betting using the Martingale system with C$100. If you’re unlucky and hit five losses in a row, your next bet will require you to risk C$1600.

Besides having to wager an extremely high amount, winning the bet won’t even bring you any considerable profits.

Therefore, progressive systems are a terrible idea for sports betting since you can’t influence the outcome, and the results are highly volatile.

The sports betting strategy that could work

“Bet it all” or all in betting is a simple strategy that even a beginner can figure out without much knowledge. Still, this system does not involve any risk management strategies, meaning that once you lost a wager, you are out of the game.

Here is why we don’t recommend using the all-in system unless you’re confident in your prediction:

Suppose you have C$1000 in your balance, and you bet on a match that has 2/1 odds. You win it, and now you’re standing on C$3000. At this point, most of you would probably cash out and enjoy the considerable profits.

However, for some reason, you decide to go all-in again on another match with similar odds. You get unlucky, and the opponents score a decisive goal in the last 5 minutes of the game. Now you lost everything you have earned plus the initial amount that you deposited.

The problem with all-in betting is that it does not scale. There is no way to get lucky every time unless you have insights from a match (which is illegal).

The winning strategy for sports betting

According to industry experts, successful sports betting strategies need to minimize your risks while maximizing your gains. Thus, we ran some tests to find the best system that pays off in the long run.

Based on the results of our experiments, combining matched betting with proportional betting has proven to be the most profitable strategy.

The explanation is simple – starting with the free-bet, which can be laid off with a regular bet, will guarantee that you win your first wager.

Now that you have more money in your balance, proportional betting comes into play. If you stick to a consistent proportional betting strategy, your balance will quickly increase, and your risk will be minimized.

Recommendation: For maximum efficiency with this strategy, start wagering with at least C$500 and use a proportional percentage somewhere between 5% and 10%.

The bottom line – Are betting systems for you?

Based on our expertise, sports betting should always be made from a position of knowledge. Whether you choose to use the betting systems in this article or decide that value betting has better returns, you should never wager without thinking in advance.

The betting strategies we have presented can be used to get an edge over the sports-book and insure you against losing streaks.

Combine the sports knowledge you have with these mathematical principles. You will be on the road to successful sports betting. Of course, there is no fool-proof method of winning in gambling. Remember to always gamble within your means and avoid chasing your losses.