Martingale
What does "martingale" mean in sports betting?
A staking system where you double your bet after every loss so one win recovers everything. It risks huge stakes to chase a small gain.
On paper the idea is simple: keep doubling until you win, and the win covers all earlier losses plus a small profit. In practice, stakes grow fast, a long enough losing streak eventually shows up, and your bankroll or a maximum bet runs out first.
At -110, the math is worse. After four or more straight losses, even the winning double doesn't get you back to even, because a -110 win pays less than the total you have already lost.
Example
Start at $10 and lose six straight: $10, $20, $40, $80, $160, $320. That's $630 lost. The seventh bet is $640, for $1,270 risked in total. At -110, a $640 win pays about $581.82, so you still finish about $48.18 down.
Related terms
Vig (juice)
The vig, also called juice or the hold, is the commission a sportsbook builds into its prices so it profits no matter which side wins.
Expected value (EV)
Expected value (EV) is the average amount a bet would win or lose per play if you could make it many times. Positive EV (+EV) means the price is better than the true chance.
Unit
A unit is a fixed slice of your bankroll, commonly 1% to 2%, used to size every bet so stakes stay consistent.
Gambler's fallacy
The mistaken belief that a random streak has to even out soon, so a result is 'due' after it hasn't happened for a while.
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