Catch-up betting strategy | What it means with examples

The catch-up betting strategy allows you to cover all losses with one bet. But isn’t this strategy too risky? Let’s find out.

The main advantage of the catch-up strategy is the ability to make a successful bet (win some money) after a series of losses. For this reason, the strategy seems like an always winning approach to betting. But is it really so? Let’s figure out what the catch-up strategy is, what to bet on and how to do it the right way.

What is a catch-up strategy in sports betting

Catch-up is a strategy where you double the amount of your next bet after each loss so that your first win brings you profit.

Catch-up strategy in sports betting is a variation of the Martingale used for casino games. With Martingale, you bet on red and black or even-odd and double the bet after each loss. When you win, you receive a profit equal to the first bet.

Note, that this is a risky strategy. A bad streak of several losses can happen to anyone. Therefore, make your first bet no more than 1-2% of your budget. Even experienced players rarely start with more.

Real examples of this betting strategy

I. Another important thing for this strategy is to bet on ~2.00 odds. Double bets are perfect for odds of ~2.00. (I often choose a football match and one of the tennis matches. Ex: 1.3 (football favourite team) X 1.55 (favourite tennis player) = 2.015 (coefficient)).

Let’s imagine that your game bank (budget) is 1,000 dollars, the first bet is 20 dollars, and the odds in all cases are 2.00. The table with the results for the catch-up strategy may look like this:

II. Alternative catch-up (using odds below 2.00). After a series of failures, you can try to profit from a more reliable event. To get into the plus with a coefficient below 2.00, you will have to increase the bet size. Let’s present this strategy with a starting bank of 1,000 dollars and the first bet of 20 dollars in the table below:

After a series of four losses, you place a bet on a reliable event with odds of 1.60. The bet size is chosen so that one loss covers the sum of all previous losses and brings profit.

Be prepared for a series of six or more losses in a row. When starting to place bets using the catch-up strategy, players calculate in advance the size of the first bet and the number of moves they can make with their game bank, before they run out of money.

Where to find odds of 2.00, excluding double bets described above

Catch-up bets are used in sports where many matches are played throughout the year. For example, in football, tennis, hockey, basketball, etc. Below we will look at 3 more strategies that can be used to find odds of ~2.00.

I. Select games from football leagues with the most draws in a season

Bookmakers usually give odds of over 3.00 for a draw in a football match, so in the case of catch-up betting you will not have to double your bet to make a profit.

The popular football leagues with the most draws per season are: Argentina Primera, Italy Serie A & Serie B, Romania Liga I, Switzerland Super League, etc. You can google something like this: “football leagues with most draws“.

II. Bet against the favorite in women’s tennis – WTA singles

I recommend betting on “outsiders” in women’s tennis using this strategy, as the probability of a “sensation” is higher than in men’s tennis.

Or if in an interview you heard about health problems and injuries for the favorite, then you should bet on the underdog. It is very important to study the match beforehand. The match can be affected by injuries, of course. In addition, rumors about changing coaches, love stories and moral status are also a factor in changing the final result. I firmly believe that odds of 1.80 and 2.00 are about ‘the same’. And you should understand and accept this too.

III. Bet on football goals scored | Bet over or under

Select a match history, where more than 3.5 goals were scored in the last matches several times in a row. Or where less than 3.5 goals were scored in a game several times in a row. And then you bet the other way around, using the double up strategy.

Obviously, similarly you can bet on individual teams to score. And you can thus bet on the other odds that are presented.

Conclusion on the Catch-up betting strategy

In conclusion, I recommend you to bet only 2% of your budget. Double bets (1 football match + 1 tennis match) have more chances of winning. It would be great if you are a fan and watch football and tennis regularly to get your own insights.

Also don’t forget to subscribe to my blog (about football predictions and tennis predictions) on all social networks. And good luck with your bets!