THE PROGRESSIVE BETTING "CHASE" SYSTEM
The next element of the SBP system is that you are following a 3-step progressive "chase" system, so called because you "chase" your losing bets with larger bets in the hope of recouping prior losses. The chase works like this: If you lose your first bet (bet "A"), on your second bet (bet "B") you simply place a bet to win back the amount you lost in bet A plus the amount you hoped to win in bet A. Essentially, bet B is approximately double the amount of the bet you made in bet A. (But see below regarding "juice."*) If you lose bet B, you do the same thing again: you bet enough to win back the amount you hoped to win in bet A, plus the amount you lost in bet A, plus the amount you lost in bet B. So bet C is approximately double the amount of bet B.
It helps to think of your bet A amount as a bet "unit." (A lot of people recommend that your "unit bet" should not be more than 2.5 percent--two and a half percent--of your bank roll, and your bank roll is the total amount of money you should be willing to lose without feeling badly about it.)
So the chase looks like this:
Bet A = 1 unit
If you win bet A, you risked 1 unit to win approximately 1 unit in profit.* (When you win, you get your original 1 back, plus 1 in "profit," minus the juice.*)
If you won your A bet, your next bet is just another A bet, and you keep going. However, if you lose Bet A, you then place your next bet, which is...
Bet B = 2 units
Bet B is essentially double the amount of Bet A. If you win bet B, you ended up risking 3 units (bet A + bet B) to win 1 unit of profit.* (When you win, you get back the 2 that you wagered in bet B, plus you get 2 units back in "profit," minus the juice. So you spent 3 (A+B bets) and received 4 back, minus juice, which is a profit of approximately 1.)
If you win bet B, your next bet is again an A bet for 1 unit. However, if you lose bet B, your next bet is...
Bet C = 4 units
Bet C is essentially double the amount of Bet B. If you win bet C, you ended up risking 7 units (A[1] + B[2] + C[4]) to win 1 unit, same as above.* If you lose bet C, you just take it all as a loss (you lose 7 units) and your next bet is again an A bet for 1 unit.
The system only counts it as a "loss" when you go through an entire ABC progression and lose all three bets.
ABOUT "JUICE" *
* A quick note about "juice" or "vig", which is like a commission that sportsbooks charge on bets. When you place a bet with a sportsbook, you typically place a bet at a "-120" rate, or something like that, which means that you need to bet $1.20 to win a profit of $1.00.
So it's important to understand that when you win a 1 dollar bet, you don't get 1 dollar in profit...you get something like 80 cents. It's not a bad profit when you win, but this sportsbook commission or "juice" has a huge effect your your potential winnings when you're playing chase systems like SBP, as shown below.
BACKGROUND: THE MARTINGALE SYSTEM
SBP and SBC and other chase systems are based on a very old betting strategy called a "Martingale." In a true Martingale, you basically keep doubling your losing bet indefinitely until you finally win a bet (netting a final profit of only 1 unit), or you lose your whole bankroll. In effect, you have to be willing to bet your whole bankroll to win 1 unit. A true Martingale can wipe you out very very quickly. (Check out the Wizard of Odds website and what it shows about Martingale systems.)
The SBP system is only slightly less crazy than a true Martingale because SBP stops the progression at the third bet.
THE PROGRESSIVE BETTING "CHASE" SYSTEM
The next element of the SBP system is that you are following a 3-step progressive "chase" system, so called because you "chase" your losing bets with larger bets in the hope of recouping prior losses. The chase works like this: If you lose your first bet (bet "A"), on your second bet (bet "B") you simply place a bet to win back the amount you lost in bet A plus the amount you hoped to win in bet A. Essentially, bet B is approximately double the amount of the bet you made in bet A. (But see below regarding "juice."*) If you lose bet B, you do the same thing again: you bet enough to win back the amount you hoped to win in bet A, plus the amount you lost in bet A, plus the amount you lost in bet B. So bet C is approximately double the amount of bet B.
It helps to think of your bet A amount as a bet "unit." (A lot of people recommend that your "unit bet" should not be more than 2.5 percent--two and a half percent--of your bank roll, and your bank roll is the total amount of money you should be willing to lose without feeling badly about it.)
So the chase looks like this:
Bet A = 1 unit
If you win bet A, you risked 1 unit to win approximately 1 unit in profit.* (When you win, you get your original 1 back, plus 1 in "profit," minus the juice.*)
If you won your A bet, your next bet is just another A bet, and you keep going. However, if you lose Bet A, you then place your next bet, which is...
Bet B = 2 units
Bet B is essentially double the amount of Bet A. If you win bet B, you ended up risking 3 units (bet A + bet B) to win 1 unit of profit.* (When you win, you get back the 2 that you wagered in bet B, plus you get 2 units back in "profit," minus the juice. So you spent 3 (A+B bets) and received 4 back, minus juice, which is a profit of approximately 1.)
If you win bet B, your next bet is again an A bet for 1 unit. However, if you lose bet B, your next bet is...
Bet C = 4 units
Bet C is essentially double the amount of Bet B. If you win bet C, you ended up risking 7 units (A[1] + B[2] + C[4]) to win 1 unit, same as above.* If you lose bet C, you just take it all as a loss (you lose 7 units) and your next bet is again an A bet for 1 unit.
The system only counts it as a "loss" when you go through an entire ABC progression and lose all three bets.
ABOUT "JUICE" *
* A quick note about "juice" or "vig", which is like a commission that sportsbooks charge on bets. When you place a bet with a sportsbook, you typically place a bet at a "-120" rate, or something like that, which means that you need to bet $1.20 to win a profit of $1.00.
So it's important to understand that when you win a 1 dollar bet, you don't get 1 dollar in profit...you get something like 80 cents. It's not a bad profit when you win, but this sportsbook commission or "juice" has a huge effect your your potential winnings when you're playing chase systems like SBP, as shown below.
BACKGROUND: THE MARTINGALE SYSTEM
SBP and SBC and other chase systems are based on a very old betting strategy called a "Martingale." In a true Martingale, you basically keep doubling your losing bet indefinitely until you finally win a bet (netting a final profit of only 1 unit), or you lose your whole bankroll. In effect, you have to be willing to bet your whole bankroll to win 1 unit. A true Martingale can wipe you out very very quickly. (Check out the Wizard of Odds website and what it shows about Martingale systems.)
The SBP system is only slightly less crazy than a true Martingale because SBP stops the progression at the third bet.
WHAT COUNTS AS A WIN?
So under the SBP chase system, if you win your A bet, that counts as a "win" (and you win a total of 1 unit). If you lose bet A but win bet B, that is also a "win" (and you still only win a net of 1 unit). If you lose A, and lose B, but you win C, that is also a "win" under the system (and you still only win a net of 1 unit). The only thing that counts as a "loss" under the system is if you lose bet A, lose bet B, AND lose bet C.
THE TRUE COST OF LOSSES
Here's the problem: if you win 9 times out of 10, this means YOU WILL LOSE AT LEAST ONE A-B-C CHASE out of every 10 bets. So what does that mean?:
9 wins = positive profits of approximately 9 win units (minus juice as explained above).
Just ONE loss means you will lose 7 bet units (A + B + C), which is equal to about 8.75 of your win units. (Remember, a single win unit is only worth about 80 percent of your bet unit because of the juice. 7 bet unitsdivided by .80 = 8.75 win units.)
So by losing just one out of 10 bets, you end up wiping out about 8.75 of the 9 win units that you picked up from your 9 wins.
Your "profit" after 10 bets is: 9 - 8.75 = 0.25 units.
In the best case "winning" scenario:
you will win 9 A bets in a row, and then your 10th bet is a single ABC chase loss. This means you risked 16 units (nine A bets of 1 unit each + one ABC chase of 7 units) to end up with a "profit" of approximately only 0.25. That's equivalent to risking $64 to win $1. (16 x 4 = 64 and 0.25 x 4 = 1.)
Risking $64 to win $1 is NOT an attractive betting scenario, and that is the BEST case scenario under SBP.
The worst case "winning" scenario:
The worst case "winning" scenario is that you will make 10 ABC progression bets, and you must win 9 of those ABC progressions and lose only the 10th one (thus keeping the 90% win ratio of the system). In that case you risked 70 bet units (ABC = 7 units x 10 bet progressions = 70 units) to win that final 0.25 unit of profit. That's equivalent to risking $280 to win $1! (70 x 4 = 280 and 0.25 x 4 = 1)
THE BOTTOM LINE
Based on the math shown above...
Would you risk 64 dollars on the hope of winning 1 dollar?
Would you risk 280 dollars on the hope of winning 1 dollar?
That is exactly what you're doing when you follow SBP or SBC or virtually any other similar progressive betting chase system.
It should be noted that these ratios are what you risk ASSUMING the SBP system (or other similar system) delivers EXACTLY what it promises: a 90 percent win ratio. If SBP delivers even slightly less than a 90 percent win ratio, you will immediately go into negative profits because, as shown above, every single ABC loss wipes out 8.75 wins.
YOU CANNOT MAKE A LIVING DOING THIS
What if you wanted to make an "income" of just $1,000 per month doing this? That's not even enough to live on, but let's just say that's how much you would like to win. To win $1,000 each month, you would need to wager at least $64,000 (at 64x) and up to $280,000 (at 280x) each month just to win a profit of $1,000, and again pray that you're never a fraction of a percentage below a 90 percent win rate, otherwise you will lose most or all of your money.
Risking between $64,000 and $280,000 in the hope of winning $1,000 each month? How much time would it take you to place and monitor enough bets to put that much money into play every month? I hope you're getting the picture. This is no way to make a living or to live a life.
WHAT COUNTS AS A WIN?
So under the SBP chase system, if you win your A bet, that counts as a "win" (and you win a total of 1 unit). If you lose bet A but win bet B, that is also a "win" (and you still only win a net of 1 unit). If you lose A, and lose B, but you win C, that is also a "win" under the system (and you still only win a net of 1 unit). The only thing that counts as a "loss" under the system is if you lose bet A, lose bet B, AND lose bet C.
THE TRUE COST OF LOSSES
Here's the problem: if you win 9 times out of 10, this means YOU WILL LOSE AT LEAST ONE A-B-C CHASE out of every 10 bets. So what does that mean?:
9 wins = positive profits of approximately 9 win units (minus juice as explained above).
Just ONE loss means you will lose 7 bet units (A + B + C), which is equal to about 8.75 of your win units. (Remember, a single win unit is only worth about 80 percent of your bet unit because of the juice. 7 bet unitsdivided by .80 = 8.75 win units.)
So by losing just one out of 10 bets, you end up wiping out about 8.75 of the 9 win units that you picked up from your 9 wins.
Your "profit" after 10 bets is: 9 - 8.75 = 0.25 units.
In the best case "winning" scenario:
you will win 9 A bets in a row, and then your 10th bet is a single ABC chase loss. This means you risked 16 units (nine A bets of 1 unit each + one ABC chase of 7 units) to end up with a "profit" of approximately only 0.25. That's equivalent to risking $64 to win $1. (16 x 4 = 64 and 0.25 x 4 = 1.)
Risking $64 to win $1 is NOT an attractive betting scenario, and that is the BEST case scenario under SBP.
The worst case "winning" scenario:
The worst case "winning" scenario is that you will make 10 ABC progression bets, and you must win 9 of those ABC progressions and lose only the 10th one (thus keeping the 90% win ratio of the system). In that case you risked 70 bet units (ABC = 7 units x 10 bet progressions = 70 units) to win that final 0.25 unit of profit. That's equivalent to risking $280 to win $1! (70 x 4 = 280 and 0.25 x 4 = 1)
THE BOTTOM LINE
Based on the math shown above...
Would you risk 64 dollars on the hope of winning 1 dollar?
Would you risk 280 dollars on the hope of winning 1 dollar?
That is exactly what you're doing when you follow SBP or SBC or virtually any other similar progressive betting chase system.
It should be noted that these ratios are what you risk ASSUMING the SBP system (or other similar system) delivers EXACTLY what it promises: a 90 percent win ratio. If SBP delivers even slightly less than a 90 percent win ratio, you will immediately go into negative profits because, as shown above, every single ABC loss wipes out 8.75 wins.
YOU CANNOT MAKE A LIVING DOING THIS
What if you wanted to make an "income" of just $1,000 per month doing this? That's not even enough to live on, but let's just say that's how much you would like to win. To win $1,000 each month, you would need to wager at least $64,000 (at 64x) and up to $280,000 (at 280x) each month just to win a profit of $1,000, and again pray that you're never a fraction of a percentage below a 90 percent win rate, otherwise you will lose most or all of your money.
Risking between $64,000 and $280,000 in the hope of winning $1,000 each month? How much time would it take you to place and monitor enough bets to put that much money into play every month? I hope you're getting the picture. This is no way to make a living or to live a life.
WHAT ABOUT THE LABOUCHERE SYSTEM?
Like the "Martingale" or 3-Step Martingale described above, Labouchere is another way of managing a bank roll and the amounts that are wagered from bet to bet. It is a more complicated method, and I believe it is a slight improvement over a standard Martingale in that it doesn't force you to bet huge amounts chasing each successive loss...but it does NOTHING to change the overall odds of winning. If anything, Labouchere just leads people to bet rather random amounts from play to play based on whether prior bets were wins or losses. Prior wins or losses have no predictive relationship to upcoming bets. Labouchere is ultimately no more logical than Martingale, in my view, and while it might slow down the rate at which losses occur, it does nothing to prevent the inevitable loss.WHAT ABOUT THE LABOUCHERE SYSTEM?
Like the "Martingale" or 3-Step Martingale described above, Labouchere is another way of managing a bank roll and the amounts that are wagered from bet to bet. It is a more complicated method, and I believe it is a slight improvement over a standard Martingale in that it doesn't force you to bet huge amounts chasing each successive loss...but it does NOTHING to change the overall odds of winning. If anything, Labouchere just leads people to bet rather random amounts from play to play based on whether prior bets were wins or losses. Prior wins or losses have no predictive relationship to upcoming bets. Labouchere is ultimately no more logical than Martingale, in my view, and while it might slow down the rate at which losses occur, it does nothing to prevent the inevitable loss.CONCLUSION
I learned all of this the hard way, by losing a few hundred dollars. I suppose I'm lucky. I could have lost thousands, and I suspect that many people do lose thousands on these systems every day. I'm just posting this here so you will have the facts and can make an informed decision about exactly what odds and costs you're dealing with.
Who makes money in sports betting? Maybe a few very highly informed people who know the teams inside and out and who work hard at it every day can make a little bit of money directly from sports betting, but I suspect the number of people in that camp is extremely small and they are pros and they are also lucky. The other way to make money is by selling picks to people like you and me, or selling "systems" like SBP and SBC and others. If people like Rich Allen or John Morrison could make as much money as they promise betting on sports, don't you think they'd be doing that instead of selling "systems" like these to us?
So beware out there! If you approach gambling as a recreational activity and keep your bankroll and your bets very small, you can have some fun, certainly. But DO NOT look at sports gambling as a way to make a living, or a path to easy riches.
If you've read this far, then I can assure you that your intelligence, your time, and your talent are worth so much more than sports betting can offer you. Find your true talents and passions and pursue those...and find a way to use those for the betterment of others. That is really where you will find a rewarding life.
Wishing you the best,
William
CONCLUSION
I learned all of this the hard way, by losing a few hundred dollars. I suppose I'm lucky. I could have lost thousands, and I suspect that many people do lose thousands on these systems every day. I'm just posting this here so you will have the facts and can make an informed decision about exactly what odds and costs you're dealing with.
Who makes money in sports betting? Maybe a few very highly informed people who know the teams inside and out and who work hard at it every day can make a little bit of money directly from sports betting, but I suspect the number of people in that camp is extremely small and they are pros and they are also lucky. The other way to make money is by selling picks to people like you and me, or selling "systems" like SBP and SBC and others. If people like Rich Allen or John Morrison could make as much money as they promise betting on sports, don't you think they'd be doing that instead of selling "systems" like these to us?
So beware out there! If you approach gambling as a recreational activity and keep your bankroll and your bets very small, you can have some fun, certainly. But DO NOT look at sports gambling as a way to make a living, or a path to easy riches.
If you've read this far, then I can assure you that your intelligence, your time, and your talent are worth so much more than sports betting can offer you. Find your true talents and passions and pursue those...and find a way to use those for the betterment of others. That is really where you will find a rewarding life.
Wishing you the best,
William
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