Ladder progression calculator
Computes a soft progression with a 1.2 step: a loss lifts the size one rung, a win brings it back down. Shows how many losses in a row the deposit survives and how much the whole series needs.
Consecutive losses held
10
Beyond that the series limit stops it
Needed for the full series
$25.96
All 10 rungs added up
Top rung
5.2%
Share of the deposit it takes
Result over all trades
$0.00
Steps played: 0
Next trade size
$1.00
You are on the base rung
The ladder does not try to recover a drawdown in one trade — it takes it apart with several wins. That is why the consecutive-losses figure matters more than the yield: the point of the method is survival, not speed.
How the ladder works
A ladder progression is a compromise between martingale and a flat size. The rules are simple:
- the first trade is the base size, 1–2% of the deposit;
- after a loss the next size moves up a rung: × 1.2;
- after a win it steps back down a rung: ÷ 1.2;
- as soon as the accumulated loss of the series is recovered, the size resets to the base — the series is closed;
- when the rung limit is reached, the reset happens by force.
Traders call the method a compensation chase, because a drawdown is covered not by one trade but by several wins in a row. That is exactly why the step is so gentle.
Why the step is 1.2 and not 2.25
Martingale has to cover the entire losing streak with a single win, so its minimum working multiplier is 1 + 1 / payout — that is 2.25 at an 80% payout. The ladder has a more modest job: to dismantle the drawdown piece by piece. Hence the shallow growth and a completely different survival rate for the deposit.
| Losses in a row | Martingale ×2.25 | Ladder ×1.2 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | −$8.31 | −$3.64 |
| 6 | −$103.00 | −$9.93 |
| 9 | −$1,182 | −$20.80 |
On a $100 deposit with a $1 base, martingale ends somewhere around the sixth loss in a row, the ladder around the sixteenth. The advantage is not the return on a short series but survival through a bad patch.
An example series
Base $1, payout 90%, step 1.2. Three losses, then three wins:
| Step | Size | Result | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.00 | loss | −$1.00 |
| 2 | $1.20 | loss | −$2.20 |
| 3 | $1.44 | loss | −$3.64 |
| 4 | $1.73 | win | −$2.08 |
| 5 | $1.44 | win | −$0.79 |
| 6 | $1.20 | win | +$0.29 |
Three wins against three losses produced a small plus. The win does not have to arrive right after the loss — what matters is that over distance the counts stay comparable.
Where people go wrong
- Setting the base too large. A base of 5% of the deposit at a 1.2 step drains the deposit by the eighth loss, and the whole survivability of the method is gone.
- Waiving the limit "just this once". That one time is usually the drawn-out streak.
- Expecting fast growth from the ladder. The method buys durability, not speed. If speed is what you need, the question is not for money management but for your win rate.
FAQ
How does a ladder progression differ from martingale?
In what a single trade has to achieve. Martingale needs one win to cover the whole losing streak at once, which is why the size grows like an avalanche. The ladder works the drawdown off gradually over several wins, so its step is gentle: 1.2 instead of 2.25. On the same deposit it survives 16 losses in a row against martingale's 6.
Which step should you choose?
1.2 is the baseline used in the course. At a high payout (92% and up) a softer 1.1 works too: the deposit then survives 25 losses in a row, though each win brings noticeably less. A step above 1.3 quickly pulls the progression toward martingale and strips it of its main advantage.
Why does the series need a length limit?
Without one, any progression eventually runs into the deposit — a soft one just takes longer to get there. A limit of 10 steps means: reach the tenth rung, book the loss of the series and return to the base size. That limit is the only thing separating a progression from a delayed blow-up.
Does the ladder need a win rate above breakeven?
Yes, like any money-management method. The ladder rides out losing streaks gently and does not need a high win rate to survive, but profit over distance still comes from clearing the breakeven threshold. At a flat fifty-fifty and a payout below 100% the account will slowly shrink.
What does the “losses in a row it survives” figure show?
How many consecutive losses you actually go through: the calculator takes the smaller of two limits — how many rungs the deposit covers and how many the series limit allows. When the limit binds, the hint under the figure says so. It is the headline number of the method: the point of the ladder is not the return on a series but surviving a bad patch and staying in the game.