The Paroli betting system is a progressive betting strategy in which you increase your bet after each win. The system works great on games with a roughly 50/50 chance of winning, with 1:1 bet payouts (even money). Games that fit into this category include Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, and sports betting, but you must stick to specific bets like:
- Placing high or low bets and red or black bets in Roulette
- Betting on the banker or player in Baccarat
- Betting on come or don’t come in Craps
- Sports betting (like a team to score before halftime)
When using the Paroli betting strategy, you aim to take advantage of your winning streaks by doubling your wager each time you win. So, if your first wager is £10 and you win the bet, your next wager will be £20, and the third will be £40. However, once you claim your third win, reset your bet to the initial amount, or £10, and start the process again.
Paroli Betting Strategy in Practice
Here is a quick example to see how the Paroli Betting strategy works. First, you must decide on your initial bet, which can be £5, £10, or £20. So, since you’re new to the strategy and already know about responsible gambling, you pick a £5 initial wager, which you can afford to lose.
| Bet | Wager Amount | Bet Outcome | Session Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | £10 | Win | £10 |
| 2nd | £20 | Win | £30 |
| 3rd | £40 | Win | £70 |
| 4th | £10 | Lose | £60 |
| 5th | £10 | Lose | £50 |
| 6th | £10 | Win | £60 |
| 7th | £20 | Lose | £40 |
| 8th | £10 | Lose | £30 |
| 9th | £10 | Win | £40 |
| 10th | £20 | Win | £60 |
| 11th | £40 | Lose | £20 |
| 12th | £10 | Win | £30 |
| 13th | £20 | Win | £50 |
| 14th | £40 | Lose | £10 |
The logic of this betting system is based on the belief that while winning streaks do occur, it’s also possible to experience losing streaks in an online casino or while placing sports bets. With these possibilities in mind, the Paroli system is designed to maximize your advantage during a winning streak and lower your risk to the minimum during a losing streak.
From the table, you can see that you’re always doubling your wagers during a winning streak. However, during a losing streak, you’re only risking 1 unit of bankroll (or taking flat bets), which reduces the impact of losses and helps extend your play session until you can get another winning streak.
Paroli System Assessment – does it work?
Since the Paroli system only focuses on three wins in a row, the best way to assess the system is to focus on the possible outcomes of three consecutive bets. So, by applying a permutation with repetition formula (n^r) or (2^3), there are eight possible outcomes, and here is a breakdown of each:
- Win (+1), Win (+2), Win (+4): Up 7 units
- Loss (-1), Win (+1), Win (+2): Up 2 units
- Win (+1), Loss (-2), Win (+1): 0 unit (breakeven)
- Win (+1), Win (+2), Loss (-4): Down 1 unit
- Loss (-1), Loss (-1), Win (+1): Down 1 unit
- Win (+1), Loss (-2), Loss (-1): Down 2 units
- Loss (-1), Win (+1), Loss (-2): Down 2 units
- Loss (-1), Loss (-1), Loss (-1): Down 3 units
From the breakdown of each possible outcome, you can only get a payout from the Paroli system by getting three consecutive wins (to go up seven units or 7x your initial stake) or getting a loss and then two wins (to go up two units).
However, your chances of incurring losses are much higher with the Paroli system. Take, for instance, the Win, Win/Loss combination. In this combination, two wins get you up by 3 units, but on the third bet (4 units), a loss means you go down one unit (since you only have 3 units of profit and 1 unit as your initial stake).
Therefore, while the Paroli betting system may seem an excellent option for risk-averse bettors, it isn’t a sure-fire way to secure profits. Although the losses may appear to be minimal, these losses can have a significant impact on your bankroll over time. At best, you’ll be able to break even when using this strategy, but it isn’t your best option if you’re searching for massive profits.
Is the Paroli Betting Strategy Legal?
Using a betting strategy is legal, and you won’t have issues applying the Paroli betting strategy while playing your favourite casino games or backing a football team. Furthermore, it’s a great option for new bettors since it doesn’t encourage loss chasing. You can always spread your risk by using several betting sites and also taking advantage of the many free bet offers bookies have available to new punters.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Paroli Betting System
One of the key selling points of the Paroli betting system is its simplicity and ease of use. However, all betting systems have pros and cons, and it’s up to you to determine what works for you by assessing these ups and downs.
Pros
- Minimize your losses: Thanks to the flat betting approach while on a losing streak, the Paroli system helps minimize your losses during a session. Although this doesn’t mean your bankroll won’t go to zero, it does extend the time it takes.
- Great for all budgets: The Paroli system is suitable for anyone, whether a high or low roller. Since the maximum stake doesn’t exceed 4x of your initial bet, you should easily meet the requirements to use the system.
- Improves bankroll management: The Paroli system helps you develop a sound sense of budget allocation and management by eliminating arbitrary decisions thanks to fixed wager increments and reductions.
- Excellent for casino table games: The Paroli system is one of the few that you can apply when playing table games like Baccarat, Roulette, Craps, and Blackjack games. Plus, you can also use it for specific sports betting options.
Cons
Despite the positive qualities of the Paroli betting system, it has a few downsides that you should note, including:
- Losses add up: If you have a £100 bankroll, a £5 loss may seem insignificant, but what happens when you lose five games in a row? Suddenly, you’re down £25. Although you may get lucky with three consecutive wins to cover your losses, you’ll have a much better chance of getting two wins more often, which means you can cover £15, but you’ll have a £10 loss that may keep increasing if you don’t get a 3-win streak during the session.
- You may not see massive profits: Unless you keep going on winning streaks, the Paroli system won’t see you swimming in profits. You will move from a profit to a drawdown more often when applying this system.
Paroli and Progressive Betting Systems
The Paroli betting system is one of the few that falls into the progressive betting category. Systems that use a progressive betting approach require you to increase your bet after each wager, usually by a unit of your initial bet. So, if your initial bet is £5, a unit of your bet is also £5.
There are two types of progressive betting systems, and these include:
- Positive progressive systems: These are systems in which you only increase your wager after winning a bet.
- Negative progressive systems: These systems encourage punters to increase their wager when they incur a loss.
From your understanding of the Paroli Betting system, it should be clear that it is a positive progression betting system since you only increase your bets after a win.
Alternative Strategies
Despite the simplicity and risk-averse nature of the Paroli system, it may not be the right approach for everyone. Remember, while some may prefer low-risk, low-reward options, others may want a more aggressive approach.
As a solution, learning about other progressive betting systems like Paroli is a good idea, and here are some of the best:
- Fibonacci System: This is a negative progression system in which you increase your bets after each loss. Here, there is a sequence to follow to increase your bets (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21), and while you increase your bet by one unit after each loss, you reduce your bet by 2 units in the sequence after a win.
- Martingale System: In this system, you must double your bets after each loss to cover your losses with a win and get a little profit. It is the opposite of the Paroli system and has a higher risk.
- D’Alembert System: This negative progression system requires you to increase your bet by one unit after a loss. However, it also minimizes risks and helps secure profits by forcing you to reduce your bet by one unit after each win.
- 1-3-2-6 Betting System: The 1-3-2-6 betting system is a positive betting progression system where you increase your bet after each win, following a specific formula.
Although these brief explanations cover the main concepts of these progressive betting systems, we have more in-depth guides for additional information on each system.
