Paroli Betting System

How to Use the Paroli Positive Progression Betting System

There are many types of betting systems floating around, but one of the best you may not have heard of is the Paroli Positive Progression system. Like most betting strategies, the Paroli is intended for evens betting, but proves itself to be so versatile that it can be applied to a wide range of games and bets.

Unlike many betting systems, which aim to minimize losses while securing a base profit, the Paroli system seeks to maximize your wins and trusts you to judge when you’re ready to stop. So let’s look at this unusual betting strategy and how you can use it next time you step up to the table. 

Other Betting Strategies:

• Labouchere Betting System
• Fibonacci Betting System

What is the Paroli Positive Progression Betting System?

The Paroli Positive Progression betting system has been around for a long time, but its origins aren’t clear. It’s believed to be around 500 years old, originating in 16th-century Italy, which makes it one of the oldest betting strategies still used by modern gamblers. However, some claim it was devised by Blaise Pascal, the inventor of modern roulette.

Unlike most notable betting strategies, the Paroli betting system progresses positively rather than negatively. This means you increase your stakes when you win a bet instead of when you lose, helping you maximize your win streaks instead of recouping losses.

This will be a major advantage for many players, since it can capitalize on smaller budgets instead of requiring you to already have a sizable bankroll. So, thanks to its extreme versatility, no matter what kind of gambler you are, this strategy is worth a try.

How does the Paroli Betting System Work?

Before you start playing at all, the Paroli system requires you to decide on two things:

• A base bet size
• A maximum win streak

These inform the increments you’ll bet in, and when to stop increasing your bets. Based on the original bet size, you’ll double your bets each time you win. Then you return to the original bet size once you reach that maximum win streak. 

When you set these, it’s important to align them with your budget, since you’ll be betting that base amount every time you lose and aren’t calculating to win back your losses. Additionally, you’ll only make a profit when you hit that maximum win streak. So, unless you’re feeling particularly lucky, we recommend setting this relatively low. Professionals say the sweet spot is three (although two could work well for casual play sessions). 

Once you’ve decided on that, the strategy follows these steps:

1. Note down your chosen betting units and max win streak.
2. Always bet on even wagers — while this isn’t a hard and fast rule, you won’t see any consistency unless you do.
3. When you win a bet, double your stake. Do this for every win until you hit your maximum win streak (if you follow our recommendation, this would be three wins in a row).
4. Once you hit that max or lose a wager, return to the original bet size and start again.
5. Repeat until satisfied.

Example

Let’s have a look at a simple example. In this scenario, all bets are made at 1:1 payout, with a base bet of $10 and a maximum win streak of 3. Here’s what it might look like across the first 10 bets:

Bet	Wager	Win/Lose	Overall Profit
1	$10	Win	$20
2	$20	Lose	$0
3	$10	Lose	-$10
4	$10	Win	$10
5	$20	Win	$30
6	$40	Win	$70
7	$10	Win	$80
8	$20	Lose	$60
9	$10	Lose	$50
10	$10	Win	$60

Of course, this example is ideal and simplified. You can use this strategy at any budget, and it relies a lot on your personal judgement as you play. 

In long-term practice, your overall profits will usually gradually decrease due to the house edge. Here are two examples made with the same parameters as the one above, but over 300 rounds instead of just 10.

This one shows a very lucky streak where you’re effectively capitalizing on your wins for an overall profit:

This example shows a more typical decline that results in eventually losing money:

It’s important to remember that the overall losing trend is simply the average and is true of any gambling strategy. Over a long enough period, you will always lose at a casino. This is why it’s so important with the Paroli system to know how to quit while you’re ahead (or cut your losses). 

Pros and Cons of the Paroli Betting System?

Positive vs Negative Progression Systems

Throughout this article, I’ve been throwing around the terms negative and positive progression, but what do these terms actually mean?

This simply refers to when you increase your bet size. In a positive progression system, you increase a bet on a win; in a negative progression system, you increase when you lose. Each of these approaches to betting strategies has different advantages and disadvantages. 

A positive progression system like the Paroli system makes the most of your win streaks, trying to maximise successes instead of mitigating failures. The best thing about this is that it allows just about anyone to use this type of betting strategy, regardless of the game you’re playing and your budget. 

A negative progression system, like the Martingale or Fibonacci betting systems, does the opposite, focusing on mitigating losses. For example, the Martingale system has you double your bet every time you lose so that when you next win, you’ll make back everything you previously lost. These can be great systems for high rollers, but on bad losing streaks, you can be forced far into the red before you crawl back out of it. 

Whether you prefer using positive or negative systems depends on how you prefer to play. You should experiment with a variety of strategies before settling on which you like best. 

What Games can you use the Paroli Betting Strategy on?

The Paroli betting system can be used on most games at a casino or online. As long as you’re making bets at close to even odds (with 1:1 payout), you can always use this strategy. Here are our top recommendations for games to use it with:

• Roulette — there are many types of 1:1 bets you can place on roulette. This means you have plenty of options on how to bet during your games. Just bear in mind that different variations have different house edges. We recommend playing European roulette where possible and always avoiding triple-zero wheels (the house edge on those is dreadful).
• Baccarat — if you’re looking for a highly reliable game to use the Paroli on, you can’t do much better than baccarat. Both the player and banker hands have close to even odds. However, while the banker hand wins more frequently, the house commission can throw a wrench into the Paroli system’s reliance on specified returns, so we recommend betting mostly on the Player hand.
• Blackjack — since the house edge on blackjack is so small, this makes it a fantastic candidate for the Paroli system. Just remember that it’ll require you to play optimally for the system to work. 

What Games can’t you use it on?

There are other games that we advise you don’t use the Paroli system for:

• Poker — the outcomes of poker games can be very unreliable, both in terms of payout and odds. Most betting systems like the Paroli don’t work at all unless you can calculate exactly how much you can win. Using the Paroli when playing poker won’t have any real benefit. 
• Slots — while the house edge on slots is similar to American (double-zero) roulette, it’s still a poor choice for systems like the Paroli. While the win rate can be reasonably consistent, the win value is unpredictable. In a system all about making the most out of wins, if you don’t know how much you’re set to win, there’s little point in applying it. 

What’s the success rate?

We can usually determine an average profit rate when we look at betting strategies like the Fibonacci sequence or the Labouchere system. But this isn’t so clear cut when it comes to the Paroli system.

The Paroli system relies on your ability to judge how long you should play and when to cut your losses. You only profit when you hit a win streak, which won’t always happen. The lower you set your maximum streak, the more likely you are to make a profit. But if you play for too long, thanks to the house edge, it’s a guarantee that you’ll eventually lose money either way.

However, none of that cancels out the fact that the Paroli system works far better with smaller budgets than most of the well-known betting strategies. It also lends you a better element of control than other popular strategies, which might rely on you going deep into the red before you break even again. With the Paroli system, you can step away at any point without risking a lot. 

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that no betting strategy is designed to guarantee a profit, simply because it’s impossible!

We highly recommend trying out the Paroli system, especially if you’re a casual player, as it helps to maximise your big wins while keeping your losses to a minimum. However, always stay aware of your budget and know when to step away. The most important part of gambling will always be having fun, not making money. 

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