The 1-3-2-6 system is relatively straight-forward – especially if you have any experience using other betting or card-counting systems. Here's how this works: Place an even-money bet. For example, place a bet on black/red or even/odd in roulette. For the following steps, we're going to say we made a $5 bet. This is the granddaddy of all roulette betting systems. In fact, the Martingale system is.
The Paroli system is designed to be used for even money wagers. It's most commonly used at casino games such as roulette, craps, baccarat and craps, although it can be used at other games too. It can also be used for sports betting, again with even money bets. The system is very straightforward as it just involves adjusting your stakes according to some simple rules.
Here's a quick guide to using this system.
To use this system effectively you should have a fixed base stake. This is how much you stake at the start of each cycle. It can be any amount you choose, but it shouldn't be too high in relation to how much you have set aside to gamble with. About 2% of what you are prepared to risk losing in a session is probably ideal, and you really don't want to go above 5%. So if you have $200 that you are happy to play with, a base betting unit of $5 would be about right.
RULE 2 – Doubling Up After Winning
Every time you win a bet, you should double your stake for the next bet. So if you start with $5, and then win, your next bet should be for $10. If you then win again, you double up once more to $20.
You should stop increasing your stakes after three consecutive wins, and drop back down to your base stake. The idea here is that three consecutive wins is not particularly uncommon, but any more than that becomes less likely.
RULE 4 – Base Stake After Losing
Whenever you lose a bet, your next bet should always be at your base stake. It doesn't matter how many times you lose in a row, you should never increase your stake following a loss.
The Paroli system really is that simple. You are just aiming to double up three times, take that profit, and then start again. The theory is that you should be able to do this a few times during a session, and your profits from these mini winning streaks should hopefully be greater than all your combined losses.
As one of the most traditional casino games, roulette has been played in more or less the same way for centuries. Since its rules have been standardized in the second part of the twentieth century, the game has become widely popular among players from all over the world. Until a decade or so ago, the maximum payout of 35:1 for a straight bet seemed attractive enough for everyone but no more. Nowadays, some roulette games have progressive jackpots that bring much higher rewards to lucky players.
The concept may seem quite new and eccentric since, for years, progressive jackpots have been reserved for lotteries and slot games. Still, the improvement of online casinos in the past few years have brought about progressive roulette – the regular game of roulette but with a constantly increasing jackpot.
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As we already said, progressive roulette is a relatively new development in the history of casino gambling. Originally, the game offered fixed payouts for the different types of bets and players could expect to win anything from even money (expressed as 1:1) to 35 times their stake (35:1) for a straight bet on a single number. Later, some land-based casinos introduced enhanced payouts to attract new patrons - with a small side bet, you could win up to 1,200:1, an irresistible offer that brought many to the tables.
Progressive roulette, however, is something different. Its jackpot is not fixed but increases gradually - just like in lotteries where you can win a 7-figure amount if you are extremely lucky. So, what is a progressive jackpot exactly and how does it work in roulette?
Progressive Jackpot
In most casino games, including roulette, jackpots have a fixed amount that is a multiple of the player's stake. Progressive jackpots, however, start from a predetermined amount – $100, $1,000 or even $1 million, which is called a seed value. This value increases by a small amount each time the game is played. This happens under strict rules determined by the house and usually, a small percentage of each bet placed in this game is taken and added to the seed.
Let's take lotteries, for example, which typically feature progressive jackpots. Lottery operators take a portion of each ticket sold and add this value to the original amount. When the lottery is won, the accumulated jackpot is paid to the winner – then, the jackpot for the next lottery draw is reset to the seed value and starts growing again. If the jackpot is not won, however, a large amount (sometimes the entire amount of the jackpot) is carried forward for the next drawing.
How Does It Apply in Roulette?
The same principle applies to online roulette games with progressive jackpots. There is one notable difference, however. When it comes to online slots, poker or roulette games, the progressive jackpot is typically pooled from all games of the same type that are offered in multiple online casinos.
These games are linked in a network and the jackpot increases with every bet made by players from different casinos. If the game in question is particularly popular, the jackpot will rise more rapidly since it is constantly 'fed' with money from stakes. When playing a progressive roulette game online, players should look at the seed of the jackpot and the popularity of the game. This way, they will be able to predict when the jackpot will be high enough to start playing for it.
It should be noted that there are different versions of progressive roulette, developed by multiple software studios. This means that the jackpot is triggered in different ways. Some games activate the progressive jackpot after a certain number has been hit several times in a row. In other versions of progressive roulette, the jackpot is won only after triggering an additional bonus game and winning it.
Qualifying for Roulette Progressive Jackpot
Before betting any real money on a roulette game with a progressive jackpot, players need to know how to qualify for the jackpot. Some jackpots are more likely to be hit, while others have an exceptionally low probability. That's why players should look at the odds and try to calculate the numbers for themselves - if this information is not already made available by the casino operator. The first thing to do, however, is to see how to qualify for the jackpot.
Side Bets
Most progressive roulette games require an additional bet to be made for the jackpot. A portion of the side bet contributes to the jackpot amount. Similarly to progressive slots, these side bets activate the progressive jackpot or any additional game that may trigger it. Usually, the jackpot side bets are mandatory and placed along with the regular bet.
For instance, we put a $10 chip on red and we make the minimum side bet of $1 – note that the minimum amount for the side bet may be more in some games. If the ball falls on 14 red, our regular bet wins and we receive an even payout. The side bet, however, has not triggered the progressive jackpot, so we lose $1 and make a total profit of $9. Of course, most of the side bets we make will not activate the jackpot, so we are more likely to lose over time than to win.
Bonus Games
While jackpot side bets are used to feed the pot, they do not always trigger the progressive jackpot. Often, another condition must be met before you hit the top prize in the game. Some versions of roulette randomly activate a bonus game or feature that allows patrons to play for the jackpot. This could be something extremely simple such as hitting the same number 5 times in succession. Of course, this is extremely unlikely – still, it is possible and players have a real chance to become millionaires.
In other games, the wheel has a special pocket and if the ball lands on it, it triggers a bonus game. It could come in the form of a slot, which players need to spin a few times and see if they can hit the progressive jackpot. Another bonus feature may be a small wheel of fortune game that opens on a second screen. The wheel is with different prize sections on it – one of these sections is the jackpot, of course. The options here are endless and it depends on the particular progressive roulette game you play.
Pros and Cons of Progressive Roulette
Progressive Betting Methods
Before playing a game with a progressive jackpot, players should decide whether the potential reward equals the cost of playing. After all, each time they spin the wheel, they need to place a side bet that in most cases has a very low probability to win. Of course, the huge progressive jackpot is very appealing, especially to those willing to take more risks.
Greater Payouts
Playing a regular roulette variation online is enjoyable enough for many players simply because it is a simple, yet very entertaining game. The biggest payout in such games, however, is 35:1 and it is received for a winning straight bet. The greatest advantage of opting for a version with a progressive jackpot is the jackpot itself, usually offering a huge prize that is multiple times greater than the regular maximum payout.
Players should know that the amount of the progressive jackpot varies significantly between games. First of all, it depends on how many people play that particular game. The side bets in different progressive roulette versions also contribute different percentages to the accumulating jackpot. The initial amount of the jackpot, i.e. its seed value, is also different for each game. As a result, some jackpot roulette versions may offer several hundred dollars for a top payout, while the jackpot in others may be worth thousands of dollars.
Higher House Edge
Roulette players who wish to try their luck and play for the progressive jackpot should know that they face a higher house edge. First of all, the majority of roulette games have additional bonus pockets on the wheel or offer slightly reduced payouts for the different types of bets. All this changes the theoretical advantage of the casino and while the standard European roulette has a house edge of 2.70% (it is 5.26% for American-style games), such games typically have a higher house edge of over 6% or more.
Blackjack Progressive Betting
Even those progressive roulette versions that are played with a regular 37-pocket wheel (once again, there are 38 pockets in American roulette), usually include a bonus feature that can trigger the jackpot. The odds of such a mini-game are typically much worse than the original game. Not to mention the fact that the side bets will be lost in the majority of spins, which could easily eat away even the smaller profits generated from winning spins of the game.
Likelihood of Winning the Progressive Jackpot
We have already mentioned that progressive jackpots are hard to hit. This comes as a result of the odds, which are stacked against the player due to the rules and conditions of the jackpot. To demonstrate this, we can calculate the odds or the probability of winning a jackpot after hitting the same number 3 times in a row.
Let's say we hit 16 – the probability for this is 1/37 as there is only one winning outcome, while all possible outcomes are 37 (there are 37 numbers in European roulette). This equates to 0.0270 and to get the probability of hitting 16 three times in a row, we need to calculate this – 0.0270 x 0.0270 x 0.0270, which is equal to 0.00001974216. The probability could be anything from 0 to 1 so a probability of 0.00001974216 is extremely, extremely low. In other words, while hitting 16 once is expected in around 2.70% of the cases, the number could appear 3 times in a row only in 0.001974216 of the time.
Is Progressive Roulette Worth Playing?
For many players, it could be difficult to determine whether a progressive roulette game is worth playing or not. As you can see from the examples above, a lot of things should be taken into consideration. It is important to look at how much this game tends to pay out on average – typically, this information is public and can be accessed by anyone on the Internet. It is also essential to check how frequent its progressive jackpot is hit by players – there are currently progressive games, including slots, whose jackpots have never been hit. This is certainly not a good sign and players should avoid such games.
Roulette fans should also apply some money management techniques when playing progressive roulette – otherwise, they may find themselves spending their entire bankroll on a few dozen or a few hundreds of spins. They should determine a loss limit and stick to it – once they lose this amount, they should stop playing even if the progressive jackpot seems so close. Of course, this is just an illusion, wishful thinking that has eaten up many bankrolls.
