Players will naturally attempt to influence the outcome of games and do so by employing a range of techniques – some more successful than others. Rather than relying on superstitions and lucky charms, here are a few of the most popular and widely used strategies. A strategy can be a great help in staying disciplined and focused and keeping to your budget, while still having a lot of fun.
One can’t change the odds; however, betting systems aim to minimise the impact of losses and use strategic betting to improve returns.
The Martingale Strategy
The Martingale strategy is one of the most popular betting strategies due to its simplicity and the assumption that one can’t go on losing indefinitely. It’s also one of the oldest and is used for both casino gambling, sports betting and even Forex trading. It’s best used on games that have a 50/50-coin flip level of chance. The idea is that on your first win, you recover all your losses plus a profit equal to the original bet.
The principle is simple and easy to remember. Wager a single unit – usually the table minimum. If you lose the bet, place another bet of double the amount. Continue to do so until you win. This strategy works well for winning back your money in the shorter run and making a little. It’s also good for beginners as you get playing time to learn the game while not losing much money.
Bear in mind though that to keep up with a cumulative bet, you’ll need a large bankroll to keep up with a run of losses and there is the danger that you may reach the betting maximum for the table before you reach your win. In that case you may not be able to make your money back.
The Paroli Or Anti-Martingale Betting System
A variation on the original, the Paroli or Anti-Martingale system reverses the rules somewhat. This strategy is also best employed in a 50/50 scenario.
- after every winning bet, double your bet
- after a loss revert to the original bet
There are a variety of variations, such as milder progressions or limited doubling. In the 3/4 step Paroli system you only double your bet for up to three/four bets, then revert to the original bet.
This way you make a nice profit on a winning streak but are cushioned from large losses. It is a more conservative strategy and offers an opportunity to make a slow and steady profit. In exchange for the lower risk, you are not able to take maximum advantage of an extended winning streak though as you keep resetting your bet.
The Paroli strategy also has the advantage of not requiring a big bankroll. As with most strategies though, it’s more appropriate for use in the shorter term. The house always wins eventually.
There are a number of variations or tweaks of the Paroli betting system which you can try out to see what works best for you and keep things interesting.