Understanding Progressive Betting Strategies
What is a Progressive Betting Strategy? - Positive vs. Negative Betting Progressions
How much do you think about bet sizes when you’re gambling at Stake.com? Most gamblers have a standard bet they place, and they might change the size of their stake based on the odds and their current bankroll.
However, some people prefer to use a system that changes their bet size each time they bet. This is known as a progressive betting strategy, and you can learn how it works in this full guide.
What is a Progressive Betting Strategy?
Progressive betting is the concept of adjusting bet size depending on the result of the last bet you placed. Whether you increase or decrease the stake, as well as the size of the change, depends on the type of progressive system you’re using.
A progressive betting strategy is designed to make it easier to manage your bankroll. While some gamblers might swear that they have better results while using this type of strategy, the reality is that they don’t actually improve your chances of success. However, they do involve recording your bets and carefully managing your bankroll, which is key to safe and responsible betting.
There are many different kinds of progressive betting strategies. Here are two of the most commonly used by gamblers online:
The Paroli System
The Paroli system is among the simplest and easiest progressive betting strategies to learn. You start out with a base bet, and each time you win, you increase your stake by adding your initial stake to it. When you lose, you return your base stake.
As an example, let’s say you bet $10 on the coin to land on heads in a coin flip game:
If the coin lands on tails, you bet $10 for the next play.
If it lands on heads, you win and increase your bet to $20.
If it lands on heads again, you increase your bet to $30.
If it lands on tails, you go back to betting $10 for the next play.
This system aims to maximise your wins whenever you go on a lucky streak. After three wins in a row, you return to your original stake to minimise your chances of losing big.
The 1-3-2-6 System
In the 1-3-2-6 betting system, you simply follow a sequence as long as you’re winning and restart the sequence if you lose. The 1 is your original stakes, and each number in the sequence is multiplied by your stake.
As an example, imagine you’re playing roulette and bet $10 on black:
If the wheel lands on black, you bet $30 for the next round.
If the wheel lands on black again, you bet $20 on the next round.
If the wheel lands on black again, you bet $60 for the next round.
At the end of the sequence, or if the wheel lands on any other colour, you stop playing or return to bet $10 for the next round.
Once again, this system is designed to maximise payouts from any winning streak while also ensuring that bet sizes don’t get too large.
What is Positive and Negative Progression?
While there are many different types of progressive betting systems, they can all generally be grouped into either positive or negative progression. The difference between the two types is whether the bet increases after a win or a loss.
Positive Progressive Strategies – These strategies involve increasing the stake every time you win a bet and decreasing it when you lose. The theory behind it is to maximise the returns on a hot streak and keep losses low when on a losing streak.
Negative Progressive Strategies – Negative betting systems are the opposite in that you increase your stake after each loss and decrease when you win. This is riskier and is based on the gambler’s fallacy of a win being “due” if it hasn’t happened in a while. The Fibonacci betting sequence, Unit Betting System and the D'Alembert System are popular negative progression systems. Read our guide to find out more.
What Games Work Best with Progressive Betting Strategies?
Progressive betting strategies work best with our online casino games that have a roughly 50/50 outcome. Roulette games are probably the best example of this, and many of the progressive betting strategies were created for playing roulette. Betting on odds/evens or red/black is close to a 50/50 chance.
Some gamblers like to use progressive betting strategies for other table games such as blackjack games or even Stake Original's Baccarat too. It’s even possible to use this betting strategy when betting on sports at Stake Sportsbook if you choose 50/50 markets such as the spread or over/under. Every sport is different, however you can learn more about reading and understanding sports betting odds as well as calculating the expected return value of your bets on our blog.
Pros and Cons of Progressive Betting
Pros
Bankroll management – When you’re gambling online, bankroll management helps you stay in control and keep a close eye on how much you’re betting. This is really important for responsible gambling, and some positive progression betting systems can be quite useful here.
Focused on increasing profits – The majority of progressive betting strategies are designed to increase potential profit over a period of time by raising the stakes after wins. Gambling should be for entertainment purposes, but it’s always good to make a profit.
Straightforward to follow – Most of the betting strategies are fairly simple to follow, with a basic set of rules or sequence that you use to adjust your bet size. This makes them suitable for beginners and more seasoned gamblers, with little calculations or maths involved.
Cons
Some strategies are risky – Negative betting strategies can be very risky. The Martingale strategy, which involves doubling your stake after every loss, is a good example of this. It’s important to manage risk carefully when you bet and not allow the size of bets to get too big.
Rely on gambler’s fallacy – Most betting strategies rely on the gambler’s fallacy, the belief that previous losses and wins will affect future results. As every betting event is determined by random chance, there’s no way for a betting strategy to affect the result.
Progressive Betting Tips and Strategies
Understand that betting strategies don’t improve your odds – There’s no way to improve your odds when betting on online casino games other than choosing the most likely outcome and playing games with the lowest house edge. Betting strategies can be helpful, but you’re no more likely to win while using them than without.
Avoid betting more than you can afford to – Many negative progressive betting strategies assume you have an unlimited bankroll, which is unlikely to be the case. Before you choose a betting strategy, ensure that it won’t lead to you betting more than you can afford to lose. Keep your initial bet low, and stop if it requires you to bet too much. Utilise our responsible betting calculator for help with managing your budget.
Use progressive strategies on the right bets – Most progressive betting strategies are made to be played on roulette, but they only work on even-money bets. Trying to use them on single-number bets or betting options in other games and moneyline bets at online sportsbooks won’t work.
Promotions, VIP Club and Responsible Betting
When you join Stake, not only can you bet on a huge range of exciting casino games and sports events, but there are also lots of fantastic promotions for you to claim. Check out our casino challenges and sports betting bonuses for boosts. We've developed guides on our favourite casino bonuses and best sports betting promotions for you to utilise.
While you're at it, find out about our VIP Club via our VIP FAQs page and discover how you could earn members-only rewards such as having your very own dedicated VIP Host and bonuses like rakeback and reloads.
Whatever you bet on, be sure to keep it responsible. You can read our Stake Smart guidelines and responsible gambling tips for more information.
