Used by gamblers for more than a century, the Paroli Casino Strategy is among the most popular betting systems today. It is based on a positive progression that doubles the bets after a win has been registered and aims to maximize the profits in short gaming sessions. It is often and mistakenly called the Reverse Martingale and although the two systems are almost identical, the Paroli is much safer and reliable than its famous counterpart.
The Paroli method is a well-organized system of rules and principles that dictate how the bets are placed in various casino games such as craps, roulette, and baccarat. It is applicable whenever we have even-money wagers, which are at almost fifty-fifty odds of happening. In roulette, the three types of even-money bets are black/red, even/odd, and low/high, and the Paroli system works equally well with any of them.
Before digging into the rules and details that make the strategy a preferred choice for so many roulette players, we should clarify that it is not a new system and it is not designed on the basis of well-founded, sustainable mathematical principles. Just like the other betting systems in existence, the Paroli is not flawless and does not guarantee winnings. After all, it was conceived a long time ago, when both casino players and even some scientists believed in superstitions and the gambler’s fallacy.
The Paroli betting system was first described by Victor Bethell in his 1910 book “Monte Carlo Anecdotes and Systems of Play”. But the method is believed to be much older and originating from the 16th century when it was applied to the then-popular Italian card game Basset. Many authors today claim the word comes from the Latin “par” (“one that is equal”) but this meaning has little reference to the system.
A more likely explanation is that it derives from the Italian “parole” (“to give your word”), which was used in Basset when a player wanted to parlay the bet, i.e. to use the winnings from the current wager as their next bet. This is exactly what the Paroli system dictates – after each win, players should leave their bet along with the payout as their next wager. By doing this, they effectively double the bet each time they win. Sometimes, the strategy is referred to as the Parlay system and, in fact, the two terms can be used interchangeably.
How It Works
The Reverse Martingale is also very similar – when using it, players also double up the stake after each win. When they lose, they return to their initial bet and start all over. There is a slight, yet very important difference between the Reverse Martingale and the Paroli, however.
While the Martingale variation says that players can continue increasing their bets as long as they wish, the Paroli has a specific rule that prevents the bets from escalating too much. Players should parlay their bets until they register three wins and then, they end the progression. This makes the method very safe and suitable even for gamblers with smaller bankrolls and little experience in applying betting systems to their roulette play.
The Concept
The idea behind the doubling of the wagers after wins and stopping the sequence after only three wins is simple and, to be honest, quite appealing. It guarantees that at any point of the gaming session, players risk only their initial stake – the larger bets are simply as a result of the winning spins. Therefore, players gamble not with the money from their bankroll but with the casino’s money. This excludes the initial wager, of course, which is why at the end of every Paroli progression, players are expected to either turn a profit or lose an amount equal to their first bet.
This can be easily demonstrated with the following example – let’s assume we bet $1 on the red and we win $1. Our next bet will be $2 and if it wins, we will have $3 in profit, and the third wager will be $4. Now, if we are lucky once again and the ball hit a red number for the third time in a row, we will end the progression, taking a net profit of $7. In case this bet loses, however, it will eat up our previous winnings and we will end the round with a net loss of $1.
| Spin | Bet | Outcome | Payout | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1 | Win | $2 | $1 |
| 2 | $2 | Win | $4 | $3 |
| 3 | $4 | Win | $8 | $7 |
| 4 | $8 | Lose | $0 | -$1 |
| Total Bet Amount: | $15 | Total Payout: | $14 | Net Profit: -$1 |
Despite the possibility of losing money with the Paroli method, losses are insignificant compared to what you may lose while applying some more aggressive systems such as the Martingale or the Reverse Martingale. Overall, those who choose to adopt this system will prevent substantial losses and will be able to generate small, yet consistent winnings. In fact, at the end of each Paroli progression, the winnings are exactly 7 betting units. In other words, if the progression is successful, the net profit will be 7 times the initial bet.
How to Use the Paroli System in Roulette
Before starting to use the Paroli system in a real-money game of roulette, players need to establish a fixed amount of their initial bet. A good way to do that properly is to determine your bankroll, which is the funds you plan to play roulette with for the entire gaming session – let’s say, for an hour or for one night. Then, your initial stake should not exceed 5% of your bankroll and most players tend to limit the basic bet to 2%. For a bankroll of $500, we will take $10 as an initial bet, which is 2%.
This means that once you start playing with the Paroli, you will be risking only $10 in each session – from the beginning of the progression until its end. This will continue for up to three spins – as per the rules of the system, the progression ends after 3 consecutive wins or after a losing bet. Whenever each of these occurs, the player starts from the beginning and places his or her initial bet. So, let us see how the Paroli system would look like when playing 10 random spins. Note that your bet remains on either red/black, high/low, or even/odd.
| Spin | Bet | Outcome | Payout | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10 | Lose | $0 | -$10 |
| 2 | $10 | Win | $20 | $0 |
| 3 | $20 | Win | $40 | $20 |
| 4 | $40 | Lose | $0 | -$20 |
| 5 | $10 | Lose | $0 | -$30 |
| 6 | $10 | Win | $20 | -$20 |
| 7 | $20 | Win | $40 | $0 |
| 8 | $40 | Win | $80 | $40 |
| 9 | $10 | Win | $20 | $50 |
| 10 | $20 | Lose | $0 | $30 |
| Total Bet Amount: | $190 | Total Payout: | $220 | Net Profit: $30 |
It becomes obvious from the example above that after three or four spins, the player comes out at a loss that is larger than the initial bet. However, the table contains not one but several Paroli sessions – the first bet does not start the progression, neither does the second loss in the fifth spin. These should be considered as several separate losses and not part of a single Paroli progression.
This is where the biggest flaw of this system can be observed – several losing progressions can deplete the profits already generated from winning bets. Moreover, long losing streaks can result in even larger losses. Still, recovering from them is easier with this system than with strategies that include longer progressions and potentially higher stakes.
Paroli Roulette Strategy Gameplay
Is the Paroli System Worth Using in Roulette?
Similarly to the Martingale and the Reverse Martingale betting systems, the Paroli method can be classified as a steep progression. After every winning spin, players double the stakes in an attempt to make the most of their winning streaks. Unlike the Martingales, however, the Paroli casino strategy is quite safe and reliable, as it guarantees that losses would never exceed the initial bet amount.
This system can be applied in various casino games but in roulette, it works well for outside bets with close to fifty-fifty chances of occurring. As long as players stick to any of the six even-money bets, i.e. red/black, high/low, and even/odd, they should be able to generate small winnings unless they are extraordinarily unlucky to experience long losing streaks. Even if that happens, the Paroli strategy is a great way to compensate for their losses.
It should be noted that those who decide to adopt this method would rarely run out of money or hit the maximum table limits, which is a large risk with other betting strategies. All these make the Paroli a useful and effective system for structuring your bets when playing roulette, a casino game that often strips players of their entire bankrolls within sooner than they expected. With this betting method, gamblers can limit their losses and start generating small profits with short betting progressions.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Before starting to use the Paroli or any other betting system in roulette, gamblers should consider all benefits and potential risks associated with following a specific betting pattern. No system can ever guarantee long-term winnings and the reason for this is the nature of the game of roulette. It is random and each spin is independent of the previous outcomes, which means that players’ decisions cannot influence the results in any way. Due to the built-in house edge of 2.70% (or 5.26% in double-zero roulette variations), the probability of losing each individual bet is slightly higher than winning it.
This means that when applying the Paroli system with even-money bets, roulette players should not expect to win three spins in a row every time. Indeed, three consecutive wins are more probable than five or six wins in a row, which is why the Paroli method is much better than strategies such as the Martingale where the betting progression could continue for more than spins and lead to huge losses. Yet, a series of three winning even-money bets are statistically more likely to not occur at all than to happen.
This is why roulette players should not rely on the Paroli system to always bring them winnings at the end of the gaming session. Every Paroli betting progression could end with only two possible outcomes – either with winnings worth 7 times the initial bet or with losses equal that same original stake. It would, therefore, take 7 losing progressions to offset the winnings generated after a successful Paroli sequence. Moreover, any single lost bet should be considered a lost progression here, which implies that losing money with the Paroli system is not so improbable.
Advantages and DisadvantagesStill, this is one of the very casino betting systems that can be proved mathematically to be effective in short-term sessions. The argument behind this method is purely statistical unlike many other strategies based on ideas, which are well-known to be misconceptions and gamblers’ fallacies. Compared to other systems, the Paroli is much more stable and consistent – when using it, players know exactly what to expect.
The method does not require aggressive betting for an unlimited number of spins but has a well-defined beginning and end. The losses and the winnings are limited by the Paroli’s mathematical model, which makes it a highly dependable and safe way to place bets in roulette – as safe and dependable as possible, of course, considering this is a game of chance. This means that the method could be a useful tool not only for experienced roulette players but also for those who are just starting to explore this exciting casino game.
There is one more great benefit to applying this particular betting system when playing roulette – it is extremely simple and easy to use. Gamblers do not need to make complex calculations or observe the wheel for dozens of spins before they can place their chips and apply the Paroli. They do not need to write down any long sequences of numbers or track the numbered pockets where the ball is most often landing. Overall, the method is equally easy and convenient to use in both online and land-based casinos.
Conclusion
Playing roulette with a betting system is never a fool-proof way to win because, in the long run, the casino will always have an advantage over its patrons. Still, players who successfully adopt the Paroli system and place only even-money bets in roulette would see the benefits of good money management – their bets will be well-structured and their game will be planned in advance. This means that they can determine the amount of money they are willing to lose. At the same time, they plan their profits, too.
The Paroli betting strategy is not a perfect system but it is one of the safest and most reliable ones so it is worth trying out at least once. It is a simple and straight-forward way to place your bets and compensate for any losses. The best thing about this system, however, is that it actually allows gamblers to play with casino’s money for most of the time and risk only a tiny amount of their own funds. The likelihood of losing their entire bankroll is, therefore, quite low if they play with the Paroli method.