Betting Systems for Online Casino Gamblers

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010

In this article, we'll explain 6 popular betting systems that you can experiment with in your online casino gaming experience. Truth be told, these timeless, tried and true betting systems originated in the world of offline betting, but they apply equally as well to online casino gambling, no matter what the game, no matter what the betting structure.

Before You Begin: For most of these systems, you will need to decide what your betting unit will be ahead of time (such as the minimum allowable bet at the game and online casino in question).

1-3-2-6 Betting System

This is what's called a Positive Progression system, meaning that as you win, your bets increase. The foundation of this online casino betting system is the premise that a player can win any game a maximum of 4 times in a row before they?ll probably lose.

Here's how the system works:

- Bet 1 unit each betting round until you win a round;

- After you win a round, bet 3 units on the next (second) round;

- If you win a second round in a row, bet 2 units on the next (third) round;

- If you win a third round in a row, bet 6 units on the next (fourth) round;

- Then, no matter what happens (win or lose) return to the beginning of the pattern, betting 1 unit per round until you win one, etc.

The risk-reward scenario with the 1-2-3-6 betting system is simple. You can win as much as 6 times your original bet after 4 rounds of play while only putting 2 units of your own at risk.

The worst case scenario with the 1-2-3-6 betting system is that you lose 6 consecutive times in the second round. No matter, though. You can make it all up by winning 4 times in a row.

The Martingale System

This is a Negative Progression system, meaning that as you lose, your bets increase.

The foundation of this online casino betting system is the premise that a player cannot possibly lose an infinite number of times without ever winning a single round. Therefore, what the Martingale system is designed to help you do is offset all of your accumulated losses with a single win.

Whether you consider it cynical, realistic, or both, this system works best in cases when the online casino game is paying out a 1 to 1 payout ratio on each bet. Here?s how it works:

- First, place whatever bet you?ve decided to start with;

- If you win, bet the same amount again, but if you lose, bet double the amount;

- If you lose again, you double your bet again.

The downside to the Martingale system is that you need a large bankroll to start out with as well as the resolve to keep increasing your bets as your losses compound. Not just anyone can pull this online casino betting system off.

In the rarest of cases, you may, after enough losses, reach the online casino?s betting maximum and then not be able to raise your bet further or offset your losses with one win.

The D?Alenbert System

This is another Negative Progression system. It?s also considered an Insurance System in that, as you win, the size of your bets increase. Here?s how it works:

- Each time you lose, you raise your bets by one unit;

- Each time you win, you lower your bets by one unit;

This system also requires a large enough online casino bankroll to pull it off.

By adding the insurance system to the negative progression system, you?re hedging your increasing losses by pulling some profits off the table each time you win.

The Labouchere Betting System (a.k.a. The Cancellation System)

This system, another Negative Progression, is somewhat more complicated than those listed so far. Depending on the odds in whatever online casino game you?re playing, you?ll come up with some sequence of numbers -- of any length you wish -- and not necessarily sequential.

Each number in your sequence is a multiple of your predetermined betting unit (7 therefore is 7 times your betting unit; 5 is 5x, etc.) Here?s how it works:

- Your first bet should be the sum of the first and last numbers in your sequence;

- If you win, cross out those two numbers you just added together (the two outermost in your sequence) and bet the sum of the next two;

- If you win again, cross out those two outermost numbers and repeat the process

- If you continue winning until you have no more numbers in the sequence to add together, you simply start from the beginning with the entire, original sequence.

However:

- If you lose, you add to the end of the sequence, the sum that you had just used, thus creating a new sequence;

- Crossing out no numbers at all (because you didn?t win yet), add the first number in the sequence to the new last number that number and use that new sum as your multiple;

The supposed benefit of this complicated betting method is that anytime you have to start over with the original sequence, you come out with a profit. The drawback is that you can accumulate enormous losses before you ever win (if you ever win).

Your success at the Labouchere system really depends on selecting the right sequence.

The Paroli System (a.k.a. The Anti-Martingale System)

This is another Positive Progression system. More than simply selecting a unit of betting, with the Paroli system you also need to determine two other criteria before you begin:

1. A cap: The uppermost amount at which you will stop increasing your wager and return to your starting unit;

2. A multiple: How much you?ll increase your bet every time you win (1 unit, 2 units, 3 units, etc.)

You should base these factors on the odds of the online casino game you happen to be playing. The appeal of the Paroli System is that you can play at the online casino for a while with a small bankroll. You cut your losses and let your profits ride.

The Parlay System

This is another Positive Progression system. Similar to the Paroli System, the effect of the Parlay system is to ?pyramid? your profits, meaning that every time you win you wager both your winnings and the amount of your initial bet as your next bet.
The reward of the Parlay system can be huge. The risk is that you can lose it all in a single bad online casino beat.