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What is the Paroli Roulette System? | LeoVegas

Paroli Roulette System Guide

A system of sizing your bets and capitalizing on short winning streaks, Paroli focuses on the even-money betting options of roulette. In theory, with all being equal, Paroli allows you to win more on streaks as a means of mitigating losses. It’s a fairly simple roulette betting strategy, but there’s much to consider before committing to the Paroli.

Table of Contents:

The Basics of Paroli Betting

As with all roulette strategies, you need to play European roulette or French roulette rather than American roulette. This is simply because American roulette spins with a 0 and a 00 pocket, increasing the house edge from 2.7% to 5.26%..

Origins and History

The Paroli betting system is said to have been around since the 16th century. As it’s simple to follow and is a positive system, Paroli has been able to stick around and remain relevant when table games moved online.

Key Principles

The key principle of the Paroli betting system is that you bet at flat rates on even-money outcomes. Once you hit a win, your next bet is doubled. If you win again, you double the bet one more time. Either that next bet loses or you revert back to the flat rate after a third successive win. Then, you simply start the process again.

Advantages and Criticisms

An advantage of the Paroli system is that there is a quick ceiling to cap a winning streak, giving you a greater chance of holding on to your winnings. That said, it does limit wins to five times your flat bet rate if you reach three successive wins. Not increasing bet sizes after a loss does perform some damage limitation in comparison to negative systems.

How the Paroli Strategy Works

The Paroli strategy has you place a bet of a flat rate throughout the whole session on even money bets. This could be Odd or Even, Red or Black, or High or Low. Then, you increase your bet after wins, but keep it the same after losses.

Setting Betting Units

Roulette probability dictates that hitting an even money bet five times in a row is less than 2%. To get it three times in a row, you’re looking at around an 11% chance. Keeping this in mind, you’ll want to maximize your bankroll by setting a betting unit size of up to 5% of your bankroll.

The Three-Step Betting Process

The three-step betting process of the Paroli roulette system is as follows:

  1. Bet one unit on an even money bet, and if it wins, double it for the next bet;
  2. If the doubled bet wins, double it again.
  3. Should you win the third successive bet, revert back to one-unit bets.

Examples of Paroli Betting

Here’s how a run of the Paroli roulette betting strategy can go on a standard game of roulette with a $10 bet:

  • $10 on Odd loses (-$10)
  • $10 on Odd wins ($0)
  • $10 on Odd wins ($10)
  • $20 on Odd loses (-$10)
  • $10 on Even loses (-$20)
  • $10 on Even wins (-$10)
  • $20 on Even wins ($10)
  • $40 on Odd wins ($50)
  • Revert to $10 unit on an even money bet.

While it is possible to use the strategy on variants like Double Ball Roulette, there’s more to consider.

Advantages of the Paroli Strategy

These are the main advantages of using the Paroli strategy.

  • Capitalizing on winning streaks - Whenever you chain together wins, you stand to win more from your streak than if you didn’t size up without the Paroli system.

  • Controlled risk exposure - As you only increase your bets for winning streaks and limit your run, you control how much of your bankroll is risked and possible returns with the Paroli system.

  • Boosting confidence in betting - Unlike negative progression systems, Paroli is a positive system that reinforces wins. So, with one win, you get a confidence boost, and another if you chain two together.

Disadvantages of the Paroli Strategy

As with any betting strategy in a game with a house edge, there are disadvantages to using the Paroli system for roulette.

  • Vulnerability to losing streaks - Roulette may offer even-money bets, but each spin isn’t a 50-50 chance. So, losing streaks are marginally more likely than winning streaks.
  • Bankroll management concerns - A string of losses can have any gambler craving an uptick in bets to cover. This is a pitfall that can get anyone when using a strategy and must be avoided.
  • Situational applicability - The Paroli roulette system can vary in its potential effectiveness greatly at different tables. European vs American is a clear-cut one, but the returns can also vary on games like Mega Fire Blaze Roulette Live.

    Comparisons with Other Betting Strategies

Paroli is one of many systems that bettors have applied to roulette for decades, but of them all, it’s probably the simplest to follow.

  • Martingale strategy - The Martingale strategy is essentially the anti-Paroli. This 18th-century negative system has you double your bet after each successive loss until you win.

  • Fibonacci betting system - The Fibonacci betting system follows the Fibonacci sequence to determine your bet size. This negative betting system has you start at 1 on the sequence. After a loss, you move along the sequence to increase your bet, and come back down the sequence after a win.

  • Labouchère strategy - For the Labouchère strategy, you create a sequence of numbers based on how much you want to win and then combine those numbers to create your bet size. Keep going until you clear the sequence.

Practical Tips for Using Paroli Strategy

Here are some ways to help you make the most of the Paroli strategy at a roulette table.

  • Bankroll management tips - Like most roulette betting systems, Paroli is reliant on your bankroll. The more you can stretch it, the more likely you may possibly see a successive streak of wins. So, as a general rule, never set your bet unit as more than 5% of your initial bankroll and never increase that bet during the session.

  • Knowing when to stop - Before you start, set an amount that you’d like to hit. Nothing crazy like 100 times your bet size, but a clear winning figure that you’d be happy to stop at. Furthermore, never exceed your initial bankroll.

  • Combining with other strategies - It’s best not to combine Paroli with other roulette betting strategies.

Learn about other roulette strategies in our guides: