Bet Progressions
| Updated: How to Use Betting Progressions in Craps
Once you are familiar with the game of craps and its betting options, you may want to explore a more structured approach to managing your wagers. This requires an understanding of bet progressions. These systems determine how your stake changes after a win or loss, but they do not alter the odds or reduce the house edge.
Betting progressions give players a structured way to manage their bankrolls. While there are several progression systems, some carry substantially more risk than others. Negative progressions encourage players to increase their bets during a losing streak. This approach can cause wagers to escalate quickly without changing the likelihood of winning.
Players looking for a more budget-conscious system may prefer progressions that increase stakes only after wins. This approach can capitalize on winning streaks while limiting bet increases during losing periods.
We will examine several betting systems and explain how they affect bet sizes and bankroll risk. These systems use predetermined rules to adjust wagers based on the outcome of the preceding bet.
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The Purpose of Using Bet Progressions
Every gambler wants to keep the casino’s advantage as low as possible. However, a betting progression cannot change the house advantage or improve the underlying odds. It only determines how much money you risk after each outcome.
There are two main types of progression: positive and negative. Negative systems increase bets after losses and can quickly deplete a player’s bankroll. Although the prospect of recovering previous losses may sound appealing, every new wager remains subject to the same odds.
If you are new to craps, consider starting with level bets. Practicing progressions at home and becoming comfortable with their rules can help you understand how they affect your bankroll. Once you find a progression that suits your budget and risk tolerance, you can decide whether to use it while playing.
Players who maintain a level bet size make the same wager after both wins and losses. With a positive progression, bets increase after wins and return to the minimum level after a loss. Keeping your stakes at the minimum during losing periods can make losses more manageable. During a winning streak, larger wagers may produce larger payouts, but they also place more money at risk.
Even a long winning streak can end with a loss. If you have increased your bet after every win, the final wager will be larger than it would have been under a level betting system. Positive progressions can generate larger returns during consecutive wins, but they also increase the potential loss on later bets in the sequence.
Positive Bet Progression
When playing craps or another casino game, you may encounter both negative and positive betting progression systems. Negative systems, such as the Martingale, increase wagers after losses. This can cause bet sizes to grow rapidly and may deplete a bankroll after a relatively short losing streak.
If you are new to progressions, remember that increasing bets after losses does not make a future win more likely. A positive progression instead increases the bet size during a winning streak and returns it to the minimum after a loss. Its purpose is to limit exposure during losing periods while allowing players to risk more of their winnings during a favorable run.
There are several variations of the positive progression, and players can choose one that suits their budgets and risk tolerances. Their shared principle is to increase wagers after wins rather than after losses.
When You Should Increase Your Bets
Using a positive progression may sound straightforward, but you should establish clear rules for when and by how much you will increase a bet.
If your session includes an inconsistent sequence of wins and losses, your bankroll may still decline while you are using a positive progression. For example, if you start with a $10 bet and win, your next wager could be increased by 100% to $20. Another win could be followed by a 50% increase to $30. If the winning streak continues, you could keep raising the bet by $10. The fixed increase remains the same, but its percentage of the previous bet becomes smaller with each win.
Doubling your first wager is a substantial increase. If you place a $10 wager on the Pass Line and back it with $20 in Double Odds, for example, your total exposure is $30.
If you want to increase your wagers more gradually, you can raise your first bet by less than 100%. A positive progression might follow this sequence: $10, $15, $20, and $25. The potential returns increase during a winning streak, but so does the amount at risk.
Another approach is to treat every wager placed on the Pass Line or Come as a separate bet. If one bet wins, you increase the next wager in that sequence. If it wins again, you raise the following stake. Other bets remain unchanged and are increased only after they win.
Players can also use what is known as the Paroli Betting System. This positive progression is designed to capitalize on winning streaks. If you use this system, you first need to choose a stopping point. After reaching your predetermined number of consecutive wins, you return to your original minimum bet.
For example, suppose you decide to use the Paroli Betting System for no more than three consecutive wins. You could start with a $5 bet, increase your stake to $10 after the first win, and then raise it to $20 after the second win. If the third bet also wins, you end the progression and return to the original $5 wager. You can choose a longer sequence, but completing more consecutive wins becomes increasingly difficult.
Alternatively, players can use the One Half Up betting system, which increases stakes more gradually. Under this strategy, you begin the positive progression only after reaching a predetermined number of wins. For example, you could choose to increase your bets only after two wins. If you start with $10 and win, your next stake remains $10. After a second win, you increase the wager to $15. If that wager also wins, the next stake becomes $20. If you lose the $15 bet, you return to the minimum wager of $10. Because the stakes increase more slowly, the loss does not consume all of the profit from the preceding wins.
Leveling Off Your Bets
When discussing betting progressions, it is important to understand how winning and losing streaks can affect a bankroll. The Martingale system illustrates the risks associated with increasing wagers after losses.
Under the Martingale pattern, you maintain a minimum bet after a win and double your wager after a loss. If the next wager also loses, you double the stake again. This negative progression calls for another increase after each consecutive loss. A long losing streak can consume an entire bankroll, and bet sizes can become unmanageable after only a few losses.
The opposite approach is often described as “riding the streak.” Under this strategy, players use their previous stake and winnings for the next wager. A series of wins can increase the potential payout quickly. However, this strategy also places the full accumulated amount at risk. When the winning streak ends, the player loses the entire amount wagered on that round.
These examples show why players should set a predetermined point at which they will stop increasing their bets. Doing so can help protect a portion of their profit or limit potential losses. You can level off your bets by setting a maximum number of wins during which you will increase your stakes. You can also raise them at a decreasing percentage, as explained earlier. Both approaches provide a more controlled way to use a betting progression.
Depending on your preferences and risk tolerance, you could use a steady positive progression such as $10, $20, $30, and $40. If you prefer less risk, you can start increasing your stakes after the second win or stop raising them after the third win.
Bet Progression on Don’t Pass and Don’t Come
As with positive progressions on other wagers, you should keep your stakes at the minimum during a losing streak. When betting on Don’t Pass or Don’t Come, however, you apply the progression to the Don’t side rather than the right side.
First, determine the betting pattern you will use for your Don’t-side wagers. Suppose you decide to place one bet on Don’t Pass and two bets on Don’t Come numbers.
The goal is to establish all three points: one for the Don’t Pass bet and two for the Don’t Come bets. The next step is to place Double Odds on all three wagers and hope the shooter rolls a 7.
For example, suppose you start with a $20 wager, establish all three numbers, and back each bet with Double Odds. If the shooter rolls a 7 and all three wagers win, you can increase your next stake to $30. If you establish three more numbers and all three bets win again, you can raise the stake to $40. After another win, you can keep the stake at $40 rather than increasing it further.
If you lose one of the three numbers before the shooter rolls a 7, you might increase the next bet to only $25 instead of $30. If you lose two numbers, you would not increase the bet. This approach helps keep the size of potential losses under control.
If you prefer betting on the Don’t side, you can use a positive progression to structure how your stakes change after each outcome. Practice applying the progression under different circumstances before using it during a craps game.
Even if you prefer a more aggressive progression, remember to return your stakes to the minimum after a loss. This can help you manage your bankroll and prevent wagers from escalating during losing streaks.