The 1-3-2-6 betting system is a positive progression strategy that can be used on a number of popular casino games at leading online casinos. Players enjoy the simplicity of the 1-3-2-6 betting system and its ability to capitalize upon short winning streaks. It is not a particularly aggressive approach, so it is suitable for all bankrolls, and it is very popular among live blackjack, roulette online, baccarat, and craps players. This 1-3-2-6 betting system guide
The 1-3-2-6 betting system tells you how much to wager on each hand, spin the wheel, or throw the dice. You simply follow the 1-3-2-6 system sequence until you lose, at which point you start again. It derives from the Paroli system, which also aims to make the most of short winning streaks, but the 1-3-2-6 system is a little more aggressive.
You can apply the 1-3-2-6 system to table games with even money odds, such as red/black or 1-18/19-36 on the roulette wheel. Of course, the slight house edge means that these are not quite even money bets, but it is applicable to all bets that are close to 50/50. This article will explain a 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting strategy, 1-3-2-6 roulette system, 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy, and 1-3-2-6 craps strategy to show you how it can be applied to those popular games.
First you must set aside a bankroll, which is an amount you are comfortable with losing in a worse case scenario. Then you choose a percentage of that bankroll as your base unit price. Some people choose 1% of their bankroll as a unit when following the 1-3-2-6 system, and others go up to 5%. It varies depending on how bold you are feeling and how long you want to spend at the table.
Let’s say you have $200 in your bankroll, and you decide to make your base unit 5% of that bankroll. That means your base unit is $10. You then follow the 1-3-2-6 system sequence, multiplying your base unit by each number to determine how much you should wager each time.
Your first bet is for one unit, so you would wager $10. If that wins, your next bet will be for three units, which is $30 in this 1-3-2-6 betting system example. If you lose, you go back to the beginning and bet on one unit again, but if you win, you keep progressing. That is why it is called a positive progression system, as you move forward when winning rather than increasing your stake after losing.
Your third wager in a winning streak would be for two units, which is $20 in this example. Your fourth wager would be for six units, which equates to $60. If you complete the sequence, you start again at one unit. You will win 12 units if you manage to complete the sequence. Keep going until you complete it again or decide to walk away.
This hypothetical chart shows the 1-3-2-6 betting system in practice:
#️⃣ Wager | 💰 Stake | 🥇 Result of Bet | ⚖ Balance |
---|---|---|---|
1️⃣ First Bet | $10 | Loss | -$10 |
2️⃣ Second Bet | $10 | Win | $0 |
3️⃣ Third Bet | $30 | Win | $30 |
4️⃣ Fourth Bet | $20 | Loss | $10 |
5️⃣ Fifth Bet | $10 | Loss | $0 |
6️⃣ Sixth Bet | $10 | Win | $10 |
7️⃣ Seventh Bet | $10 | Loss | $0 |
8️⃣ Eighth Bet | $10 | Win | $10 |
9️⃣ Ninth Bet | $30 | Win | $40 |
1️⃣0️⃣ Tenth Bet | $20 | Win | $60 |
1️⃣1️⃣ Eleventh Bet | $60 | Win | $120 |
1️⃣2️⃣ Twelfth Bet | $10 | Loss | $110 |
1️⃣3️⃣ Thirteenth Bet | $10 | Loss | $100 |
1️⃣4️⃣ Fourteenth Bet | $10 | Win | $110 |
1️⃣5️⃣ Fifteenth Bet | $10 | Loss | $100 |
1️⃣6️⃣ Sixteenth Bet | $10 | Loss | $90 |
This example shows how powerful the system can be if you manage to string together a run of four wins. Just half of the bets were successful, but the player is ahead by nine units after 16 bets. However, winning streaks of four are not all that common, so the picture is often not quite so attractive. Yet the 1-3-2-6 betting system remains a pretty conservative approach, as you always go back to one unit after a loss, and you only ever wager six units in the event of a winning streak of three.
By contrast, you can end up placing very high wagers when chasing losses with a negative progression strategy like the Martingale or the Fibonacci. The 1-3-2-6 betting system is also a little more ambitious than the Paroli system, which requires you to double your stake after each win but go back to one base unit after winning three in a row or after each loss.
There is a 1-3-2-6 betting system variation called the 1-3-2-4 pyramid strategy. This maximizes the potential of winning streaks larger than four. If you reach the number 4 in the 1-3-2-4 pyramid, you move to 2-6-4-8. If you somehow manage to win all four of those bets, you then go to a 4-12-8-16 series. Twelve wins in a row see you earn 70 units, compared to 36 units when using the 1-3-2-6 betting system.
Each system has its strengths and weaknesses, but it is generally best to follow some sort of strategy if you want to feel in control of your bankroll. You can also check out the D’Alembert, Fibonacci, Martingale, Paroli, Labouchere, Kelly Criterion or Oscar’s Grind strategies, read their pros and cons, compare them against the 1-3-2-6 betting system and decide which one appeals the most to you. Remember that most of these strategies can also be reversed, turning them from positive to negative progression systems, and vice versa.
Online blackjack fans who want to follow a simple positive progression strategy often adopt a 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system. It works really well on blackjack due to the low house edge. It can vary on some of the more exotic variants, but the RTP for classic blackjack is north of 99%, resulting in a thin house edge. Your chances of success with each hand are very close to 50/50, so you can certainly go for a blackjack betting strategy 1-3-2-6.
If you want to use a 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system, you must first decide what your base unit will be. This should not change while using a blackjack betting strategy 1-3-2-6 in a session at the table. Some people like to set a bankroll at the start of the session and then make one base unit a specific percentage of that bankroll.
Let’s say you decide to set $5 as your base unit. You would start the blackjack betting strategy 1-3-2-6 by wagering one unit, which is for $5. If that loses, you start again by betting $5. If it wins, you move along the 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system sequence and bet three units, which is $15.
If your second bet loses, go back to the start and bet $5 again. If it wins, move on a bet two units, which is $10 in this 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system example. The final step of the blackjack betting strategy 1-3-2-6 is to bet six units. You only do this if you have won three bets in a row.
If you lose your fourth bet, it wipes out your winnings from the previous three wagers, and you go back to square one. If you win it, you add the 12 unit profit to your bankroll and go back to the start of the 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system, wagering one unit again.
Blackjack is slightly different from other casino games, as your winnings can vary if you land a blackjack, gain insurance, double down, or split aces (or split any other card if you so desire). This can cause confusion for anyone following a blackjack betting strategy 1-3-2-6, but there are no official 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system rules for extra winnings you might pocket during these instances.
Many people simply add the extra winnings to their bankroll and carry on. If you split aces and one hand wins while the other hand loses, you have essentially broken even for the hand, so in that case, you might decide to stay on the same number in the 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system sequence.
Players can apply a 1-3-2-6 roulette system on all outside bets that are close to 50/50. That includes red/black, 1-18/19-36, and odd/even. You would not use a 1-3-2-6 roulette system when betting on individual numbers, corners, columns, or dozens.
Roulette has a pretty low house edge, so a 1-3-2-6 roulette system can work pretty well. The RTP is lower than that of free online blackjack, so your returns, in the long run, might not quite match those achieved in the blackjack betting strategy 1-3-2-6 play, but you can give yourself the best possible chance of success by choosing the right type of roulette.
European roulette has just a single zero, giving the house an edge of 2.7%. American roulette has a zero and a double zero, which results in a larger house edge of 5.26%. It, therefore, makes sense to choose European roulette unless there is a clear reason for playing American roulette, such as a lucrative bonus. French Roulette has an even lower house edge because you get a 50% refund if the ball lands on zero.
You can begin your 1-3-2-6 roulette system by deciding how much you want to assign as a base unit. If it is $2, your first wager will be a $2 bet on either red/black, high/low, or odd/even. If that wins, you would be $6 for your second spin. If you win again, bet $4 on the third spin of the wheel, and then bet $12 if that wins. When you complete the 1-3-2-6 roulette system sequence, return to the beginning and go again. If you lose, return to the beginning and start again.
The general idea of the 1-3-2-6 roulette betting strategy is that you place the same wager each time. You would, therefore, bet red each time, or 19-36 each time. However, there is nothing to stop you from mixing it up each time – betting on, for instance, red, then black, then red, then odd, then 1-18, then red again – as the chances of each one landing remain close to 50/50.
A 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy is pretty similar to the 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system and the 1-3-2-6 roulette system mentioned above. It should be reserved for bets whereby the odds are pretty close to evens. It is, therefore, advisable to avoid using a 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy for tie bets. A banker bet should carry an RTP of 98.94%, while a player bet has an RTP of 98.76%, so they are both suitable for the 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy.
Each number in the 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy sequence refers to the number of base units you will wager per hand. If your base unit is $100, you will start off by betting $100. If that wins, you move on to the next number in the 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy sequence, which is 3, meaning you would wager $100. If you lose a bet, you go back to the start of the 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy sequence.
If you win, you keep on going. Your third bet would be for $200 in this 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy example, and your fourth would be for $600. If you win four in a row, you will be $1,200 up. One advantage of the 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy is that you then pocket your winnings and start again, thus protecting profits. If you were following a reverse Martingale strategy instead of a 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy, you would keep doubling your stake after each win, and it would take just one loss to wipe out all of your profits.
Remember that many top live casinos online offer lucrative bonuses. This can really cut down the house edge, so make sure you claim all the relevant bonuses before embarking upon your 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy. You should also make sure you do not get the 3 and the 2 the wrong way round, as that can bust your sequence.
You can apply a 1-3-2-6 craps strategy to a variety of bets that have a roughly 50/50 chance of success. It is similar to the 1-3-2-6 craps strategy described above in that it will only work on certain wagers. For example, a 1-3-2-6 craps strategy would not be used on a field bet, an ace deuce, or a hard 4.
The even chance bets at your disposal when playing craps are pass, don’t pass, come, don’t come, Big 6 and Big 8. The house edge on these bets ranges from 0.4% to 0.46%, which is low, so they are well suited to the 1-3-2-6 craps strategy.
Your first task is to choose your base unit for your craps session. Many craps players create a bankroll and then assign a portion of it as a base unit. One advantage of the 1-3-2-6 craps strategy is that you do not need a particularly large bankroll, as you do not aggressively chase losses like the Fibonacci system or the Martingale system.
If your unit is $20, you will make that your initial wager. You increase the wager to three units ($60) if your first bet wins or bet one unit again if it loses. The goal is to land four consecutive wins when following the 1-3-2-6 craps strategy. If your base unit is $20, a run of four straight wins would be worth $240 in profit.
If you complete the 1-3-2-6 craps strategy chain, you start again at one unit. Whenever you lose, go back to the start. This means you will only suffer small losses. The most you can ever lose is six units, but that would only ever occur after you had just won six units, so a 1-3-2-6 craps strategy is reasonably cautious and allows you to stay at the table for a considerable period of time.
Ziv Chen has been working in the online gambling industry for over two decades in senior marketing and business development roles. Ziv writes about a wide range of topics including slot and table games, casino and sportsbook reviews, American sports news, betting odds and game predictions. Leading a life full of conflict, Ziv constantly struggles between his two greatest loves: American football and US soccer.
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