Understanding Positive and Negative Progression Strategies in Gambling

BetMGM Feb 19, 2025, 12:56 PM
min read
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For many gamblers, fun comes from playing a game for an extended period of time. Compared to only placing a few quick bets, extended sessions are also great for learning new games or refining your gambling betting strategy.

Playing casino games online can offer great convenience for players who try to keep the action going. It’s easy to get into a game at any time and the action goes with you as long as you manage your bankroll responsibly.

You need to keep your bankroll at a certain level to sustain your play. Both negative and positive progression strategies can help with this but only if you understand how to use them and if luck is on your side.

Understanding Progression Strategies

A progression strategy, whether negative or positive, dictates how much of your bankroll you will risk on subsequent bets. Before you can deploy either, you need to decide how much you want to risk overall, how long you want to play for, and how much you’d like to win.

What Are Positive Progression Strategies?

At that point, you can opt for a positive progression strategy. Positive progression means that you increase your bet amount after each win.

The Paroli betting system is an example of this strategy. With this system, you double your stake after each win until you record three consecutive wins or you exhaust your total budget. When you lose, or win three games in a row, you revert to your original stake. The hope is that with some luck you can realize a small profit from your wagers and limit your losses. 

For example, when you’re playing online roulette, you might start with a stake of $5 and bet on red. If your bet hits, you up your wager to $10. If you win your next wager, you increase your bet to $20. On the next win, you reset your wager to $5.

Negative progression is the opposite to this in some ways.

What Are Negative Progression Strategies?

Just like positive progression, a negative progression strategy asks players to increase their stakes as their sessions progress. However, in this case, that outcome is a loss instead of a win.

An example of negative progression is the Martingale system. Sticking with the $5 stake example, you would double your bet to $10 if your first bet is a loss. You’d double it again if you lose your next bet. The Andrucci betting system is another example of a negative progression system.

Following wins, you return to your original stake or reduce your wager by half, depending on the system you’re using. With negative progression, you try to maximize your wins so they counteract your losses by the time you finish your session.

Regardless of which kind of strategy you take, you need fate to favor you and to remain disciplined as the action plays out. BetMGM can help you decide which kind of system you prefer.

Which Gambling Strategy Should You Use?

To a large degree, the best casino betting systems are a matter of personal preference. If you’ve tried both and find you’re more comfortable with one over the other, it’s a good idea to stick to what you’re comfortable with.

When you’re playing in a relaxed state, you’re more likely to make good decisions and enjoy your gambling. When deciding between these options, you should ask yourself questions like would you rather try for big hits and accept more losses in the meantime or are you more comfortable with safer bets even though you limit your potential to make a profit?

If you’re a more conservative player, positive progression could be a better fit. If you’d like to take bigger risks, negative progression might be for you.

When you register for BetMGM and make a qualifying deposit, you can use the casino welcome bonus to find out more about your gambling preferences as you play. As you gain experience, you can start earning BetMGM Rewards points with your real-money bets using your system of choice.

With BetMGM, you can use both positive and negative progression strategies when you play many of the games in BetMGM’s massive library.

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