Using the "1-3-2-6" Staking Plan is excellent for when you want to bet sensibly in games such as roulette or any other similar games where the chances of winning are close to 50/50. Its name is derived simply from the differing number of "Units" to be placed at each level of a 4-stage betting cycle. The strategic thinking that lies behind it is that, where the chances of getting the call right are near enough 50/50, it would be possible to win four times in a row often enough to have you winning overall.

Note here that winning four times in a row does not mean that the red (or black) must come up four times straight, but that you make four consecutive winning calls, no matter the colour on each occasion. Some people therefore go for 2 reds then 2 blacks, others for alternate calls, starting with the other colour on each new cycle. Whatever you decide on, it is best to keep to it as a consistent plan so that the "Law of Averages" is on your side.

When deciding on your colour selection sequence, bear in mind that if you always bet on the red coming up, then on a one-zero European roulette table you can expect that on average you will be disappointed 513 times in every 1000 spins (which means you were right only 487 times). The same goes for the black of course, and the balance (26/27) will end up in the white "zero" slot.

With the 1-3-2-6 Staking Plan the initial stake is 1 Unit, the second 3 Units, the third 2 Units and the fourth 6 Units. Note that a "Unit" can be worth anything you wish it to be, provided that it complies with the Betting House's minimum and maximum staking rules (for example, a Unit could be as low as 50 cents or perhaps as high as $500, dependent on the size of your Base Bank and the type of game you are engaged in).

To be counted as a winning cycle, you have to win at all 4 stages. You only carry through to the next stage in a cycle if you win at the current stage. If you lose at any stage in a cycle then you must go back to the first stage stake, and you must remain on that stake until a win occurs. This method of staking is therefore a modification of the Paroli Staking Plan, in that instead of sticking to a fixed increase in the stake after each win, the stake is varied.

With the 1-3-2-6 Staking Plan you need just 1 Unit as a starting stake, to which, if you win at the first stage, you must add a further 1 Unit to the winnings for the second stage stake (3 Units). The beauty of it is that, thereafter, you only use your winnings to progress through to the end of a full winning cycle, so the maximum stake to be pulled from your base bank is only ever $2 per cycle (whether "full" or "terminated"), no matter what stage you reach.

Let's look at this in detail. Assuming that each Unit is $1 and the Odds are 1:1 (even money), your first bet would be $1. If your first bet wins, you have $2 on the table, to which you add a further $1 to make up the required $3 stake for the second bet. If the second bet wins, there would be $6 on the table ($3 stake plus $3 winnings), from which you take $4 and put it into the "reserves" pocket, leaving just $2 for the third bet. When the third bet wins, there will be $4 on the table, and you must add $2 from the reserves pocket to make up the $6 required for the fourth bet.

A win at the fourth stage gives you $12 and that added to the remaining $2 in your reserves pocket makes $14. Since your original stake was only the maximum $2, you have cleared $12 in total.

That dealt with the winnings, but now let's look at the possible loss scenarios. If you lose the first bet, your loss is just $1, and you must start again. A second stage loss would cost you $2 (the maximum loss in any one cycle). At the third stage, even if the bet loses you will still have earned a net profit of $2. A loss at the fourth stage would leave you breaking even. Each time you encounter a loss you have to start all over again at the first stage with a $1 stake.

The attraction of the 1-3-2-6 Staking Plan is that you risk only $2 in going for a $12 net profit that is still down to a 50/50 chance on the last throw. This means that you could lose six cycles on the trot (right up to the fourth stage each time) and with a win on the seventh cycle you would be breaking even. Further, unlike the simple Paroli Staking Plan, you don't have to judge for yourself when to take the profit and pull out, because simply following the built-in betting cycle rules decides it for you automatically.

The drawback to the 1-3-2-6 is that on a bad day you may lose many cycles on the trot, and each of those losses may have left you with a 2 Unit deficit (meaning that you have been very unlucky indeed). But don't try to play catch up - just call it a night and head on home to bed! Some days lady Luck is like that.

Personally speaking, I think that the 1-3-2-6 system is a beautifully crafted concept, added to which it is so straightforward to use. On top of that, dependent on the value of your "Unit" of course, it can also offer tremendous excitement once you progress through to the last round of each cycle. I hope you will enjoy using it.

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