Betting Systems

Pros

Each progression through the betting sequence ends up with a decent chance of ending up ahead, meaning that you’ll win
more often than you lose

Cons

A relatively complicated system, you may need some practice with it before making use of it at a casino. Like the Martingale, the potential for loss is very high–probably the highest out of all betting systems mentioned here.

Overall

The potential for loss using the Labouchere is high. As was mentioned above, it can become very easy for a betting sequence to spiral out of control causing you to bet more than you’re prepared to bet.

Other Systems

D’Alembert

Start with an initial bet. Every time you lose, increase your bet by that initial amount. Every time you win, lower it by that intial amount.

This is a progression system which tries to win back your losses in small steps instead of all at once like the Martingale. It was designed for use on the even chance bets on a roulette table but can be used on any even chance bets.

Concept

d’Alembert works under the assumption that over a period of time there will be an equal number of ‘reds’ and ‘blacks’.
We start the session by placing one unit ($1, $5 or any other value) on one of the even chance bets (e.g. ‘red’), after a losing spin we increase the next bet by one unit and after a winning bet we decrease the next bet by one unit. So if we were betting on ‘red’ and the spins were – black, black, black, red, black, red, red, black, red, red, red – then the bets placed would be as follows (the numbers in brackets show the level of your bankroll after the spin):

1 (-1), 2 (-3), 3 (-6), 4 (-2), 3 (-5), 4 (-1), 3 (+2),
2 (+0), 3 (+3), 2 (+5), 1 (+6)

This sequence would end with a win of $6. As you can see, as soon as the number of ‘reds’ is equal to the number of
‘blacks’ plus one then the sequence ends with a win. You may also notice that after the 7th, 9th and 10th spins we were
also showing a profit, this is because the bets placed on winning spins are one unit greater than the previous losing
spin. Having the possibility of a positive bankroll before the sequence is complete allows us to choose to cut the session short and take a smaller win rather than risking the chance of the session ending badly.

The Catch

Although the d’Alembert reduces the chances of a complete wipe-out of your bankroll when compared to the Martingale, the possibility is still there. A long sequence of consecutive losses or a period of time where ‘black’ occurs more often than ‘red’ will soon put the system in a position where it becomes almost impossible to recover. As always the house edge works on every spin, and so increasing your bets will eventually increase your losses.

Blackjack Variation

d’Alembert can be adapted for use on blackjack by following a couple of simple rules. When you have a stand off the next bet remains the same.

If you lose a double or split you must step up your bet by one unit for every stake lost e.g. if your current bet is 5 units and you double the hand and lose then your next bet would be 7.

If you win a double or split you must step down your bet by one unit for every stake won e.g. if you had won the hand in the previous example then your next bet would be 3 units.

If you get ‘blackjack’ then you can either count this as a bonus and step down your next bet by one unit as usual or you can step down your next bet by two units. note. stepping down by 2 units may sometimes end a session with a slight loss, but it gives a greater chance of completing a session.

Using d’Alembert with blackjack usually gives more chances to cut a session short and collect a small win because off the extra winnings gained when doubling and splitting. Of course you must use the correct basic strategy or this type of progression will become very costly.

Conclusion

d’Alembert gives you two bonuses over the Martingale, firstly you do not increase your bets as rapidly which gives you the
chance to stop a session and accept a small to medium loss. Secondly, you can find that your bankroll is positive before
a session is complete, this give you the option to cut short a session with a small win. The downside is that a session can
last for many spins, so you should always give yourself time to run through a full session. The main problem is that which
is related to all progressive systems – you will win little and often but when you lose it will probably wipe out all previous
winnings and eat into your main bankroll.