Labouchere Betting System

While there are many different gambling tactics it’s difficult to know which ones improve your odds. Labouchere is a betting system that’s been in play for some time and with good reason – it’s designed to enhance your chances of winning in the long term. How does it work? We explain all below.

A Roulette Betting System Created By Henry Labouchere

Developed by English aristocrat and roulette player Henry Labouchere, the Labouchere betting system is a style of progressive betting.

Along with being a keen gambler, Henry Labouchere was a writer, journalist, publisher, theatre owner, and politician. Despite being an MP, Henry Labouchere never held a senior in government. This ultimately led him to leave England and spend his retirement in Italy.

A System With Many Different Names

While it’s commonly known as the Labouchere system, it has a number of different names:

• American Progression
• Split Martingale
• Cancellation System

Labouchere System Works By Using Negative Progression

The Labouchere betting system is a negative progression system created for roulette that requires you set a target for how much money you want to win. What this means is that when placing bets, bets are increased when a round is lost. 

Using a negative system of progression betting is designed so that it’s possible to return a profit when you lose more bets than you place. The reason for this is that because your wagers become progressively higher, you will win more money at the higher stakes.

The Labouchere Ladder And Sequential Betting

This betting system involves you placing bets in a sequence, with this approach known as the Labouchere ladder or the Labouchere chain.

The ladder consists of a set of numbers will represent betting units.  You can choose any betting units you like and the chain of numbers can vary in length.  The value of the first bet placed is calculated by adding together the sum of the first and last numbers in the ladder (the outside numbers). You add one number to your sequence when you lose and take off two when you lose

It is important to make sure that the total of the two outside numbers will not be greater than the table's betting limit because if it does exceed the limit, you will need to stop the system and could lose a lot of money. 

Example Numbers You Can Use In The Labouchere Chain

When you are starting out, it is best to keep the stakes fairly low and use a simple chain for betting. Two good examples of sequences that are good for beginners are:

• 1,3,4,5
• 1,1,2,2,3 

You can, of course, choose any number of units that you wish according to your experience and the bankroll you’ve allocated for your time at the roulette table.

Labouchere Is Known As The Cancellation System

After you’ve placed your initial bet, the first and last numbers of the chain are then deleted.  This is why Labouchere is also known as the cancellation system, as the numbers which have already been used for betting are cancelled out each time they are used. 

When you can totally cancel out a Labouchere ladder, you will have come out with a profit.  If you have been placing losing bets, the unit size of the lost bet is added to the end of chain.  This means that the next bet placed will be larger than before.

You Can Split Your Betting Sequence To Avoid Big Losses

One of the key things to be aware of with the Labouchere system is that your bets can increase quickly. This means that to avoid high gambling loses, you can split your sequences to make them safer.

The way you do this is to split your overall sequence into separate ones that add up to the total of your original one. For example, you could change your sequence into two, three, or more. The idea is that this spreads the risk and lowers it in doing so.

The thing to remember is that keeping one long sequence increases your potential gains, while using a few shorter ones reduces your winnings but makes for a safer roulette strategy.

Reverse Labouchere System

There are those that follow the Labourchere betting system in reverse.  When doing this, the sequence used will add winnings rather than losses to the list used.  When using the Labouchere system in reverse, it is no longer a negative progression system and has changed into a positive progression system.

The reason for switching to positive betting progression is that while you can often lose small amounts of money, you can end up with a large profit if you go on a run of wins.

Pros And Cons Of The Labouchere System

Con: You Need To Practice Before You Use The Labouchere System

As the Labouchere betting system is somewhat complicated and usually requires some practice to get it right, the best thing to do is first practice the system at home with a pen and paper while playing in online casinos using the free online gaming option.  This way, you can learn how to use the system without risking real money.

Pro: You Don’t Need Consistent Wins To Reach Your Winnings Goal

One of the greatest benefits to using the Labouchere system is that you can achieve your roulette winnings goal without winning continually.

Con: You Have To See It Through To The End Of The System

A negative progression system can be risky if you are not able to see it through. It is, therefore, very important to know what your bankroll limit is before beginning play and also to ensure that your betting will not exceed the table's limit which the casino has set. 

Pro: You Bet Gradually And This Makes For Less Intense Gambling

Some people have reservations about gambling because they fear quickly losing large amounts of money. The Labouchere system acts as a counter to this, with the gradual betting strategy making it a less intense and less risky approach.

Summary: Labouchere Is Ideal For Cautious Gamblers

If you’re looking for a betting strategy that will bring you big wins quickly then the Labouchere system isn’t the tactic for you. It requires practice, patience, and persistence. However, if you want an approach that prizes sensible betting and long-term results then the system invented by Henry Labouchere is a perfect choice.

FAQs

Is Labouchere a flexible system?

One of the best things about betting in the Labouchere style is that it allows you to gamble flexibly. While you must begin with one, defined system, you can (and often should) mix up your sequences as you play.

Does Labouchere take the fun out of gambling?

If you love the thrill of the unknown you probably won’t adore the idea of the Labouchere system, after all, it brings a method to your gambling. However, the least fun thing about gambling is losing big and using this method helps to safeguard against the risk of that happening.