Labouchere Betting System is one of the more popular strategies when playing roulette and other popular casino games. In this post, we will explain the Labouchere system to you, talk about it in action, and, in general, demystify it.
How to use the Labouchere Staking Betting System
The Labouchere staking system was developed by a British politician, Henry Labouchere, hence the strategy’s name. Originally, people only used it for roulette and its variations, such as Lucky Ball Roulette Live and Lucky 6 Roulette. But, it can be modified and implemented for many other casino games, like Craps.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how to use the Labouchere system.
- Set your winning goal: Before you start, you should decide on the potential number you wish to win. This goal should be realistic and within your financial comfort zone.
- Create your sequence: Break down your winning goal into a sequence of smaller numbers. For example, if your target is £10, you can create a sequence like 1, 2, 3, 4.
- Calculate your first bet: Your first bet is the sum of the first and last numbers on your sequence (so, 1+4=5)
- Place your bet: Always place your bets on an even-money outcome, like red or black in roulette.
- Adjust your sequence based on the outcome: If you win, cross out the first and last numbers in your sequence, leaving you with 2, 3. In the event of losing, you add what you bet to the end of your sequence, which will now be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
- Repeat: Continue applying the same strategy until you reach the end of the sequence. Recalculate the bet each time.
- Know when to complete the sequence: The cycle ends when you have no more numbers to cross out. According to math, you should have met your target by then.
It’s important to highlight that sometimes it’s better to stop in the middle of a losing streak if you reach your losing limit. Remember: never bet more than you’re comfortable to lose.
Decide how much you’d like to bet
It’s crucial you have your bankroll defined before you start using the Labouchere system. You should always allocate a portion of your bankroll for this specific session. When a losing streak hits you, it’s easy to chase the loss and forget all you know about safer gambling tools. However, keep in mind that no strategy guarantees a win, and there’s no way to beat the odds in the end. Therefore, the amount you bet should be in your financial comfort zone.
Bets for the Labouchere Roulette System
As we’ve mentioned before, Henry Labouchere designed this system with roulette in mind specifically. Therefore, it’s best to use this strategy for the even-money bets in roulette, which are the ones that you have nearly a 50/50 chance of winning (or losing).
Here are some bets you can use with the Labouchere system:
- Red/Black
- Odd/Even
- 1-18/19-36
There are also bets you should avoid with the Labouchere roulette system. These are single-number bets, straight-up bets, and split bets. With all of these bets, your odds of winning are much lower.
The Labouchere Betting System in Action
Let’s say your target win is £20 – remember, the system doesn’t guarantee you will win this money.
First, choose your sequence. Here we’ll use 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Here’s an example of placed bets using the Labouchere betting system.
Bet 1:
- Sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Bet: £7 (1 + 6)
- Outcome: Loss
- New sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Bet 2:
- Sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- Bet: £8 (1 + 7)
- Outcome: Win
- New sequence: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Bet 3:
- Sequence: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Bet: £7 (2 + 5)
- Outcome: Loss
- New sequence: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Bet 4:
- Sequence: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- Bet: £9 (2 + 7)
- Outcome: Win
- New sequence: 3, 4, 5
And so on, until:
- You cross off all numbers in your sequence, reaching your £20 goal.
- You encounter a losing streak that depletes your bankroll before completing the sequence. Always have your bankroll in mind when strategising.
Issues with the Labouchere Strategy
As with all strategies, there are some issues with the Labouchere system as well. Firstly, it’s very vulnerable to losing streaks as the entire strategy relies on you winning enough times to cross out all the numbers in your sequence. If you lose enough times in a row, your bet size will grow, and it may potentially exceed your bankroll.
With the Labouchere system, you should never ignore the house edge, as the strategy is blind to it. There’s also a huge potential for chasing losses when using the Labouchere – so please use with caution.
Lastly, you should always keep in mind that no betting strategy, Labouchere included, promises a win. It’s simply a tool to have in your pocket, and its success depends heavily on chance.
Splitting When Losing
To potentially lessen the risks with the large bet sizes during the losing streaks, you may split the lost amount. In other words, when you lose a bet, instead of adding the entire amount to the end of your sequence, you split the lost amount into two and add one part to the end of the sequence. The other part is a separate split amount, which you can use later to potentially recoup smaller losses. If you win a bet before using it up, you can add it back to your bankroll.
Here’s an example to illustrate the Splitting technique:
- Sequence: 1, 2, 3
- Bet: £5 (lost)
Splitting When Losing:
- Split £5 into two parts: £2.50 each.
- New sequence: 1, 2, 3, 2.50
- “Split amount”: £2.50
If your next bet is a loss:
- New sequence: 1, 2, 3, 2.50, 5
- Splitting: Add £2.50 to the existing “split amount”: £5
If your next bet is a win:
- New sequence: 2, 3, 2.50
- Splitting: Discard the “split amount” if it wasn’t used.
The Reverse Labouchere strategy
The Reverse Labouchere strategy was birthed from the Labouchere strategy. Basically, instead of using your winning target as your initial betting capital, you use your predefined maximum loss limit.
Modifying the Initial Sequence
You may modify the initial sequence to your goals and betting style. For example, if your bankroll isn’t large, you can use a shorter sequence – but keep in mind that the profit will be smaller, too. Smaller numbers in the sequence will also keep your bets smaller, which will potentially reduce the risk but also limit the potential wins.
The spacing of numbers is also another modification you can do – even spaced numbers (e.g. 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 – for a £20 target) will lead to a more gradual progression of bet sizes, while uneven spacing (e.g. 1, 3, 6, 5, 5) will create more unpredictable situations.
Variations on the Labouchere Sequence
Apart from the standard Labouchere betting sequence, there are also multiple variations of it. We’ve already mentioned the Reversed Labouchere sequence, but there’s also the Fibonacci Sequence, Martingale-Labouchere Hybrid, Double Labouchere, and many more.
Setting Limits
Setting your limits is extremely important when using the Labouchere betting system. The bankroll limit is the first thing to consider, as well as the maximum bet limit you’re comfortable with. You should also have the win goal limit defined (and don’t forget that this win isn’t promised!). Additionally, you should also think about the loss streak limit and the time limit for your playing session.
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