Labouchere System of Betting – Explained

The Labouchere System of betting emphasises in reducing stakes after a winning bet and increasing stakes after a losing bet. It differs from other systems in the sense of loss recovery. Also known as the American Progression or the Cancellation System, this system believes that players can recover losses from losing bets with a number of different wins. It does not attempt to cover all losses from wagers in a single shot but spreads it out to multiple winning wagers.

This calculated strategy brings more practicality and transparency in how the system works and this is also the reason for its popularity with a large number of gamblers and enthusiasts.

Usage of the Labouchere System

The Labouchere System can be used across a range of games like Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat as well as Sports Betting. Developed by Henry Labouchere, the original system was used first at a Roulette table.

There are multiple steps to cover in order to effectively use this system and unlike the mechanical functioning of other systems, the Labouchere System needs you to put some thought in your selection.

Step 1: The first step requires that you choose a sequence of numbers, depending on your strategy. For the purpose of illustration, let’s choose the numbers 5 – 6 – 7. The system says that the profit for every cycle of a wager is equal to the sum of the numbers in the sequence. In our case, this is equal to $18.

Step 2: For every bet, the stake must be the sum of the first and last numbers of the sequence. In this example, it is equal to 5 + 7 which is $12. If this bet worth $12 is won, the player must take the first and last numbers off the sequence. We will strike down 5 and 7 in our sequence. Now numbers look like 5 – 6 – 7

Step 3: However, if the bet is lost, the player must add the number staked to the sequence at its end. In our case, losing the first bet means the addition of 12; the numbers now look like 5 – 6 – 7 – 12

Step 4: The rules mentioned above are applicable to every wager. If you win, the numbers get a strike off. If you lose, the losing number gets added to the end of the sequence. With this, for any subsequent bet, the sum of the first and last number is staked.

Step 5: The only exception for step 5 is when just one number remains in the sequence. Then, the player just bets that amount and upon a win with that, the cycle is finished and a new sequence needs to be chosen. For example, take the sequence of 5 – 6 – 7, you need just two consecutive wins to end the cycle of the sequence. The winnings would amount to 5+7 (12) and 6, which is 18 in total. Also, note that 12 is also the total of the original sequence.

While all this seems simple in this example, the strategy gets more complicated after the loss of a few bets. To make it clearer, the main concept of the Labouchere System states that irrespective of the length of the sequence, the players will always take home money equal to the sum of numbers of the original sequence; after ending the cycle by removing numbers from the chain after every win.

Practical results of the Labouchere System

Despite being a popular strategy among many gamblers, the Labouchere System relies on a certain percentage of winning bets out of the total to achieve its objective. This system, or any progressive oPractical results of the Labouchere Systemne for that matter, can fail if players lose a high number of bets in a row.