An insight into the Labouchere Strategy in Roulette

The classic game of Roulette is a game of chance which even today stands out as one of the most popular games in any casino. Although it is strictly a game of chance, there are certain strategies players can try from their side to increase their chances of winning at this game. One such cool Roulette game strategy is Labouchere strategy. This remarkable strategy can be applied on some of the other games played at the casino that have 50% success chance on two of the plausible outcomes. Keep reading to know all about the Labouchere strategy for Roulette game. 

Beginning with the Labouchere strategy

Labouchere strategy is designed to work on the even bets of Roulette gaming. The strategy might seem a bit complicated to understand, but once you’ve cracked it, you will have a long way to go in Roulette gaming. Hence, there are different variations of this system which are easily usable and can be adapted quickly by even new players. Another interesting facet of this strategy is that certain rules can be changed according to players’ needs. 

The rule of this strategy is dependent on the negative progression which means next to every loss, the bet amount is set to go high. Hence, Labouchere strategy is also known by other names like American Progression, Split Martingale or Cancellation system. 

Labouchere strategy is not about winning a huge bet after consecutive losses. It’s rather a number of winnings at different times to recover for any losses occurred in the game before. This essentially means the system is based on a mathematical progression of a properly arranged number sequences. 

How to play with Labouchere strategy?

Labouchere strategy is set to work on bets of even-money of the Roulette game. These include even or odd bets, high or low bets, and red or black bets. The strategy can be applied on different types of bets like inside bets but it comes with certain risks involved. These bets usually come with lesser chances of winning which can cost you your wager. Hence, it is better to pick outside bets involving even-money which pose almost 50 per cent odds of winnings. 

Labouchere strategy begins with a set of random numbers whose total amounts to the net profit which the players need to accomplish at the end of the game. This simply means that the total of numbers is what the players need to win. Let’s understand this with an example.

Say, for example, your goal is to win $10. So, you need to divide this $10 to form a sequence and you can do it the way you wish. It might be a 4-4-2 sequence or a 2-2-2-1-1-1-1. To begin with, you need to pick each of the end numbers to add them and that will determine your betting amount for the first wager. Consider the sequence of 2-2-2-1-1-1-1. Here if you add each of the end numbers (2+1), you will get $3 for your first wager. Now, if you win this first bet, you can strike those numbers from the sequence and move on to the next two end numbers. 

If you look into the sequence, you will find again 2+1 end numbers which will give you $3 as the stake amount. If you’re winning continuously, then, the strategy remains the same until you are left with no numbers in the set. 

Now suppose you lose your first wager of $3 (above-mentioned), then you will be adding the number 3 to the sequence of your numbers at the right-end side. Hence, the sequence will look like this- 2-2-2-1-1-1-1-3. 

So, the next bet you place will be again the addition of the two end numbers of your new sequence. Here they are 2+3 which gives you $5 as your betting amount. 

The strategy might seem a little confusing at first. But if you just concentrate and practice it before actually playing for real money, you could end up winning all the money you actually bet. 

Is the Labouchere strategy really feasible?

Labouchere strategy has the capacity to return the players’ bets with profit if they do not enter into an extreme losing streak. But it is also true that the case of entering into an extreme losing streak is pretty rare, although not completely avoidable. Hence, many seasoned players believe the strategy to work fine. Also, if you lose some amount of your bet in between, through this same method you have the opportunity to win it back. 

But god forbid, if you enter into a losing streak, the betting sequence will go on increasing, so much so that there is no guarantee that you will be playing the game for such a long time. Also, you could end up losing all your funds. This means, after a while, you will have to stop playing the game entirely. Once you are at this point, you will know that you have not only lost your bankroll but also any amount that you might have won from previous gaming rounds. 

If you’re still wondering how people rely on this strategy, it is because they think they won’t be losing any rounds during the game, and definitely not imagine of not entering into losing streak.  

Another misconception is of the gambler’s fallacy. According to this, if an odd number has occurred 5 times or more in a row, players think the next winning number could be an even number. This absolutely is not possible and the results can be varying. But players still believe these concepts and bet accordingly, only to lose much of the earned money. 

Advantages of the Labouchere system

The system is pretty flexible and anybody can get accustomed to it easily with little practice. The system proves itself as an edge provider for all kinds of players and their bankrolls. The system essentially is a disciplined one which prepares players to play responsibly.

Disadvantages of Labouchere system

Labouchere system helps you play in an organised manner through which you can either win or save money before you end up losing all. This strategy holds this much only. It has no power over the outcome of the Roulette game.