Playing online casino games is essentially trying to manipulate math to your advantage. You don’t change the odds but rather pounce on the opportunity they afford you to claim some winnings.
In that interest, players have developed systems that embrace the mathematical side of gambling. For beginner gamblers especially, these systems can be of great use.
The Labouchere betting system is just one of these strategies but a method that many players rely upon to try to end their playing sessions with more money than they started with. While doing so requires a good amount of luck, it’s possible to enjoy a long playing session following the system’s rules.
What is the Labouchere Betting System?
The Labouchere system is essentially a guide that tells you how much of your gambling bankroll to risk on each play. The strategy aims to maximize the value of your wins so that with some luck they will override your losses by the time you finish playing.
For experienced players, the Labouchere method is a negative progression system. That means you increase the value of your bet after each loss.
To make the Labouchere gambling strategy work, you need to formulate a plan and then stick to it regardless of how your luck pans out. The method accounts for the losses you will inevitably incur along the way.
How Does the Labouchere System Work?
Like many other popular betting systems, the Labouchere system does work but only if you prepare properly, stick to similar bets, and follow the guide. The Labouchere method only works within limits.
Those limits include your overall budget for your session and the amount of time you want to spend playing. You also need to decide how much money you want to try to win before you start playing.
The strategy begins with writing down a sequence of at least three numbers on a horizontal line. These can be any numbers you like but will represent betting amounts so they should allow you to stick to your budget.
The numbers you choose should be sequential as well to keep the math simple. Once you have formulated your sequence, you need to choose a bet or set of bets to make.
Many players use the Labouchere system when playing online roulette. If you do so, you might want to stick to outside bets like black/red, even/odds, and high/low to keep your odds identical.
At this point, you’re ready to place your first wager. To do so, you combine the first and last numbers in your sequence reading from left to right to determine your bet amount.
As an example, if your starting sequence is 1 2 3, you would add one and three. Your wager is $4. After your bet settles, you proceed differently depending on how you fared.
If your bet was a win, you cross off the numbers you just used. If you lose, you add the number you just bet to the end of your sequence.
Then, with your next bet, you again add the first and last numbers in your sequence together and wager the sum. You repeat that until one of four things happens:
- You cross off all the numbers in your sequence
- You exhaust your overall budget
- You hit your win limit
- You hit your time limit
Sticking to your limits is not only important for responsible gambling but also for making the Labouchere strategy’s math work for you. For as easy as the system is to follow, it’s just as easy to take losses.
Should You Use the Labouchere System?
The Labouchere betting system can fail if you exceed your limits or don’t follow the plan. Additionally, even if you stick to your plan and execute any casino game strategy perfectly, you could simply run into a streak of bad luck.
With a series of losses, you can exhaust your bankroll quickly using the Labouchere method. That’s why many players add a loss limit when they use it. With proper execution, discipline, and some luck, you can realize a small profit.
While the Labouchere strategy is popular among roulette players, you can also use it to play baccarat and blackjack. It’s important to keep your bets as close to even as possible.
When you’re ready to give the Labouchere system a go, the best thing to do is to register for BetMGM and make a qualifying deposit. That will give you access to BetMGM’s casino welcome bonus for new players and help you try out this roulette strategy with diminished risk.
When you gain some comfort with the Labouchere method, you can start earning BetMGM Rewards points with all your real-money bets. There’s no more rewarding way to try out the Labouchere betting system.
