Labouchère system

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The Labouchère system, also called the cancellation system, is a gambling strategy used in roulette. The user of such a strategy decides before playing how much money they want to win, and writes down a list of positive numbers that sum to the predetermined amount. With each bet, the player stakes an amount equal to the sum of the first and last numbers on the list. If only one number remains, that number is the amount of the stake. If bet is successful, the two amounts are removed from the list. If the bet is unsuccessful, the amount lost is appended to the end of the list. This process continues until either the list is completely crossed out, at which point the desired amount of money has been won, or until the player runs out of money to wager.

[edit] Splitting the Line

Like most negative progression betting systems, the labouchere system can cause bet sizes to grow dramatically after a series of losses. This often increases the risk of ruin by dramatically increases the volatility to the player's bankroll. The labouchere line is actually much more flexible and it is key that players understand how to split the labouchere line. Splitting the line will help you stay below the table limit and also help control the bet sizing to a level you are comfortable at. You split the line by taking a number from your original line and breaking it down into a new sub line of smaller numbers. You then continue working on your new sub-line before going back to the original line. As an example you may take the number 9 from the end of your original line and break it into a new sub-line like 1 2 2 2 2. Once you finished this sub-line you could cross out the 9 also and continue working on your original line.^[1]

[edit] Reverse Labouchere

The labouchere system can also be played as a positive progression betting system, this is known as playing the reverse labouchere. In this version after a win, instead of deleting numbers from the line the player adds the previous bet amount to the end of the line. You continue building up your labouchere line until you hit the table maximum. After a loss, the player deletes the outside numbers and continues working on the shorter line. The player starts their line again if they run out numbers to bet.^[2]

[edit] References

Tijms, Henk (2004). "Probabilities in everyday life", Understanding probability: chance rules in everyday life. Cambridge University Press, pp. 91–93. ISBN 0-521-54036-4.