For almost as long as casinos have existed, entrepreneurs have devised supposed winning systems. Are they worth your time? Michael Wiesenberg is dubious.
For almost as long as casinos have existed, entrepreneurs have devised supposed winning systems. You’ve seen one of these “systems” in the article “Martingale: How to Lose a Lot With a Betting System.” Others include the Reverse Labouchere method and the d’Alembert Betting System.
There are many betting systems out there. Most of them are based on increasing or decreasing the bet size depending on what happened to the previous wager (whether won or lost).
The Reverse Labouchère Method (also called the cancellation system or split martingale) is a betting system that is used on even money bets. These are, in roulette, red-black, high 18-low 18, or even-odd; in craps, betting only on the pass line; or betting on the player hand in baccarat.
Here’s how it works:
2, 1, 1, 3
3 + 2 = 5 units
2, 1, 1, 3
1 + 1 = 2 units
2, 1, 1, 3, 2
2 + 2 = 4 units
Example
Write down some numbers, say 4, 4, 1, 2. Add the first and last, 2 + 4. Your units are $10, so your first bet is 6 units, and you bet $60 on red.
3, 4, 1, 2, 6
6 + 3 = 9 units
3, 4, 1, 2, 6, 10, 14
14 + 3 = 17 units
3, 4, 1, 2, 6, 10, 14
10 + 4 = 14 units
There is also a Labouchère Method that involves making increasingly smaller bets. The Reverse Labouchère Method is a modification of the betting progression.
The d’Alembert Betting System purports to be efficacious in that it works by recouping any losses on each turn, the while risking relatively little money, which it does by increasing bets gradually after losses and decreasing bets gradually after wins. Here’s how it works:
As with the Reverse Labouchère Method, make only even money bets. This table shows a typical betting sequence:
bet # | bet size | result | net result |
1 | 1 | Loss | -1 |
2 | 2 | Win | +1 |
3 | 1 | Loss | 0 |
4 | 2 | Loss | -2 |
5 | 3 | Loss | -4 |
6 | 4 | Win | 0 |
7 | 3 | Win | +3 |
8 | 2 | Win | +5 |
9 | 1 | Loss | +4 |
10 | 2 | Win | +6 |
Remember that no mathematical approach to a casino game that has a fixed edge can provide a positive expectation. If you play long enough, you must lose overall. Approach such games with the twin goals of having fun and maybe winning a little, but don’t play for stakes you can’t afford. And don’t buy “systems” online that claim to beat games like roulette, craps, or baccarat. They are worthless.
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