Labouchere Betting System

Like martingale, Labouchere is classified as a negative progression betting system. This means you have to bet more when losing in order to recoup those losses. Labouchere is also known as the cross-out or cancellation system for reasons that will become clear…

The system can be employed in two ways. The first is to write down a random series of numbers. They can be in any order, and the series can be any length (though particularly long series are not advised). The other method is to determine an amount (in units) you would like to win for that session. Say you are playing a $5 minimum table ($5 = 1 unit) and aim to make 30 units. The series of numbers you write down, while still random, must add together to be 30.

For example the series: 4, 2, 4, 7, 1, 2, 2, 1, 4, 1, 2 (added together these numbers equal 30). While I can select any numbers in any order, the total must be the amount we aim to win. In order to use the system in game-play we take the two outer numbers (in this case 4 and 2), which add together to be our bet. The first bet would therefore be 6 units (or $30).

Presuming we win the hand, these outer numbers are crossed out. We then proceed in the same way with the next outer numbers (2 & 1). The second bet would therefore be three units ($15). We continue in this fashion. On the third bet of 8 units we lose the hand. Rather than crossing out the numbers we add 8 to the end of the sequence. Our number series now looks as follows:

4, 2, 4, 7, 1, 2, 2, 1, 4, 1, 2, 8

We continue with the system so the next bet will be 4+8 units = 12 units or $60. Once all of the numbers have been crossed out we will have made our 30 unit profit and we start over with another series of numbers.

When using the system for the first time it is advisable to set very conservative win targets (say 10 units) with short, relatively low numerical value strings (since the numbers act as the base unit multiplier). E.g 1, 2, 3, 4 would result in a win of 10 units.

The problem with Labouchere is that if we hit an especially long losing series, we are locked in to a very long session to make a profit. The other danger, as with martingale, is that we will hit the table limit, meaning we are unable to place the necessary bet to recoup losses and end up making a large loss. Using our example above, a table with a $5 minimum will often have a maximum bet of around $100. You can see the danger of hitting this maximum bet using this system. Even if the table limit is not an issue, we may lose our bankroll before being able to complete the series necessary to get back into the black.

Another issue with the system is that it is complicated to use in gameplay. While trying to remember basic strategy and possibly whilst counting and contending with a talkative dealer, it is almost impossible to keep track of the series. I doubt casinos would appreciate someone walking in with a pen and paper to the table either. Of course, that is not a problem when gambling online, but the table limits and bankroll issues can still rear their ugly heads.