The Labouchere system in sports betting is the ideal way to protect your bankroll. The author of the strategy is an English writer and politician with French roots, Henry Labouchere. As a student, Henry played in casinos and bet on horse races. After some time, Labouchere came to the conclusion that a certain strategy is needed to increase the likelihood of winning. This is how Labouchere’s strategy appeared, which can be used in sports betting and in casinos.

The Labouchere system is based on a variable number series. However, this should not scare you, because even a person who is bad at mathematics will understand the essence of the strategy. In total, there are two Labouchere systems – classical and reverse. Let’s figure out which of them does not take into account losses, and which one even cares about failures, that is, it is capable of saving your bank.

The Labouchere system is also known as the Split Martingale, American Progression and Cancellation system. The point of Labouchere’s strategy is that you can make a profit if your percentage of winning bets is even below 50 (more specifically, up to 33%). In other words, if you win 1 out of 3 bets, the strategy remains profitable. In addition to betting, the Labouchere system is used in casinos, roulette and blackjack. Initially it was used to play roulette, but later it began to be used in other areas of gambling.

This system only works with even odds markets – bets in which either one outcome will win, or the second outcome will play with 50/50 chances, and there is no third option. It’s like tossing a coin – either heads or tails will come up. Examples of such bets: will the number “3” be in the final score, will team 1 score the 1st goal, will the total be even or odd, will the 2nd period be more productive than the 1st).

Classic Labouchere strategy

First, determine the amount of net profit you want to receive. Next, you should divide the amount into a series of numbers. There is no rule about exactly how to divide. The main thing is that in total, all the numbers in the series should provide the desired profit.

For example, you want to earn 2000 Naira in net profit. You can divide the number into five equal parts of 400 Naira. After this, we take two numbers – the first and the last, and set the sum of these two numbers to a coefficient of 2.00.

If the bet is lost, we enter the sum of these two bets at the end of the row: 400, 400, 400, 400, 400, 800. But if our bet is successful, then we cross out the first and last number, and then we will be left with 400, 400, 400.

Understanding the problem is not difficult, you need to cross out the entire series of numbers. If the bet wins, we cross out two numbers; if it loses, we add one more. But do not forget, in case of each subsequent loss you will increase the bet amount.

Principles of Labuchére’s strategy

1. The player’s task is to cross out all the numbers from the number line. The entire amount in the number series is a maximum of 10% of the total bank.
2. The total bank is the entire amount that you have allocated for your game.
3. The numbers in a number series are not necessarily equal. For example, you divide the amount of 1000 naira into parts. You don’t have to divide it into 10 parts of 100 naira or 5 parts of 200 naira, you can divide it into such parts as you see fit. For example, 300-200-400-100 or 500-400-100.
4. The optimal number of digits in a number line is 5. However, if you want to play aggressively, write only 3 digits in a number line. If you are aiming for a long game, write 7 or more numbers in the number line. If you have one number left in the number series, then you simply put it next. To protect your bank, you can enter several zeros into the number sequence. The more zeros there are in a number series, the safer your bank is. Most often, the amount of desired profit is divided into 7-8 parts.

Difference between Labouchére and Martingale strategies

The Labouchere system is often confused with the Martingale system. The difference is that the Martingale system is aimed at wagering with one bet, and the Labouchere system is aimed at wagering with several consecutive bets. Therefore, the Labouchere system is considered more reliable.

Advantages of the system

We counted 4 significant advantages of the Labouchere system. Risk management (for example, if your sequence is long, your winnings will be higher. The opposite is also true – to reduce risks, you can make a number series of 3-4 digits). You don’t need to win every bet to stay in the black. In simple words, you can lose more bets than you win and still be in the black.

The Labouchere system takes into account the individual style of the bettor, since the player himself determines how much he is going to earn and, accordingly, enter into the number series. Along with Martingale, the Labouchere system is considered one of the best in betting.

Disadvantage of the system

We found a significant disadvantage in the Labouchere system. There is no guarantee that you will not have a long losing streak that could leave you in the red. Therefore, the system is not recommended for players with a small bank.

Common mistakes when playing with the labouchére strategy

Error 1: the player has a long series of losses and continues to play. Why is this a mistake: if suddenly 15-20 digits appear in your number series, then you simply will not be able to win back. In this case, it is recommended to start a new number series.

Error 2: the player bets on an odds ratio below 2. Why is this a mistake: the basic meaning of the entire Labouchere system is to play on an odds ratio of 2. Otherwise, the system simply will not be profitable.

Error 3: the player writes too many numbers in the number line. Why this is a mistake: the more numbers, the longer the game. There are frequent cases when bettors enter 15-20 numbers, and the number series grows after each bet. That is why the recommended maximum number of digits in a number series is 7-10.

The main advantage of the tactic is the possibility of its use in gambling clubs and bookmakers.