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How Does the Labouchere System Work?
The thing that makes the Labouchere roulette strategy unique is how it tries to recover the losses that might occur. It works as a circle system in which you should set a goal and the objective is to reach that goal - a certain profit that you want to achieve.
You get to choose the target amount for each cycle. That’s the amount of money you want to win per cycle. Then, you need to write down a number sequence. The sum of all the numbers in the sequence must be equal to the goal number, or the target that you want to achieve.
If you set a goal of ₹20 that you want to win with each spin, for example, you will need to write a sequence of numbers that, when added up, would make 20. In this case, the number of the sequence can be: 7, 2, 3, 4, 4. Now, every wager you make should be the sum of the first and the last number of the sequence. In this example, the first bet would be ₹11, because 7+4 equals 11.
The strategy only works with even-money outside bets like Black/Red, Odds/Evens, and High/Low. If you win, you need to cross out the first and the last number of the sequence. Once you cross out the numbers you have already used, you need to repeat the process again. In our example, we would now have to add 2+4. Since 2+4 equals 6, our next wager will be ₹6.
If we lose the bet, we will have to add the sum as a number to the sequence. So, if we lose our ₹6 bet, we will add the number 6 on the right side of our list. The Labouchere roulette strategy ends when you use all the numbers in your sequence. At that point, you would also have the target profit amount.
Here are all the rules that apply to the Labouchere strategy:
- The strategy only works with even-money outside bets like High/Low, Black/Red, and Odds/Evens.
- You need to set a goal yourself, which would be the target amount you want to win.
- You should create the number sequence yourself. The numbers should be the sum of the target amount.
- For the first bet, you will need to wager the sum of the first and the last number of the sequence.
- You cross out the first and last number of the list after every win.
- You add the last bet amount to the list after each loss.
- The objective is to keep playing until you cross out every number on the list. That’s how a Labouchere roulette strategy cycle is completed.
Let’s see how the Labouchere system works in action. We will start with 5 spins and a target goal of ₹10 to keep it simple. The numbers of the sequence will be 1, 2, 3, and 4. We will only be betting on Red/Black for simplicity.
- Spin 1
For our first round, we need to add the first and the last number of the sequence. In our case, that’s 1 and 4, so we wager ₹5 on Red. We lose.
- Spin 2
We add 5 to the end of the sequence. We need to add the first and the last number of the sequence, so for our next wager, we add 1+5. We wager ₹6 on Red. We win.
- Spin 3
AWe cross off 1 and 5, so now the sequence has the following numbers: 2, 3, 4. For our next spin, we add the first and the last numbers of the sequence: 2+4 = 6. We wager ₹6 on Red. We lose.
- Spin 4
We add 6 to the list. Now, the sequence has the following numbers: 2, 3, 4, 6. For our next bet, we add 2+6 and we wager ₹8 on Red. We win.
- Spin 5
We cross off 6 and 2, and the only numbers left in the sequence are 3 and 4. We add 3+4 and we wager ₹7 on Red. We win. The total profit of the session is ₹10, which means that we have completed the Labouchere system.
Testing the Labouchere Roulette Strategy
To see how the Labouchere strategy performs in real life, we decided to put it to the test. To do that, we created a simulation in which 4 virtual players would participate. The simulation was run on a standard European roulette variant, and each player started with a bankroll of ₹1,000.
- We ran the simulation for 500 spins, and we created a target goal for each of the players.
- Each player starts with $1,000
- We set the target goal for Players 1 and 2 to be ₹10. The progression numbers in their sequence are 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 1, 1.
- Player 3 and Player 4 had a target goal of ₹15. The numbers in their progression sequence were 1, 3, 4, 4, 3.
- They would all bet exclusively on even-money bets and follow the strategy.
- The winning odds for all players are 48.60%, and the odds of losing are 51.40% in each spin.
This is how Player 1 performed.
Player 1’s chart shows that they were lucky and never had any issues for the entirety of the 500 spins. They completed 46 cycles, and the maximum bet they had to wager at some point was ₹46. They ended the 500 spins with a profit of ₹474.
This is what happened to Player 2:
As you can see. Player 2 had more fluctuations than Player 1. They completed 36 cycles but had to wager ₹199 at one point. In the end, they completed the session with a profit.
This is how Player 3 performed:
The target for Players 3 and 4 is ₹15, so this meant larger fluctuations. Yet, Player 3 managed to play 56 cycles in total, and the largest amount they had to wager at one point was only ₹41.
Let’s see what happened to Player 4.
Like Player 2, Player 4 had one big swing in which they needed to wager ₹160. They had two losing streaks, but managed to recover from both and finish in profit. Since the target amount was bigger, Player 4 also made a decent profit.
Pitfalls of the Labouchere Strategy
Our strategy simulations showed that the Labouchere system has the potential to work, but it comes with several drawbacks. To point out the first drawback, we will compare the results of Player 3 and 4. Both of them had a target amount of ₹15. Yet, their runs were very different. This is the number sequence that Player 3 had to follow at one point:
- 4,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,13,17,21
- 4,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,13,17,21,25
- 4,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,13,17,21,25,29
- 4,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,13,17,21,25,29,33
- 4,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,13,17,21,25,29,33,37
Now let’s check out the number sequence that Player 4 had to follow when their biggest bet happened.
- 16,24,36,48,64
- 16,24,36,48,64,80
- 16,24,36,48,64,80,96
- 16,24,36,48,64,80,96,112
- 16,24,36,48,64,80,96,112,128
Player 4 had to make much bigger bets than Player 3. This means that they needed to invest a larger portion of their bankroll. Theoretically, this can be a problem if a long losing session occurs. You may run out of money, or reach the table limits.
Despite this drawback, our simulations showed that the Labouchere strategy is a low-risk system. Long losing streaks may be potentially dangerous, but the maximum bet size we saw across all players was ₹199. The Labouchere is a slower-paced strategy than the Martingale, which makes it safer in the long run. However, you do need to write down the numbers on the list yourself and cross them off after each win. Writing down, crossing off, and adding numbers can be timely, so this is not a good strategy if you’re playing at roulette tables where the bet time is limited.
Conclusion
Setting consistent and attainable goals is crucial for long-term success in online roulette. Many professional players agree on that, and that’s what makes the Labouchere a viable strategy. Based on our simulations, the system performs very well. All 4 players in our simulations finished the 500 spins with a profit, which isn’t the case with the majority of strategies.
However, the Labouchere system isn’t without its risks. A long losing streak may drain your bankroll, which is why we suggest starting with a larger bankroll.
It’s also a slow-paced strategy that aims to bring you small wins after several spins. It’s up to you to set the target amount and the goal for each cycle, so you need to be aware that the lower the target amount, the lower the risk.
