Mastering the D’Alembert Roulette Betting System

How the D’Alembert Betting System Works

The D’Alembert betting system really is very simple, especially compared so some other betting systems such as Labouchere. If you are familiar with the Martingale system, then it will take you very little time to understand. However, there is one big difference between the two. When using the D’Alembert, the size of the bets increase much more gradually, making it far less risky.

As with most Roulette betting systems, the D’Alembert can be used with even money bets, those that have close to a 50% chance of winning. These include Red/Black, Even/Odd, and 1-18/19-36.

The first thing you need to do is set your betting unit, this can be a chip value or a certain amount of money. It can be large or small, but it is always best to start small as you may end up having to bet numerous units at once. In general, most people would say that a unit should never be more than 1% of your total funds and many believe that it should be 0.50% or 0.33%.

The D’Alembert is a negative progression betting system, meaning that you will be increasing the size of your bets after a loss and decreasing after a win. You begin with one unit and then add one unit after a loss and remove one unit after a win. The idea is that when you have the same number of wins and losses, you will be in profit.

In the table below, you can see an example of ten rounds using the D’Alembert system.

In the above example, there were five wins and five losses, but you still come out with a profit of 2 units.

Advantages of the D’Alembert System

Many consider the D’Alembert betting system to be one of the safest. It can be used with any game that offers even money bets (roulette, baccarat, blackjack, craps…) and it does not require you to have a huge bankroll. Furthermore, due to the way that the progression works, you are highly unlikely to hit the table’s upper betting limit, which is a real risk with other betting strategies. While the chance of hitting a long losing streak cannot be discounted entirely, it is hard to reach extremely large bets when using the D’Alembert sensibly.

Another major advantage of the D’Alembert system is that it is really easy to learn and use. If you choose a betting unit such as €1 then you will have no problems adding and subtracting a unit as necessary and there will be no need to write anything down. Even using other figures, such as €5, is very easy to use.

Disadvantages of the D’Alembert System

One big advantage of the D’Alembert system is that it is relatively low-risk. However, this also means that you cannot make a huge amount of money when using it. You are betting small amounts and will therefore be winning small amounts. However, assuming that you are playing for the love of the game rather than in pursuit of great riches, this should not really be a problem.

When using the system you will most likely be aiming for the same number of wins and losses. However, no matter what system you use, the house will always have an edge. Due to the presence of 0 on the wheel (and 00 in American Roulette), the even number bets do not really have a 50/50 chance of winning. If the ball lands on 0, then none of them will win. As such, in the long-term, the house will win. Furthermore, while it may be very remote, there is still a chance of hitting an extremely long losing streak.

The final disadvantage can be applied to many betting systems. It only works with even money bets, which some players will find too limiting. Roulette has a huge number of bets on offer and if you want to explore the inside bets, then you will need to find a different system.

Variations on the D’Alembert

As mentioned at the start, the D’Alembert system is few hundred years old. Since it was first created, a number of variations of the system have appeared. As the basic system is so simple, it is not hard to start making small adjustments and tweaking it to certain scenarios.

For instance, you could decide to adjust the way in which the betting progression works. Some people choose to return to their original bet size after a win rather than just remove one betting unit. This results in extremely small losses, and they are compensated for by the winnings. However, once you take the house edge consideration, you will end up with a small loss. On the other hand, in the long-term the house will always have an advantage, and playing in this manner does not make it any bigger.

Another option is to reverse the betting strategy. In fact, nearly all roulette betting systems have reverse versions. It works exactly the same as the original, but with the progression reversed. This means that you increase your bet after a win and decrease it after a loss. In the table below, you can see the same example as above but played with the Reverse D’Alembert.

It is immediately obvious that the results are not as favourable when using the Reverse D’Alembert. However, the reverse system can be used with an even smaller bankroll than the regular system. Furthermore, if you hit a bit losing streak, you will not need to bet a huge amount to recover from it.

To Conclude

There is no doubt that the D’Alembert system is easy to use and low risk. You can master it in no time at all and it should help you keep your bankroll relatively even and allow you to play for long periods. On the other hand, it is limited to even money bets and it won’t make you rich. Overall though, it is a great place to start, especially if you are new to betting systems, and it certainly can’t hurt to give it a try.