In-depth Roulette Strategies using D’Alembert System

Neha
January 10, 2021
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Roulette Strategies using D’Alembert System

Have you ever thought of applying D’Alembert strategy while playing Roulette? If you haven’t, then, it’s still not too late. It is one of the safest and simplest betting systems in gambling.

D’Alembert Strategy is a negative progression, which is very popular among roulette players. It’s applied to all even-money bets in roulette, however, it works perfectly for other casino games with any type of even-odd bets too. 

With this trick, you raise your bet amount every time you lose, but after winning, you decrease it. You’ll get a better picture of this strategy as you read through my blog. 

So, let’s get started. 

What is the D’Alembert Betting System?

In the 18th century, the French mathematician and philosopher Jean Le Rond D’Alembert took the Great Martingale and the Martingale system as a foundation to devise a simpler and safer betting system for gamblers. 

The new and improved strategy was called the D’Alembert Betting System.

Like its parent strategy, the D’Alembert system is a negative progressive betting system. It follows the Martingale system in popularity worldwide. No surprise there. The strategy works best when used on even-money wagers and short term bets. 

It requires you to set a base stake during the entire course of the game. You can call it the backbone of your strategy. After that, you’ll have to increase your stake after a losing bet, and decrease it once a win occurs. The stakes are lower than the Martingale strategy and therefore, increase more slowly, making it less likely for you to experience a huge loss.

How does the D’Alembert System Work?

The D’Alembert is an even-chance betting system. So, it is only suited to outside bets. 

  • All you need to do is choose a starting bet, then increase your bet by 1 unit after a loss, and decrease it by 1 after a win. 
  • This strategy relies on the concept of balance, which suggests that, in a game of chance, the losses and wins will eventually balance out. 
  • Once the number of your wins and losses are the same, you’ll earn a profit equal to the amount of bets you’ve placed.

D’Alembert was a genius mathematician. So, of course, the logic behind this strategy can be explained mathematically. Let’s go through a quick example starting with a bet of 2:

  • Bet 2 and lose
  • Bet 3 and lose
  • Bet 4 and win
  • Bet 3 and lose
  • Bet 4 and win
  • Bet 3 and win
  • Bet 2 and lose
  • Bet 3 and win

The maths for the above sequence is as follows: 

0 – 2 – 3 + 4 – 3 + 4 + 3 – 2 + 3 = 4

In the sequence, 4 losses and 4 wins occurred. Ideally, you’re supposed to have the same amount of money you started with and no profit at all. 

However, you are now in profit by 4. This is the logic and “golden rule” of the D’Alembert betting system – If the number of wins is the same as the number of losses, you will always be in profit by the number of bets.

The odds of winning an even-chance bet is almost 50%. Because of this probability, when you apply the D’Alembert betting system, you’re bound to have a win after a couple of losses. A long losing streak should be followed by a long winning streak.

D’Alembert System: Which Casino Games can it be Applied?

Just like the Martingale system, the D’Alembert Betting System was coined specifically for Roulette. Because it’s a binary betting strategy that can be used when playing any game, which only has 2 outcomes. You can see why Roulette is the perfect application, especially with its Red or Black betting system.

You can use the D’Alembert Betting System whilst playing other casino games such as Craps, Blackjack, or Baccarat, that offer even-bets. 

The fundamental principle remains the same no matter what the game is. This means that, when applying the D’Alembert Betting System to any game, you should still increase your bets when you lose and decrease them when you win.

Roulette Strategies using D’Alembert System

Example of How the D’Alembert System works for Roulette

The general concept of the D’Alembert strategy is easy to comprehend. Still, let’s take a look at a practical example of its application in a short game of Roulette. 

  • The first thing to do is decide your base stake, which will mean a single unit. You place a bet of ₹10 on Black to get things started. 
  • If the ball lands on Red instead of black after the first spin, it means you lost the bet and will now have to increase your bet to 2 units in the next round. So now, you’re betting with ₹20. 
  • You can now place your bet on Red instead of Black this time. However, it won’t make a difference since you’re using the D’Alembert strategy. 
  • You proceed to bet on Red instead. But lose again. In such a situation, you’ll be required to increase your bet by 1 unit again, making it ₹30 for the next round. 
  • For the 3rd round, your gut tells you to go back to Black, so you place your ₹30 bet. Finally! You win this round. This means that, for the next round, you have to reduce your current stake of ₹30 to ₹20. 
  • If a ₹20 bet is placed on Black in round 4 and you generate another win, you’ll be required to decrease your stake to ₹10 for the 5th round. At this point, you’re back to your base stake.
  • If you experience a loss in the 5th round, you’ll have to double up your stake again. You will have to keep this process up until you’ve recovered your losses and made a profit. 

Note that this is not a sure shot strategy.
Depending on your bankroll and Lady Luck herself, you may end up walking away with a loss. However, compared to the Martingale system, the loss shouldn’t hurt your bankroll too much.

Understanding the Rules of the D’Alembert System

As you can see, the D’Alembert System is unbelievably easy to learn and apply. All you need to do is follow the simple rules I’ve outlined below:

  • Determine your betting unit (equivalent to your base stake).
  • Place your bet on your preferred condition.
  • If you win, stick to the same unit for the next round.
  • But if you lose, add another unit to your bet. 
  • If you win again, decrease a unit, with 1 unit being the minimum amount you can bet.
  • Keep increasing and decreasing your units accordingly, until you’re satisfied with your win, or it is clear that you need to accept your losses.

The first step requires you to determine your betting unit which can be a chip or real money, depending on the rules of the game. The amount can be as little or as much as you wish, but don’t forget that the game could go on for several rounds and you might end up wagering a lot per round if you experience consecutive losses. 

It is therefore wise to ensure that the value of your starting unit does not exceed 1% of your total funds or bankroll. According to experts, the safest amount to bet is either 0.50% or 0.33%.

Let’s say that the game requires you to bet with chips and one chip is equal to 1 unit. You will start by placing one chip on the outside bet of your choice (any bet with even odds). 

If you win, you’ll be required to place another single chip on your bet. Keep up with your 1 unit bets until you experience a loss. After this, you’ll be required to increase your bets by one chip. Again, keep this up until you experience another win. Once this occurs, you can decrease your chips by 1 unit for the next round.

By following this principle, even if you experience a long streak of losses, once the winning coup starts, you will eventually return to your initial wager. 

By the time this happens, you would have gained back one chip for every chip you raised. If you like, you can continue betting 1 unit and try making a profit with consecutive wins.

In summary, the D’Alembert strategy has a progression that follows single betting increments. This provides you with the opportunity to recoup your losses on each turn, while risking few chips or very little money, by sticking to low bets (1 unit each). 

D’Alembert Strategy for Roulette

The D’Alembert strategy was tailor-made for Roulette. This is because Roulette offers even-outside bets which include:

  • Red or Black
  • Even or odd, and 
  • low (1-18) or high (19-36)

Note:
All of these will have close to 50:50 odds. 

This Roulette strategy is also known as the pyramid strategy because it rests on the idea that the wins and losses will always balance out in the long run. So basically, a long streak of red can only be temporary. 

Eventually, it will be accompanied by a long streak of black and the frequency will even out. 

It is easy for beginners to find comfort and reassurance in this equilibrium concept, however, this should not be the case. 

You shouldn’t let your guard down when using the D’Alembert betting system. Seasoned roulette players understand that, even though the concept makes sense, it is still not based on actual facts. Your win is not guaranteed.

Still, this strategy has proven to be quite helpful in roulette, especially since it significantly reduces the risk of you leaving the table with a dried out bankroll. Even though an overall win is not guaranteed, you can use this system to successfully regain most or all of the money you lost. 

Note:
This system won’t pay you well unless you increase the stakes or have a large bankroll which would increase the chances of you scoring a huge profit.

Another thing about this roulette strategy is that the number of wins generated does not have to be more than the number of losing ones in order to gain a profit. However, long losing streaks could result in major losses which would only be recuperated with several huge wins.

Let’s take a look at a scenario where you played a game of roulette and experienced more losses than wins but still made a profit. But before that, let’s go over the rules of the D’Alembert strategy once more:

  • Set your base stake (let’s make it ₹10)
  • Add another unit (₹10) to your bet each time you lose
  • Reduce your bet by ₹10 each time you win
  • If you keep winning, continue betting ₹10. You can’t go lower than that.

So, in this example, you bet ₹10 on Red but lose. You raise your bet by ₹10 for the next round and, luckily, you win. The rest of the game progresses in this manner:

Spin Bet Outcome Payout Profit
1 ₹10 Lose ₹0 -₹10
2 ₹20 Win ₹40 ₹10
3 ₹10 Lose ₹0 ₹0
4 ₹20 Win ₹40 ₹20
5 ₹10 Lose ₹0 ₹10
6 ₹20 Lose ₹0 -₹10
7 ₹30 Win ₹60 ₹20
8 ₹20 Lose ₹0 ₹0
9 ₹30 Lose ₹0 -₹30
10 ₹40 Win ₹80 ₹10
11 ₹30 Win ₹60 ₹20

  • Total Bet Amount: ₹240
  • Total Payout: ₹280
  • Net Profit: ₹40

As you can see, you experienced 6 losses and 5 wins but still managed to not only recoup your losses but also score a profit of ₹40. To get even more profit, you will have to secure several consecutive wins. 

One thing is clear, The D’Alembert strategy works for roulette. However, like most progressive betting systems, the strategy is not full-proof. It also won’t pay you well unless you play the game for a long period of time. Note that, although longer sessions are more profitable, they are also riskier. 

Advantages & Disadvantages of the D’Alembert Strategy

Nothing in life is perfect. So, the D’Alembert strategy is no different. Like other betting systems, it has its advantages as well as disadvantages. 

Advantages of the D’Alembert Betting System

1. It is fairly easy to understand and learn

The D’Alembert strategy is easy to understand and master. Although it offers a logical way of playing, it does not involve complex steps or calculations. 

All you need to do is increase or decrease the amount of your bet by 1 unit, depending on the outcome of each turn. Because of its simplicity, it won’t raise any flags and call the attention of the security staff or surveillance team.

2. It is safer than the Martingale system

Unlike its parent strategy, the Martingale system, the D’Alembert system of betting has safer progressions. They aren’t as steep and so, the risk of you losing a lot of money is reduced considerably. Instead of doubling your wager each time you lose, you’re only required to add 1 unit to it.  

For instance, if you start with a ₹5 bet following the Martingale system and you experience three successive losses, the progression would look like this: ₹5, ₹10, ₹20. Whereas, following the D’Alembert strategy, the progression would be: ₹5, ₹6, ₹7. 

You can see that the increments are much smaller, hence, you’re unlikely to go over the table limits and can, therefore, enjoy the game for a long time. 

3. You have a better chance at recouping your losses

Because of the small increments and slower progression, it is easier to recoup your losses. Since you’re not betting at an alarming rate, you lose way less money and you’ll be able to make back those losses in no time, provided you eventually get lucky.

4. You don’t need a large bankroll

Only a relatively low amount of money is needed when using the D’Alembert betting system. This is because of the safe linear progression it offers. You can play for an extended period without the fear of losing your bankroll or going over the table limit. However, if you continue to have losing streaks, the table limit can bite you.

5. Great for short term bets

The D’Alembert strategy is perfect for snappy rounds. With a large bankroll, you can play to your heart’s content and generate some profit. It is the best strategy for inexperienced players as it helps limit the losses, making it easier and faster to score a nice profit. 

6. The game becomes more interesting

Of course, applying a structured way of betting makes the game fun and engaging. You can use the strategy to test your luck.

Disadvantages of the D’Alembert Betting System

1. It has no effect on the chances of win/loss

Applying the D’Alembert strategy will have no effect whatsoever on the odds of the game you’re playing. The odds are still entirely up to luck. If you’re playing Roulette, the advantage the house has will be 5.25%. So if you’re looking for a strategy that will turn the tide, this is not it.

2. The profit is usually low

The D’Alembert betting system is a low-risk system. It requires you to choose a safe amount of money to bet and then to continue increasing or decreasing it by 1 unit. Because of this, the potential winnings are usually low. It is a typical low-risk/low reward scenario. 

If you want to generate a decent profit, you will need a lot more wins than losses. This may be a struggle or take a turn for the worse. 

3. You may still encounter a losing streak

Don’t get the wrong idea. This system only reduces the amount of your losses and does not guarantee that you won’t encounter a losing streak. 

Ultimately, Roulette is a game of chance and so, long losing streaks are still very much possible. Once this happens, you can only be saved by an equal or longer winning run.

4. The table limit can affect you

If you start the game with a large wager and end up losing multiple times, the table limit will start to close in on you. Even if you start with a safe amount, your stake can surpass the table limit. The more losses you have, the closer you get to the going over the table limit. This is why it is important to always start with a small base stake.

Reverse D’Alembert System

Like the Martingale and other betting systems, the D’Alembert Roulette Strategy has a reverse version too. The standard D’Alembert requires you to wager on any even-chance bets, increasing your bets by 1 unit after a loss and then decrease them by 1 unit after a win. 

By following this principle, once you have as many wins as losses, your profit will be equal to the number of winning bets. It is a simple strategy, but like all roulette strategies, it is flawed.

As the name implies, the Reverse D’Alembert System requires you to do the exact opposite. It has a positive progressive nature. This means that you raise your bets by 1 unit after each win and decline them by 1 unit after a loss.

Here are the rules:

  • You have to decide on a betting unit or profit target for each round – for example, 10 chips.
  • Let each chip represent 1 unit.
  • Place your 1st bet.
  • Increase your bet by one unit when you win.
  • Decrease your bet by one unit when you lose.
  • When you have the same number of wins and losses, or perhaps, once you’ve reached your predefined profit target, reset the progression.
  • Start betting again with a small amount 
  • Repeat the steps until you’re satisfied or done with the game.

The goal is to increase your bets as you win so that you can take advantage of your winning streaks. 

Unlike the standard D’Alembert betting strategy, if you have as many wins as losses when applying the reverse D’Alembert, it will result in a loss. The only way to win is to have more wins. You’ll see this in the following example.

You’re up for a game of roulette and your starting bet is 2. This is how it plays out: 

  • Bet 2 and win
  • Bet 3 and win
  • Bet 4 and lose
  • Bet 3 and lose
  • Bet 2 and lose
  • Bet 1 and win
  • Bet 2 and win
  • Bet 3 and lose

The math for the above sequence is: 

2 + 3 – 4 – 3 – 2 + 1 + 2 – 3 = -4

As you can see, even though you had as many wins as losses, you ended up with a net loss of 4. The result is still equal to the number of bets you won (and lost), however, it is a loss instead of a profit.

This proves that the reverse D’Alembert is only profitable when you have means that when you have more wins. See this in the second example, starting with a bet of 2 units:

  • Bet 2 and win
  • Bet 3 and win
  • Bet 4 and win
  • Bet 5 and lose
  • Bet 4 and win
  • Bet 5 and win
  • Bet 6 and lose
  • Bet 5 and win
  • Bet 6 and win

The math for the above sequence is: 

2 + 3 + 4 – 5 + 4 + 5 – 6 + 5 + 6 = 18

Because you had more wins (7:2) you earned a net profit of 18. While this is a good win, you need to remember that results like this can only be gotten when you have A LOT more wins than losses. 

This means you’ll need luck on your side and also a huge bankroll in order to play for a longer period of time. With a simple and tempting strategy like this (you’re maximizing your wins instead of your losses), it is easy to get greedy and want to keep going. 

This could backfire and leave you with a negative balance. It is important that you assess your stake in the game and know when to call it quits! 

Advantages of the Reverse D’Alembert

  • The rules are simple and straightforward. 
  • The strategy is easy to implement.
  • The betting sequence is easy to memorize
  • When you experience a winning streak, you win BIG
  • You lose only a small amount of money when you’re on a losing streak

Disadvantages of the Reverse D’Alembert

  • It is not always profitable
  • The strategy does not affect the odds of the game
  • You need a lot more wins than losses if you want favourable results

Overall, the Reverse D’Alembert betting system is a fine strategy for roulette and other even-chance games. Like the normal D’Alembert strategy, it has its flaws. Compare both strategies again and weigh the pros and cons. Once you’ve made your decision, cross those fingers and bet away!

Conclusion

Well, there you have it. That’s all there is to know about the D’Alembert betting system and its variation. The strategy itself is pretty easy to understand and follow. 

But don’t forget that it does not guarantee your win. Also, it is better suited for short term plays and outside bets on Roulette. Feel free to try it out at one of the top-rated online casinos.

Author Neha

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