The D’Alembert strategy is one of the most popular betting systems, probably the second most popular after the Martingale system. It is also a negative progression since it involves increasing the stakes after losing a bet. But, this strategy also requires decreasing the stakes after winning.
The strategy was named after the French mathematician Jean le Rond d’Alembert. He started using it claiming that if a coin which has previously landed on Tails is more likely to land on Heads in the future. This belief is called gambler’s fallacy.
Gambler’s fallacy or Monte Carlo fallacy is the incorrect assumption that if an outcome happens more often over a period of time, then it is less likely to happen in the future. This is for sure not true, as the chances remain exactly the same because it is not something you can predict. Simply, the outcome is completely random and you can’t manipulate it. Like for the coin toss, for example. There are two possible outcomes, heads or tails, and both have an equal chance of happening.
In any case, this strategy became one of the most used systems in many games, especially roulette.
How does it work?
Similar to the martingale system, the D’Alembert Strategy works on even odds bets, with 50/50 chance of happening. The strategy requires you to increase the stake every time you lose, which is why is considered to be a negative progression system. But, unlike the Martingale system, where you need to double the bet when you lose, with the D’Alembert strategy you increase the bet by one unit when you lose. Then, every time you win, you decrease the bet by one unit.
This strategy is considered as one of the safest gambling systems. The stakes are increased more slowly, so it is unlikely for the stakes to get very high. This is a good thing because the chances to hit the table limit or “go bankrupt” so quickly are pretty slim. On the other hand, losses are recovered more slowly, so the chances of making some big profit are also minimal.
D’Alembert Strategy in Roulette
The D’Alembert strategy was primarily used for roulette. Nowadays it is used for many games, but still, it is considered as a roulette strategy. As it can only be used on even odds bets, if you are using this strategy in roulette you have three betting options. You can bet on colour (red/black); bet on even/odd or bet on high/low.
First thing you need to do is to set your base unit. The base unit is your initial bet, the unit that you will be increasing and decreasing. Then, you start with one base unit bet, on one of the above-mentioned options. Depending on the outcome, you increase the bet by one unit if you lose the bet or decrease it if you win. Actually, if you win the first bet you make you can’t decrease the base unit, but keep the same.
For example, you set a base unit of €5 and bet on red. The ball lands on black, and you lose the bet. Your second bet would be €10 and you lose again. At this point you’ve lost €15 in total. Since you lost the second bet, your third bet would be €15 and you win. Now, you have €15 in winnings and €15 loss. According to the D’Alembert strategy, after a win you decrease the bet by one unit. So, your next bet would be €10. Practically, you use €10 of the winnings from the previous round, and keep €5 as profit.
It is pretty simple strategy, that can limit your losses, but you also can’t make a lot of profit. Plus, the most important thing that decreases your chance of winning is the house edge. The house edge in European roulette is 2.7027% and 5.2632% in the American roulette, due to the double zero.
Advantages of the D’Alembert Strategy
The D’Alembert Strategy is pretty simple and easy to use in any casino games. You don’t need prior knowledge or much experience with strategies. You just need to know the game, and you can use this simple strategy.
As the losses happen gradually, the chances of losing everything suddenly, or hitting the table limit after a few rounds is close to impossible. Yes, you can have many lost rounds, but the amount lost will be pretty low.
Also, you don’t need a lot of money to start with this strategy, as the nature of the progression keeps you safe.
Another good thing is that the strategy adds some discipline to your betting. It prevents you from making sudden, risky bets, just because your gut tells you to. The D’Alembert strategy keeps players from losing control of the game when they hit a number of losing streaks.
Disadvantages of the D’Alembert Strategy
There are no certainties when using the D’Alembert strategy or any strategy on games of chance.
First, the most important disadvantage is that the house always has an advantage. That advantage is called the house edge and decreases your chances to win. The D’Alembert strategy can’t do anything to reduce the house edge, just takes advantage of the winning streaks.
The strategy is a low-risk one, you bet small amounts, and you win small amounts. This is why you can’t expect to make much profit. It can also be difficult to win back all your losses if you’ve hit a long losing streak.
D’Alembert Strategy Variations
Bet Progression Modifications
Since the strategy first was introduced, many modifications appeared over the years. But, none of those modifications was so popular in order to actually become a strategy. Still, we are mentioning them so you decide for yourself whether it is something you would be interested in.
One modification is to adjust the stakes, instead of one base unit, to increase and decrease the bets by two or more units. This is much riskier as you can lose a lot, but you can also win a lot.
Another modification is to set a stake level at which you stop increasing the stakes and go back to the base unit and restart the progression. That way, it is less risky for you to run out of money quickly.
Combination of the D’Alembert strategy and the Martingale strategy was also used. You keep the negative progression from the D’Alembert system, increase by one base unit after every loss. When it comes to wins, you follow the Martingale Strategy. You go back to the base unit and restart the progression after every win.
Reverse D’Alembert
Most of the strategies have some reverse version, which is also the case with the D’Alembert. The Reverse D’Alembert strategy is a positive progression strategy, as opposed to the negative one. With the reverse D’Alembert strategy, you increase your bet by one after a win and decrease the bet by one after a loss. So, the reverse D’Alembert strategy is only profitable when you’re on a winning run.
For example, if your base unit is €5 and you win the first bet, you have €5 profit and increase the bet by €10. You win the second bet, and you have a profit of €15 in total (€5 from the first bet and €10 from the second one). Now, you increase again and make the third bet of €15, and win again. At this point, you have a profit of €30.
Next bet is €20, but you lose, so you’re left with €10 profit and if you lose the next bet again, you’ll already be in minus.
Recommended Casinos
Now that you have learned how to apply this easy strategy, there are few casinos that we recommend you to start practising the strategy.
Betwinner Casino – offers over 100 different roulette games, perfect for beginners to be able to choose the one they like to practice the strategy. Get Betwinner casino bonus code HERE.
William Hill Casino – has a variety of live casino roulette tables, which would be perfect for using a strategy and score a big win.
King Billy Casino – maybe is a smaller casino, but for sure is on the rise. That is due to the amazing games selection they offer, including many quality roulette games
