The D’Alembert Strategy
As with most Roulette style systems, the D’Alembert Strategy is based closely on the negative progression principles that are also used in the Martingale strategy. However, there is much less chance of risking your entire chip stack in just a few hands, and you are unlikely to reach the table limit; something that is an obvious pitfall to the Martingale strategy for those with short stacks.
By the end of this guide, you will:
- Know the features of the D’Alembertsystem
- Learn how to use theD’Alembert system
- Follow a demonstration of the D’Alembertstrategy in action
Why should I use theLabouchère Strategy?
Table of Contents
Roulette’s D’Alembert system derives from the negative progression involved with the Martingale strategy. Hence, by nature, it is an easy system to master where the rules are simple and implementation effortless.
It is also the perfect solution for Roulette players that would rather avoid the risk of burning through their cash or risk hitting the table’s maximum bet early on; a huge flaw in the Martingale System.
Features of the D’Alembert Strategy:
- A low increase in the next stake after lost bet
- It is an easy strategy to implement
- It’s low losing-bet increments helps preserve your chips
- Extremely unlikely you will risk hitting the table’s max bet
As you might have already guessed, this strategy was designed to reduce the risks that come with doubling your stake after a loss. Therefore, you should certainly consider playing this strategy if you are new to Roulette, play on high stakes tables, or as a side bet to other inside bets being placed.
About the D’Alembert Strategy
Jean le Rondd’Alembertis responsible for the introduction of Roulette’s well-known D’Alembert System. He was a Roulette theorist born and raised backin the 18th century! This just goes to show how far back the history of Roulette stretches!
Back in those day d’Alembert was looking for a way to quell the risks that were associated with the Martingale strategy, and so he came up with the d’Alembert strategy.
Pros to the d’Alembert Strategy:
- No need to double your bet – small +1 increases
- Low risk of hitting the table’s betting limit
- Very easy strategy to learn and implement
Cons to the d’Alembert Strategy:
- A single win may not recoup all your losses
- It is difficult to come back from a long losing run
- Profits are not as substantial as other strategies
Despite one of the main cons with the d’Alembert Strategy being the low winning amounts, some players still prefer it. Some Roulette players will increase the amount they use for their starting bet when playing the d’Alembert Strategy.
With the bet amount higher, the sums of cash won can be substantial, despite those wins in terms of percentage versus ROI being low.
Last of all, having downswings that may be hard to recover from will eventually even out. This strategy will also give you some good winning streaks; while, those losing streaks are always softened by the lower more patient betting patterns encouraged with the d’Alembert Strategy.
Features of the d’Alembert Strategy
As with a large number of Roulette strategies, they tend to rely on the even odds outside bets. These are the Odd/Even, Colour, and High/Low bets found on the edge of the Roulette board.
US Roulette Versus European Roulette Tables
On a US style Roulette table, with the ‘0’ and ‘00’, there is a 18/38 (47.37%) chance of winning on each spin. On the other hand, on the European Roulette table, with only a ‘0’, there is a 18/37 (48.65%) chance of winning an even odd outside bet.
Because of this, the d’Alembert Strategy is much more effective on a European Roulette table. Therefore, you should try to avoid US Roulette tables with ‘0’ and ’00’ on them.
How even odds bets pay
The pay-out system for the 3 even odds outside bets is very simple. You bet 1 and win 2 back on a winning coup (spin) making a profit of 1. The profit is 1 because when you win, your original bet of 1 is paid back + 1 more chip is won on top as a reward for winning = 2 chips back.
On the other hand, if you lose, then your bet is wiped out and collected by the house. Pretty simple!
Key Features:
- When you win, you subtract 1 chip from your bet
- When you lose, you only add 1 chip to your next bet
- Always stick to the same outside bet for each progression
- A progression can be until you break even or make a profit
So far after weighing up all the facts and features of this system, it is basically the Martingale system in disguise. The only major difference is that there is a much lower chance of experiencing substantial losses.
Do I need to be a pro to use this strategy?
Despite this strategy needing a couple of practice runs before getting familiar with it, it is in fact very easy and simple to get to grips with.
Most notably, when compared to systems like the LabouchèreStrategy, there is much less thought needed to keep track of the inner workings involved with the d’Alembert system. Therefore, this is also a great system for beginners.
In fact, this is arguably the best system to play for beginners. It is as easy to master as the Martingale and Paroli strategies, but you will not stand the risk of losing large amounts of cash. Let’s be honest, there is nothing more annoying or off putting than a heavy loss for those just starting to learn to play Roulette.
We would advise that you start with the d’Alembert system if you:
- Are just starting to learn roulette
- Have a low casino balance
Honestly, there is no better system out there for newbies for these 2 reasons alone. As for more seasoned Roulette players, you may get bored of this strategy due to its low return; however, experienced players may like this system as a side bet or as a stepping stone to higher stakes tables.
How to Use the d’Alembert Strategy
Now we will explain how you can use the d’Alembert’s method and apply it to a session of Roulette using a systematic guide for you to follow.
STEP 1: Decide on how much your minimum stake is
If you decide on £5 as the starting stake, then this is the increment your bets will increase and decrease depending on whether you win or lose the bet on each coup.
STEP 2:Start with your 1-unit bet, which in this example 1 unit = £5
Each bet will require you to subtract 1 unit (£5) if you win or add 1 unit (£5) to your bet if you lose.
STEP 3:Increase your stake by unit if you lose
If the first spin is a loss, then you need to add 1 unit (£5) to your original bet. That is to say £5 + £5 = £10 (2 units) for your next bet.
STEP 4: Continue to increase your stake by 1 unit after each loss
If you lose the next bet, then you will need to increase the previous bet by 1 unit once more. In this case the last bet was £10 (2 units) because you lost the initial bet. Therefore, a second loss means adding another £5 (1 unit). This is £10 + £5 = £15 for your next bet. Each loss requires this 1 unit or £5 increase.
STEP 5: When you win, decrease the bet by 1 unit or £5
Now continuing from the previous example, let’s say you win the next coup. As a result of this win, you will need to subtract £5 or 1 unit from your last bet. As the previous wager was £15, that would mean the next bet is reduced back to £10.
What happens if I win the first bet?
This is a good point and not many strategy articles explain this. Obviously, you would not subtract 1 unit because you would be left with 0 to bet with. So instead you just continue to bet 1 unit each time you win, until at such point you lose, and you can then increase your bet as per Steps 1 – 4.
Is the d’Alembert Strategy Going to Help Me Win?
Nearly all Roulette systems are there to minimise your losses and maximise your playing time at the Roulette table. There is never a guarantee of winning in any system. Even Blackjack’s optimal strategy is not a sure-fire way of winning, and instead it is designed to reduce the house’s edge.
In short, the d’Alembert Strategy is there to help you, as a Roulette player, reduce your risk. Unlike Blackjack, there is no optimal strategy as such. The idea is to play Roulette without betting blindly i.e. making strategic bets that mathematically make sense.
If you are betting using d’Alembert Strategy, you are not switching bets after each coup. You will stick to your guns; for example, if you start with betting on EVEN, then you will only bet on EVEN for most of the session. As soon as you start swapping your bets to RED or HIGH, this is when probability can work against you.
That being said, you may decide to swap your bet once you have started to make a profit. You would then start a new progression. However, you would then stick to that bet for several coups before switching the bet to a new option. If you keep on changing your bets from coup to coup, then you are guaranteeing the house’s edge.
Players that also wager Roulette’s Inside Bets
Many players that play both the inside and outside bets on a Roulette table will suddenly employ the d’Alembert. This may seem like a random chance for them to bet on an outside bet, and it is usually instigated because red seems to have landed far too often.
As with many real money players, seeing that red come in 4 or 5 times a row will instantly trigger a wager on black. However, red comes in again.
Rather than bet the same amount again, they will employ the d’Alembert strategy because they know that the percentages of the ball landing on the same colour again are being reduced; therefore, the percentage chance of a win is increasing.
In a nutshell, the d’Alembert strategy will be employed to limit the chances of a lost bet and increase the chances of either breaking even, turning a profit or reducing their loss on this sudden flutter on the outside bets.
The d’Alembert Strategy in Action!
Now you are familiar with all the ins and outs involved with the d’Alembert method. We will now give you a scenario of someone casino betting and using this system.
Here are the prerequisites for the table you will be playing at:
- Minimum Chip Denomination – £00
- Minimum Inside Bet – £00
- Minimum Outside Bet – £00
- Maximum Inside Bet – £00
- Maximum Outside Bet – £00
This is just an example of what you may see when you sit at a Roulette table. Each table’s min/max bets stipulations are different from one another.
Here is what you decide as your unit bet:
- Per unit: £10
- Chip Stack: £200
- Betting on: Odd
You walk into the casino and look at the history board. There have been a lot of even numbers coming up over the last few coups. You pick odd as your lucky outside bet.
Spin 1: You lay down your £10 bet
It comes up as a win. Great work. You are now paid £20 showing a £10 profit immediately. If only every game began in this way!
- Bet Amount: £10
- Balance: £210
Spin 2: You stick to your £10 bet thanks to spin 1’s win
The next coup does not land your favour. The £10 bet is lost and you start to plan for your next bet.
- Bet Amount: £10
- Balance: £200
Spin 3:You increase the bet by 1-unit (£10) because of the previous coup’s loss so now it is £10 + £10 making a total wager of £20 for spin 3.
Again, the coup lands in the favour of the casino and you swallow up another loss. You prepare for your next bet.
- Bet Amount: £20
- Balance: £180
Spin 4:You increase the bet once again by 1-unit (£10). £20 + £10 making a total wager of £30 for spin 4 due to 2 losses in a row.
The fourth coup also ends up paying out the house working against you and your chipstack. However, you know you are suing a safe strategy and that the tide will turn in your favour eventually.
- Bet Amount: £30
- Balance: £150
Spin 5:You increase the bet once again by 1-unit (£10). £30 + £10 making a total wager of £40 on spin number 5.
Finally, the odds make sense and “Odd” spins in for the first time since spin 1. You collect your winnings, which totals £80 because you have been increasing your bets incrementally.
- Bet Amount: £40
- Balance: £190
Spin 6:You decrease the bet by 1-unit (£10). £40-£10 making a total wager of £30 on coup number 6.
Yet again the “Odd” numbers are in favour giving another juicy pay-out. You are paid out the healthy sun of £60. £30 back for your bet plus £30 back for the win.
- Bet Amount: £30
- Balance: £220
After 6 spins, you decide that you will take a break because you notice that the high/low betting option is showing more than its fair share of high numbers rolling in.
You ended the session £20 in profit and you totaled 3 losses and 3 wins. You can see that despite the even number of losses and wins versus the house, the d’Alembertsystem has resulted in a profit.
KEY FEATURE:The same number of losses and wins resulted in a profit!
| Stake Amount | Coup Number | Win or Lose | Increase/Decrease | Pay-out | Profit | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £10 | 1 | win | N/A | £20 | £10 | £10 |
| £10 | 2 | loss | Increase 1 unit | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| £20 | 3 | loss | Increase 1 unit | £0 | -£20 | -£20 |
| £30 | 4 | loss | Increase 1 unit | £0 | -£30 | -£50 |
| £40 | 5 | win | Decrease 1 unit | £80 | £40 | -£10 |
| £30 | 6 | win | Decrease 1 unit | £60 | £30 | £20 |
Using Casino Bonus Codes to Help You Master the d’Alembert Strategy
With so many ways to get free cash into an online casino account these days, it is easy to trial and error a strategy with any casino game. Blackjack players especially rely on casino bonuses to perfect what is known as optimal strategy.
Likewise, Roulette players will use casino bonuses to learn the game. What makes even more sense is that any sensible or serious Roulette player will also be using a strategy or learning a strategy. What better way to learn a strategy than using free money!
New Player Bonuses
When you sign up at an online casino as a new player, you are almost always entitled to a Welcome Bonus. These are often the most generous bonuses available at that casino.
They can for example be:
- 100% deposit matches
- Multiple deposit matches
- Free Spins
- No-deposit bonuses
With a 100% deposit match, you will deposit say £100 and the casino will give you £100 on top. That gives you a bankroll of £200 to test out the d’Alembert Strategy. £100 of that is totally free.
Regular Bonuses& VIP
Being an online casino member also gives you access to the regular bonus plans. In general, most online casinos have daily bonuses, weekly and monthly.
- 50% Deposit Match Mondays
- Double COMP points Fridays
These kinds of bonuses will give you more cash from deposit matches and if your casino is giving away COMP points, these points can eventually be swapped for cash.
5 Online Casinos with Great Bonuses and Several Roulette Tables
Is the d’Alembert Strategy Legal?
Unless there is a Roulette system that means physically manipulating the Roulette Wheel or Ball, which is highly illegal, then you can pretty much guarantee without physical manipulation that the system is legal. Remember that Roulette systems do not guarantee a win.
That means almost any Roulette system is fair game with the casino because you still stand the risk of going on a downswing.
Our Final Verdict
We are big fans of the d’Alembert Strategy. It is extremely easy to learn and implement and does not put all your cash at risk. It is basically the Martingale Strategy in slow motion.
With the Martingale system, you will need a large casino balance to make sure you can bankroll any downswings; whereas, the d’Alembert Strategy makes sure that even those with small a small balance can take part on testing the system without taking huge risks.
- Very simple to pick up the game
- Suits people with low casino balances
- It makes for a great side bet option
Last of all, we all know that a lot of Roulette players do not come to the table to play the outside bets. The thrill of Roulette for most is the high risk, high paying inside bets like straight and street bets. For this type of player, the d’Alembert Strategy is perfect for a flutter on the outside bets to cushion losses on the inside bets without taking huge risks.
Combining these 3 components of the d’Alembert Strategy, you can see that this strategy can be played by all levels of Roulette players. Whether you are a beginner just getting to know the game Roulette or a seasoned player looking for a good side bet option, the d’Alembert Strategy is a one size fits all system!
All Roulette Systems:
Paroli Roulette System
Martingale System
Labouchère System
The D’Alembert System
The Fibonacci System
The Hollandish System
