In a previous article, we shared our thoughts about the Martingale Strategy and how to use it in roulette. Here, we will talk about the d’Alembert strategy which is pretty much a safer version of the Martingale system. This betting system got its name after Jean-Baptiste le Rond d’Alembert. He was a famous French mathematician that lived in the 18th century. As a mathematician, he had many theories and arguments that would later turn into real situations. However, the strategy that got his name actually came from one of the incorrect arguments he made about coin-flipping. With that being said, we have to repeat that the d’Alembert strategy is a less risky version of the Martingale system. As such, it also asks players to increase their bets on losses and reduce them on wins.
Basically, it’s another strategy that focuses on even bets and active progression. However, instead of doubling your wagers, you increase them only by one. Below, we will explain all the details behind this strategy as well as how to perfectly apply it to your roulette game. Additional information will always help you when you stand in front of the roulette wheel.
How to Play Roulette with the D’Alembert Strategy?
The perfect way of using the d’Alembert strategy is by following a couple of steps. First, the players need to pick a comfortable betting amount that will be used as a stepping stone. The best way to pick this amount is rather simple – just go with the table minimum. To make our example easier to understand, we will use $10 as the bet the player chose. Keep in mind that you can start higher, depending on the bankroll you have in mind. However, remember to pick a number that’s a long way from the table maximum. The reason for that is simple, if you go too high, you won’t be able to follow the system all the way to the end because you could hit the table maximum. In the example below, we will refer to the betting amount with the word ‘unit’.
Just like with the Martingale, players need to place outside or even money bets with the d’Alembert strategy. The best bet choice is black/red or odd/even. Once the player picks the bet, place a wager of one unit ($10) on it. If the player wins that bet, just place another unit on the next round. However, when you lose, increase the wager in the next round by one unit. So, now you have two units ($20) on the upcoming round. If you lose again, increase the next wager by one unit again. So, each time you lose, your wagering amount will increase by one unit. On the other hand, when you win, you will decrease your wagering amount by a single unit. Keep in mind that you can’t go below one unit, even if you are on a long winning run.
How it works?
- Place a small bet of your choice (red/black, odd/even)
- If you lose, increase your initial wager by one.
- If you win, decrease the last wager by one.
- When you have as many wins as losses, you should take your winnings and stop playing.
- In case you are on a losing streak, keep playing until you score several wins, and then get up from the table.
For instance, you put down a bet of $10 on red. You lose, so your next bet on red becomes $11. Imagine you lose again, so for the next round, you bet $12 on red. Let’s say you win with that wager, so the next round you go back to $11. If you win again at that wager, the next one will be $10. This is where you need to stop playing and walk away. You lost two wagers and won two wagers, so the math comes out like this: – 10 – 11 + 12 + 11 = +2.
The real d’Alembert strategy was created in a system where there is no maximum bet. It was made without gambling in mind, however, it works great with casino roulette. There will always be table limits in gambling but this strategy is still perfect for the game. Nevertheless, even if the table limits are huge, you need to set a betting ceiling yourself. That’s the only way to keep your wagering under control, especially when things are not going your way. For example, you may decide never to wager more than five units no matter what the system says.
Advantages & Disadvantages of the D’Alembert Strategy
Just like with any betting strategy out there, there are positive and negative things that come with it. The d’Alembert strategy doesn’t give you a 100% chance to win at any casino roulette version. However, there is no betting system that can do that for you. The best a player can hope for is taking full advantage of any strategy to help you increase your winnings. Below, we will talk about all the advantages and disadvantages that come with this betting strategy.
Advantages
We already mentioned the biggest advantage of the d’Alembert strategy previously in the article. It’s one of the safest betting systems out there, especially compared to the Martingale. It approaches the game of roulette in a slow and steady way thus protecting your bankroll. Compared to the more famous Martingale system, the risk of catastrophic losses is very low, as you are never doubling your bets. For example, let’s imagine you were betting one unit per roulette round. If you lose seven in a row while using the Martingale system, your loss would be 123 units. On the other hand, if the same thing happens with the d’Alembert strategy, your losses would be only 28 units.
In reality, this system doesn’t help with winning a lot of money. The idea is to make a small profit but also return the money you lost when a bad streak happens. With a bit of luck, you can win all your money back in a couple of rounds. However, it’s important to note that during a winning streak, this system won’t help you win as much as the Martingale. This is why high rollers don’t really go with the d’Alembert strategy. They want to win big but are also able to sustain heavy losses as their bankrolls are huge. For that reason, the d’Alembert system is perfect for players who like to keep it safe and stay in their comfort zone.
Disadvantages
At the beginning of this article, we made a small mention of how the d’Alembert strategy came to life. We said that it was created based on an incorrect statement that d’Alembert made about coin flips. Back in his time, he claimed that a coin that came up as heads several flips in a row had an increased chance to land on tails during the next spin. However, this statement is wrong because a coin, just like a roulette wheel, doesn’t have a memory of what happened in the previous spins. If you play long enough, you might see equality between how many times the ball fell on red and how many times it did on red. However, this has nothing to do with the streaks and doesn’t affect them in any way. In a short game of roulette, there is no balance between the two options.
The truth is simple, even if there is no way to prove it, streaks will happen and players are aware of that. This is where the strategies can help you win but they can create problems for you as well. For example, players using the d’Alembert strategy run the risk of digging themselves into a deep hole, one that’s not easy to get out of. Should you lose several bets in a row, it will then take several wins to win your money back. For instance, lose four bets in a row and you’ll be down 10 units. However, winning your next bet will only win five units back.
This means that if you keep losing 3/4 times in a row and then winning 3/4 times in a row, you are not really seeing any profits. This is where the d’Alembert is at a disadvantage, especially when compared to the Martingale system. The Martingale system always at least gives you back the money you lost when you win a round after several losses.
Conclusion
All in all, the d’Alembert strategy is perfect for players who want to test certain casino games, especially roulette. With it, you are getting the fun and excitement of the Martingale system but you are getting just a fraction of the risk. You will never need to make huge bets and even if you are having the worst run of results at a roulette table, you still won’t lose a lot of money. It follows the same progression of raising bets as other systems. However, instead of doubling your bets, you will only be increasing them by one unit. So, you can still win your money back after a run of bad results but things will never go to the extreme as with some other strategies.
Nevertheless, the same thing will apply when you are on a winning run as well. You won’t be winning as much as with some of the other betting systems and your fortunes will grow slowly instead. Still, if you prefer to play it safe but still want to get some profit, the d’Alembert strategy is the perfect option for you.