The Labouchere roulette system, or the Labby, James Bond System, Split Martingale, Cross-Out or Cancellation betting system is a negative progression system: ie one in which you ramp up your bets when you lose to cover losses.
Here is how it works:
Before you hit the tables or switch on your pc, write down a sequence of numbers... let's say 2, 3, 4, 4, 5 for argument´s sake. Add the the initial and last numbers to arrive at your betting amount. So taking our sequence, we would have 2 and 5 which sums to 7. If your number comes in and you win your bet, strike off the numbers you have just used off and bet the sum of the "new" first and last numbers. In our example, we ould now bet 3+4 = 7. Continue until you whittle your way down to one number- this is your last bet.
But of course, this is roulette, so you are not going to win all of the time. If you lose, add the number on to the end of the sequence. Let´s look at our example again, and assume you lost on the first bet. You would add 7 onto the end of the sequence. And so on....
As with all progression systems, things can get a little scary if you hit a bad losing streak. One good thing about the Labouchere, is that you can hard wire your sequence to keep your pulse rate lower. So for example, try a squence with low numbers at the beginning (or just lots of ´1´s to minimise your exposure. ie a series such as like 1 1 1 2 2 2).
Crossing off all of the number is quite satisfying and you may find that you yo-yo back and forth a bit. Once you finish a sequence you can begin a new one.
When you are deciding on a Labouchere sequence always bear in mind that the total sum of the line is the amount of profit you will generate if you manage to complete the crossing off of all the numbers in the line. So for our example above of 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, we can predict a profit (if successful) of 18 in whatever currency you happen to be playing. So the bigger the numbers in the sequence, the bigger the potential profit but also the more painful the loss if you lose as your bets ramp up faster.
So work out a balance between the two that you are comfortable with taking into account these factors: a shorter sequence with big bets will be over more quickly if you are successful, but you are risking a steep ramp up of bets if you lose a number of times in a row.
Also, make sure that the sum of your Labouchere sequence is not larger that the table limit.
Splitting your Labouchere Sequence.
One useful technique in this betting system is to split your Labouchere Progression Sequence. To manage your bets, you can break your line down into smaller units (or a sub-sequence) and work through the sub-sequence before reverting to the original line. The table may force your hand on this if you start to exceed the table limits.
Remember
The Labouchère, like all betting systems, will not alter the odds one iota in your favour- these are set by the physical make up of the game (wheel, ball etc) and the payouts set by the casino. All a betting system can do, is to give you a way of playing more systematically. This is fine, as long as you understand the limitations of the system. Don´t use them as a "Get Rich Quick Scheme".