Labouchere System

One of the successful systems to beat blackjack is the Labouchere system. The player who uses this system adjusts his bet to the outcome of the previous hand. The bet is raised after losses and decreased after wins, but by a more complicated system than used in the Martingale.

The player chooses a sequence of numbers, for example 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and then makes a bet that is the sum of the first and last numbers (in this example, 1+6 = 7). If this hand wins, 1 and 7 are taken away and the next bet is again the sum of the first and last numbers, this time 2+5 = 7. If the hand (1+6) loses, the whole lost bet is added to the end of the sequence (you add 7 to 2,3,4,5 and you get 2,3,4,5,7) and then make the next bet that is 9 (2+7). When the numbers are over, this series ends.

The overall result is a slow but continuous increase in the bets in a series of hands will in the end leave the player ahead, when the series goes to its conclusion.

The disadvantage is that the player must finish each series, and he may be locked in a very long series with large losses before its ultimate profit. This system like Oscar’s Grind requires considerable concentration that will distract the player from basic strategy.