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What is the D'Alembert roulette strategy?

The D’Alembert roulette strategy is easy to learn and fun to play with. Created by a French mathematician in the 1800s, this strategy stands the test of time. It’s often likened to the Martingale strategy, only less risky, so read on to find out how it works.

How the D'Alembert strategy works

The D’Alembert strategy follows a simple structure that only works on even bets, like red or black. Before you play, decide on a set amount of money to act as a unit, for example $1. If you win the bet, decrease the next bet by one unit, and if you lose, increase the next bet by one unit.

Depending on which roulette variant you’re playing, the odds of you winning each bet are around 48%. In theory, over time this strategy could roughly even out your bets. Remember, roulette is still a game of luck so strategies are best for bankroll management.

Example of the strategy in action

Bet amountOutcomeResultProfit
$1Lose-$1-$1
$2Lose-$2-$3
$3Lose-$3-$6
$4Win+$4-$2
$3Win+$3$1

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How to play Roulette | The D’Alembert strategy explained
How to play Roulette | The D’Alembert strategy explained

What are the pros and cons of the D'Alembert strategy?

Pros

  • It’s a good way to manage your bankroll
  • The method is easy to pick up compared to other strategies
  • You set the unit amount, so you’re in control of your spending

Cons

  • You could go on a losing streak, as with many casino games.
  • It’s unlikely you will win big sums of money

The reverse D'Alembert strategy

As you might expect, the Reverse D’Alembert strategy is a twist on the original. Instead of increasing your bet when you lose, you increase your bet when you win. You also decrease your bet when you lose. Otherwise this strategy follows the same rules with choosing your own units and only ever increasing or decreasing bets by one unit at a time.

D’Alembert vs Reverse D’Alembert strategy: which is better?The odds of winning each bet is the same for each strategy, around 48% depending on the roulette variant. As roulette is a game of chance, there’s no way of knowing if you would be more profitable playing one strategy or the other. Whichever you do chose to try, we would recommend that you stick to the same one for the entire game. Although it may be tempting to switch, it defeats the point of the strategy.

Try other roulette systems

Andrucci
For risk-takers
Martingale system
For risk-takers
Fibonacci system
For risk-takers
Labouchere system
For high rollers
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