Mastering the D’Alembert Strategy

The technique itself is very simple and can be used even by complete beginners. Here’s what to do:

• Step 1: Split your money into equal parts, otherwise known as Units
• Step 2: Repeatedly play the same bet with a roughly 50% chance to win and a 1:1 payout
• Step 3: Whenever you lose a bet, increase the stake by 1 Unit
• Step 4: Whenever you win a bet, decrease the stake by 1 Unit, down to a minimum of 1
• Step 5: Repeat until you achieve your profit goal or lose your bankroll

To illustrate how the D’Alembert system works in practice, here’s an example of a series of 10 spins in a game of roulette. Note how the stakes change and the strategy’s effect on the bankroll.

The changes to the running total in our example perfectly illustrate the advantages of D’Alembert: even though we won 5 rounds and lost 5 rounds, we still came out ahead with a $10 profit.

Note the loss streak between rounds 4 and 7. The D’Alembert system was able to handle the losing streak and make up the losses without pushing the stakes too high, which is a distinct advantage over systems such as the Martingale.

What It Can and Can’t Do

It can’t beat the house

In standard European roulette, the house edge for every available bet is 2.70%. This does not change no matter how you bet, how much you bet, or when you bet it. The advantage is built into the game of roulette and remains the same no matter what you do.

The D’Alembert system cannot decrease, alter, or remove this house advantage. In fact, no mathematical roulette strategy or betting system can do so because the game’s outcomes are completely based on luck.

This advantage exists because the wheel contains a single green zero, which means that all bets are slightly less likely to win than they seem to be. For example, the D’Alembert uses bets which have a 1:1 payout but actually have a 48.60% chance to win instead of 50%. You can find out more about odds in roulette here.

• American Roulette features an additional “00” pocket, which means all bets are even less likely to win than usual. As a result, American wheels have a 5.26% house advantage, which is why we recommend avoiding them.
• French Roulette offers special rules that pay players back half of any Even Money bets if the winning number is 0. This rule effectively decreases the game’s house edge to 1.35%. Since the D’Alembert strategy only uses Even Money bets, this means that the French Roulette variant is the best option for this system.

What it’s good for

Like most negative progression betting systems, the main goal of the D’Alembert strategy is to prevent or mitigate losses by increasing the stakes after a lost bet.

The most famous example of a negative progression system is the Martingale. Unlike the D’Alembert, the Martingale doubles the stake after a losing bet. This ensures that any previous losses will be completely negated thanks to the 1:1 payout.

However, the main issue with the Martingale is that losing streaks can be devastating. Doubling the stake means that your bets have to grow exponentially. A few losses in a row, and you end up having to make bets tens or hundreds of times bigger than what you started out with. Moreover, you’ll eventually reach a point where the table doesn’t accept large enough wagers, or you may simply run out of money to bet with.

Conversely, the D’Alembert system has a much softer curve of raising the stakes. In fact, the growth is linear rather than exponential, so there’s little risk of reaching the table limit or burning through your budget.

This also means that the D’Alembert strategy doesn’t make up losses quite as quickly as the Martingale. The Martingale is guaranteed to make up all previous losses with a single winning bet, no matter how large. The D’Alembert recovers losses with a softer curve, though, and may require more patience.

Beyond that, the D’Alembert is also a reasonable money management system. It allows you to easily track winnings, losses, and overall profits while also protecting you from going into the red.

It’s also a fairly simple yet versatile system that can be applied to many different bets in many different games. Even complete beginners can use it without too much trouble, making the D’Alembert a good, safe introduction to the principles of negative progression betting patterns.

Risks

The main problem with the D’Alembert is that losing streaks still hurt. Although the stakes are increased at a slower pace, you can still end up with large stake levels that you may not necessarily be able to cover.

Moreover, making up losses from losing streaks typically takes more than one successful wager. This can leave you in a “one step forward, two steps back” kind of scenario where the stakes keep slightly increasing over a long series of bets, eventually reaching a point where your bankroll can’t keep up.

Remember – all casino game tables have a maximum stake limit, and you’ll eventually reach it if you keep having to up the ante. Starting out with smaller Units gives you more leeway, but it also makes it harder to turn a decent profit.

The same can be said about your personal budget. If you make a single Unit a relatively small part of your total bankroll, you’ll have more of a safety net against losing streaks, but you’ll also win less overall.

Just remember to always set both stop-win and stop-loss goals. In other words, decide on an achievable profit goal, and stop playing once you reach it. Conversely, never spend more than you’re willing to lose.

Setting a hard loss limit is one of the main principles of responsible gambling, which is an important consideration for all players.

Reverse (Contra) D’Alembert

The Reverse D’Alembert system, often referred to as Oscar’s Grind, is a positive progression system that increases the stake by 1 Unit every time you win a bet, and decreases it by 1 Unit every time you lose.

As you can see, it’s quite literally the opposite of the classic D’Alembert. Increasing stakes after a win is called positive progression, and Oscar’s Grind is a safe, beginner-friendly positive progression system.

Unlike the D’Alembert, this strategy doesn’t make up losses but aims to capitalize on winning streaks. A few winning wagers in a row can make a tidy profit, and losing streaks are not as dangerous as with negative progression.

However, the weakness of Oscar’s Grind is with streaks of “choppy” or alternating results. Intermittent losses can set you back right where you started, negating the whole strategy in a few bouts of bad luck.

To illustrate the main practical differences between the two, here’s an example of a 10-spin session using Oscar’s Grind. Note the profits, how they change, and the effects they have on the running total.

D’Alembert vs Oscar’s Grind (clear, practical comparison)

To illustrate the practical differences between these two betting systems, here’s a direct comparison of the two. The table below shows the results of a 10-round betting session while using either the D’Alembert or Oscar’s Grind. Specifically, the table showcases the effects of these strategies on your bankroll.

We’ll summarize the similarities and differences between these two strategies in a few key points:

• Both of these systems have similar advantages, meaning that they’re simple, versatile, and don’t involve a lot of unnecessary risk.
• Conversely, both systems have similar limitations. Neither can overcome the house edge, and neither can guarantee profits.
• The D’Alembert system benefits from alternating results but suffers during losing streaks and doesn’t capitalize on winning streaks. Conversely, Oscar’s Grind benefits from streaky results but suffers during choppy ones. The 10-bet simulation above illustrates this because it doesn’t feature any particularly long streaks.
• Oscar’s Grind has a set goal of always trying to maintain your bankroll at base level +1 Unit. On the flip side, the win-stop goals of D’Alembert are entirely set by the player.

Where People Use D’Alembert (and What Changes)

Roulette

The D’Alembert system in roulette can be used for any even-money wager. This typically includes Red, Black, Odd, Even, 1-18 and 19-36. The system works perfectly well for this type of game, as this article hopefully shows.

However, we should stress a few things: never play at American Roulette tables. Try to find French Roulette tables with either La Partage or En Prison rules. If you can’t, simply stick with classic European wheels.

Baccarat

The D’Alembert system is an excellent choice for anyone playing baccarat.

The strategy was designed to work with even money bets with a roughly 50% chance to win. This applies to both of the main bets (Player and Banker.) Note that Banker bets have a 5% commission on most tables, which means this wager pays 0.95:1.

However, we recommend sticking with the Banker bet because it has a slightly lower house edge, which compounds over time. Again, betting systems do not affect the house advantage, but they can mitigate some of its effects.

On the other hand, make sure to avoid Tie wagers as well as any side bets. They’re not Even Money wagers, so they don’t work with betting systems. Besides, they typically have a much higher house edge.

Blackjack

The D’Alembert can work with blackjack, but it’s not a great fit, and it conflicts with other, more useful blackjack strategies.

Although the main bet in blackjack pays 1:1, it only has a mean average chance of 42% to win. It makes up for the difference by paying 3:2 for Blackjack wins, but this throws off the math of the D’Alembert.

While it’s reasonable to use the system to manage your betting while playing blackjack, there are better options. Specifically, raising and lowering stakes in blackjack should be based on card counting rather than progression systems. Unlike the D’Alembert, card counting can actually decrease the house advantage and even overcome it.

Craps

Craps is another option for players using the D’Alembert strategy, but it’s not a great fit either.

The system can be applied to any Even Money bet in the game, which means you can only make Pass/Don’t Pass and Come/Don’t Come wagers. While these are arguably the best bets in the game due to their low house edge, using them exclusively is a very limiting way to play the game.

For example, you wouldn’t be able to Take or Lay Odds and take advantage of their 0% house edge.

Other Games

Beyond that, the strategy can work with almost any type of game or wager out there, ranging from Sic Bo to Dragon Tiger and even sports betting. Just remember a few simple principles.

To effectively use the D’Alembert betting strategy, a bet has to have:

• A roughly 50% win probability (or as close as possible)
• A 1:1 payout (or as close as possible)
• Only two possible results: win or lose. It can’t have degrees of success or alternative outcomes.

The wager should also ideally be infinitely repeatable.

Bankroll Planning & Settings

So you’re ready to give the D’Alembert roulette system a try? Here’s what you should do:

Select your Unit size

Start by selecting the size of a single Unit, which is also your initial stake.

The size of your stake should depend on your budget, the table’s limits, and how long the session is going to be. You should also consider the inherent risks of higher stakes.

A common approach is to use 1% of your total bankroll for the session as a single Unit. This is a great point for casual play because it limits the risks and gives you a lot of room to breathe, even during extremely long losing streaks.

Feel free to use 0.5% if your bankroll allows it. On the other hand, players on a tight budget will probably need to bet more due to minimum wager requirements.

However, we do not recommend going over 4-5% of your total bankroll. A 5% Unit is only enough for 20 bets, which may not be enough time to reap the rewards of the D’Alembert.

Session Rules

Decide on stop-win and stop-loss conditions for your bets.

For example, you could pick winning +5-10 Units as your goal. If you ever reach that goal, collect your winnings and restart with a fresh session.

Conversely, a stop-loss condition is the point at which you stop playing due to losses. For instance, you can call it quits when you end up with -10-20 units compared to what you started with.

These conditions do not technically affect expected value. However, they’re crucial for any betting strategy. Stop-loss conditions are about preventing losses and protecting your money. On the flip side, a stop-loss is all about quitting while you’re ahead and “locking down” your winnings.

House-edge reality check

Remember – every form of gambling is a losing game in the long run. The house edge ensures that, statistically, the casino will always come out ahead.

To illustrate how the house edge works in practice, here’s an example.

Let’s say you’re betting $5 per Unit for 100 spins with a bankroll of $500. Using the D’Alembert strategy, the average stake would come out to around $7. Statistically, every time you bet, you lose 2.7% of that stake, which is ~$0.19. This means that you are expected to lose $19 during the whole session, assuming results are about average.

That said, you would lose $38 if you were to do the same with American roulette, which further illustrates why you should avoid it.