D’Alembert on Roulette
D’Alembert was yet another French genius. He is known for his work in Physics, equilibrium, and in numbers. Similar to the Martingale betting strategy the D’Alembert roulette system increases & decreases bets by a set amount as your play. I’ll try and explain D’Alembert’s roulette strategy.
You only wager on even money bets such as Red/Black, Odd/Even, or 1-18/19-36, and unlike the Martingale system where you double your bet after a loss, D’Alembert suggests with each loss you increase your bet by one base unit and decrease by one base unit following a win. It sounds counter intuitive but it also makes sense over longer periods of time, hence the term equilibrium.
D’Alembert base unit and goal
Choose a base unit before playing, for example 1 unit = $10. With each loss you increase bet by $10 and decrease by $10 after a win. No doubling up as is the case with the Martingale.
Over the long term your bets “should be” reasonably stable as the odds are 48% chance of winning. Do not forget the odds are not 50% because the 0 or 00 loses every time. Oddly enough, in the world of mathematics zero is an even number but casinos do not classify it as such; meaning when 0 or 00 comes up you are screwed!
Is D’Alembert worth it on roulette
The law of averages when wagering on even money bets implies eventually you’ll win. Unless you set your base unit ridiculously high, over time you should come out with a profit, albeit small. As I’ve said elsewhere on this site; be a smart gambler not a greedy gambler.
Before putting real money down find yourself a free roulette simulator, here are my favourites, and run a few tests. When I say run a few tests I mean a lot of test not just four or five.
Start with a base unit of $5 or $10 and increase decrease as required. Run the simulator for 15 or more spins to simulate what you are likely to do at a real life casino. Be careful though, luck on a simulator doesn’t guarantee luck on the games-floor at the casino.
Example Game
In the example below we start with a base unit of $5 and spin the metaphorical ball 12 times, with seven losses and five wins.
| Bet $5 Base Unit | Result | $ Profit |
|---|---|---|
| $5 | Loss | -5 |
| $10 | Win | +5 |
| $5 | Loss | 0 |
| $10 | Loss | -10 |
| $15 | Loss | -25 |
| $20 | Win | -5 |
| $15 | Win | +10 |
| $10 | Win | +20 |
| $5 | Loss | +15 |
| $10 | Win | +25 |
| $5 | Loss | +20 |
| $10 | Loss | +$10 |
| 7 losses / 5 Wins | Profit $10 |
Hopefully when you play on even money bets you do better than 5 wins
Recommendation
As long as you are not stupid with your base unit and have funds to put into it, D’Alembert can work quite well. Never wager using D’Alembert on anything but even money bets.
If you can afford it I recommend you give it a try at least once.