The Reverse Labouchére System, which may be used in sports betting, is similar to the Labouchére System in that it utilizes a string of numbers that represent the amount you are going to wager. However, the reverse system varies in that it focuses on winning streaks and asks you to risk more as you win more. It is a very aggressive manner of wagering, and it either leads to huge profits or major losses.

The Basics

In the Reverse Labouchére System, a sports bettor determines how much they are willing to risk when they go on a winning streak. It was developed for games of chance that offer even odds, such as the odd or even bets in roulette, but sports bettors have also been known to use the system for spread and totals wagers.

With the Reverse Labouchére System, each time you win, you take that sum and put it at the end of the line. You then wager using the first and new last number on your line. Let’s take a look at how the Reverse Labouchére System works with the same numbers used in the Labouchére System article, which come from dividing up a $200 bank. The total of $200 represents the total amount of cash you stand to lose.

• First, you divide your $200 into 10 units of different amounts and put those amounts in a sequence. There is no predetermined amount per unit. The units are $20, $30, $15, $10, $35, $20, $35, $10, $25
• It is important to have your units lined up from right to left and to keep them in order.
• Each wager uses the amount on the left combined with the amount on the right. With the sequence determined above, your initial wager would be $20 + $25 = $45.
• If you win a bet using the Reverse Labouchére System, you add the amount you won to the right ($45) and add the amount on the left ($20) to it. Thus, your next wager is $45 + $20 = $65.
• As long as you win, you continue to add the winning amount to the right and use the same number on the left. That means if you win your second bet, your next wager would be $65 + $20= $85.
• Once you lose, cross out the last numbers on either side of the list and go to the next two numbers. If we win the first two wagers and lose the third, our list of bets would look like this: $20, $30, $15, $10, $35, $20, $35, $10, $25, $60. Eliminate $20 on the left and $60 on the right, which means your next wager would be $30 + $25 = $55.
• You continue in this manner until you have used up all of the bets or your bankroll is depleted.

Does the Reverse Labouchére System Work?

The best thing about the Reverse Labouchére System is that it limits your losses. However, it’s based on maintaining a fairly consistent winning streak, which is never easy to do – even with bets that offer even odds.

The system can also eat up profits very quickly if you go into a hit and miss mode. As it is with the Labouchére System, the reverse methodology takes a lot of the control and choice out of unit wagering, as it asks sports bettors to rely on fate in terms of how much risk they are willing to take. This is never a good thing.

Is this System for You?

Whether or not you use the Reverse Labouchére System is totally up to you. However, give serious consideration to the fact that you could end up losing your entire bankroll even if you go on a decent winning streak. Like many wagering systems, the Reverse Labouchére System makes sports betting more a game of chance, like roulette or slots, than a game based on reasoning and facts.