Labouchere (aka Labby)
Labouchere is a progressive money management system that allows you to make a profit even if you win less than 50% of your sports bets. If you are completely new to
Labby,
a good place to get started is here.
To see how it works, let’s look at some examples.
Let’s assume that you have a total bankroll of $10,000, which makes your first betting block $2,500. If you’re new to establishing betting blocks, see
Bankroll Management.
Since Labouchere is a progressive betting system, you increase the size of the wagers after a loss. A good starting bet is 2% of your betting block. Thus, if your betting block is $2,500, your first wager is $50 ($2,500 x 0.02). If using
flat bets,
I would recommend betting 5% of your betting block.
Since we use the outside two numbers for wagers, each unit is $25. The first Labouchere line looks like this:
Line 1: 25-25-25-25 (Win)
You win game 1, so you cross off the two outside numbers (see Line 2 below). The wager for Game 2 remains at $50 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 2: x-25-25-x (Loss)
You lose Game 2, so you add $50 to the end of Line 2. The wager for Game 3 is now $75 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 3: x-25-25-x-50 (Win)
You win Game 3, so you cross off the two outside numbers. There is only 1 number left so you start over for Line 4. Final Labouchere line is x-x-25-x-x. The wager for Game 4 is $50 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 4: 25-25-25-25 (Loss)
You lose Game 4, so you add $50 to the end of Line 4. The wager for Game 5 is now $75 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 5: 25-25-25-25-50 (Loss)
You lose Game 5, so you add $75 to the end of Line 5. The wager for Game 6 is now $100 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 6: 25-25-25-25-50-75 (Win)
You win Game 6, so you cross off the two outside numbers. The wager for Game 7 is $75 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 7: x-25-25-25-50-x (Loss)
You lose Game 7, so you add $75 to the end of Line 7. The wager for Game 8 is now $100 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 8: x-25-25-25-50-x-75 (Loss)
You lose Game 8, so you add $100 to the end of Line 8. The wager for Game 9 is now $125 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Labouchere Line 9: x-25-25-25-50-x-75-100 (Win)
You win Game 9, so you cross off the two outside numbers. The wager for Game 10 is $100 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 10: x-x-25-25-50-x-75-x (Win)
You win Game 10, so you cross off the two outside numbers. The wager for Game 11 is $75 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 11: x-x-x-25-50-x-x-x (Win)
You win Game 11, so you cross off the two outside numbers. There are no numbers left so you start over for Line 12. The wager for Game 12 is $50 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 12: 25-25-25-25 (Loss)
You lose Game 12, so you add $50 to the end of Line 12. The wager for Game 13 is now $75 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 13: 25-25-25-25-50 (Loss)
You lose Game 13, so you add $75 to the end of Line 13. The wager for Game 14 is now $100 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 14: 25-25-25-25-50-75 (Win)
You win Game 14, so you cross off the two outside numbers. The wager for Game 15 is $75 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 15: x-25-25-25-50-x (Loss)
You lose Game 15, so you add $75 to the end of Line 15. The wager for Game 16 is now $100 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 16: x-25-25-25-50-x-75 (Loss)
You lose Game 16, so you add $100 to the end of Line 16. The wager for Game 17 is now $125 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 17: x-25-25-25-50-x-75-100 (Win)
You win Game 17, so you cross off the two outside numbers. The wager for Game 18 is $100 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 18: x-x-25-25-50-x-75-x (Win)
You win Game 18, so you cross off the two outside numbers. The wager for Game 19 is $75 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 19: x-x-x-25-50-x-x-x (Loss)
You lose Game 19, so you add $75 to the end of Line 19. The wager for Game 20 is now $100 (the sum of the two outside numbers).
Line 20: x-x-x-25-50-x-x-x-75 (Win)
You win Game 20, so you cross off the two outside numbers. There is only 1 number left. Final line is x-x-x-x-50-x-x-x-x. If there was a line 21, you would start over at 25-25-25-25.
Labouchere vs. Flat Bets
The two tables below compare the results of the Labouchere System to Flat Bets.
Note that while Flat Bets shows a loss of -4.5%, the Labouchere System shows a profit of +5.5%. This demonstrates the power of the
Labouchere
System.
Table 1: Labouchere System:
| Line # | Odds | Wager | To Win | Result | Bankroll | Profit |
Starting Bankroll: | | | | | $2,500 |
| 1 | -110 | $ 50.00 | $ 45.45 | $45.45 | $ 2,545 | 1.8% |
| 2 | -110 | $ 50.00 | $ 45.45 | -$50.00 | $ 2,495 | -0.2% |
| 3 | -110 | $ 75.00 | $ 68.18 | $68.18 | $ 2,564 | 2.5% |
| 4 | -110 | $ 50.00 | $ 45.45 | -$50.00 | $ 2,514 | 0.5% |
| 5 | -110 | $ 75.00 | $ 68.18 | -$75.00 | $ 2,439 | -2.5% |
| 6 | -110 | $ 100.00 | $ 90.91 | $90.91 | $ 2,530 | 1.2% |
| 7 | -110 | $ 75.00 | $ 68.18 | -$75.00 | $ 2,455 | -1.8% |
| 8 | -110 | $ 100.00 | $ 90.91 | -$100.00 | $ 2,355 | -5.8% |
| 9 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $ 2,468 | -1.3% |
| 10 | -110 | $ 100.00 | $ 90.91 | $90.91 | $ 2,559 | 2.4% |
| 11 | -110 | $ 75.00 | $ 68.18 | $68.18 | $ 2,627 | 5.1% |
| 12 | -110 | $ 50.00 | $ 45.45 | -$50.00 | $ 2,577 | 3.1% |
| 13 | -110 | $ 75.00 | $ 68.18 | -$75.00 | $ 2,502 | 0.1% |
| 14 | -110 | $ 100.00 | $ 90.91 | $90.91 | $ 2,593 | 3.7% |
| 15 | -110 | $ 75.00 | $ 68.18 | -$75.00 | $ 2,518 | 0.7% |
| 16 | -110 | $ 100.00 | $ 90.91 | -$100.00 | $ 2,418 | -3.3% |
| 17 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $ 2,532 | 1.3% |
| 18 | -110 | $ 100.00 | $ 90.91 | $90.91 | $ 2,623 | 4.9% |
| 19 | -110 | $ 75.00 | $ 68.18 | -$75.00 | $ 2,548 | 1.9% |
| 20 | -110 | $ 100.00 | $ 90.91 | $90.91 | $ 2,639 | 5.5% |
Total Profit: | | | | $138.64 | | |
Table 2: Flat Bets:
| Line # | Odds | Wager | To Win | Result | Bankroll | Profit |
Starting Bankroll: | | | | | $2,500 |
| 1 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,614 | 4.5% |
| 2 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,489 | -0.5% |
| 3 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,602 | 4.1% |
| 4 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,477 | -0.9% |
| 5 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,352 | -5.9% |
| 6 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,466 | -1.4% |
| 7 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,341 | -6.4% |
| 8 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,216 | -11.4% |
| 9 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,330 | -6.8% |
| 10 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,443 | -2.3% |
| 11 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,557 | 2.3% |
| 12 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,432 | -2.7% |
| 13 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,307 | -7.7% |
| 14 | -110 | $ 100.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,420 | -3.2% |
| 15 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,295 | -8.2% |
| 16 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,170 | -13.2% |
| 17 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,284 | -8.6% |
| 18 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,398 | -4.1% |
| 19 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | -$125.00 | $2,273 | -9.1% |
| 20 | -110 | $ 125.00 | $ 113.64 | $113.64 | $2,386 | -4.5% |
Total Profit: | | | | -$113.64 | | |
For some closing thoughts on the
Labouchere Betting System,
click here.