Reverse Labouchere: the system that adds a bet after a win.
The positive variant of the famous Labouchere system inverts its logic: after a win you add the winning bet to the end of the line, after a loss you cross the ends off. So the strategy chases winning streaks with a capped loss — but the biggest bets arrive precisely when things are going well. Here you can take it apart step by step and test it on simulated spins.
Test Reverse Labouchere on your own bankroll
Set the bankroll, the unit, the starting line and the stop rules. The simulator tracks how the betting line develops, the deepest drawdown, the largest bet and the number of runs closed.
Bankroll and line
Variant and wheel
Bets go on red; the zero counts as a loss. Every run uses a fresh random sequence of spins.
Bankroll over time
A positive progression often draws pleasing rising stretches — but the bigger bets come precisely after wins, so a single loss can take a large slice of the curve.
What happened in the simulation: Click "Run the simulation" and you will get a short, plain-language explanation of the result here.
How the line changes: adding after a win, crossing off after a loss
Reverse Labouchere uses the same line of numbers as classic Labouchere, but reacts to wins and losses the other way round. The bet is always the sum of the first and last numbers of the line.
How the bet grows during a winning streak (line 1–2–3–4)
After a win you add the winning bet to the end of the line, so the next bet grows. With the starting line 1–2–3–4 you begin at 5 units, and every further win raises the bet by one: 5, 6, 7, 8… After a loss you cross off the first and last number instead and the bet falls. When losses empty the line, you lose exactly the sum of the starting line — 10 units here.
The line after each win
What can one run cost you — and what does the target take?
With Reverse Labouchere the loss of a single run is fixed: it is the sum of the starting line. The calculator works it out and shows how many wins in a row you would need for your chosen profit target.
Enter a starting line, a unit and a run target. The result shows the maximum loss of one completed run and the chance that a clean winning streak carries the run all the way to your target.
Is Reverse Labouchere a good roulette system?
Excellent for understanding positive progressions and working with a capped loss; poor as a source of confidence in a long-term winning strategy. Here is the whole picture, maths and practice, in one place.
Reverse Labouchere is a roulette system built mainly for bets paying 1 : 1 — red/black, odd/even or low/high numbers. On European roulette such a bet has odds of 18 in 37, roughly 48.65%. The rest is the opposite side plus the green zero, which under ordinary rules means a loss. The system does not change that probability — it only changes how you distribute your bet sizes over time.
What is Reverse Labouchere in roulette?
It builds on the classic Labouchere system but inverts its logic: a win lengthens the line, a loss shortens it. Put simply, Reverse Labouchere lets profits run. When you are winning, the system pushes you to raise the bet. When you lose, the line shortens and the run moves towards its end. That makes the strategy feel safer than classic Labouchere — but during a longer winning streak it can raise the next bet very quickly.
The greatest risk paradoxically often arrives after a good start. A few wins in and the next bet can be considerably larger than the first. One loss then hurts more psychologically, because it erases part of the gain already made — and this is exactly the phase in which players most often break their own rules.
The rules of the Reverse Labouchere system
You start with a line of numbers, for example 1–2–3–4. The bet is always the sum of the first and last number. If a single number is left in the line, that value is your bet. After a win you add the winning bet to the end of the line. After a loss you remove the first and last number. When the line is empty the run ends and you can start again.
Two stop rules are commonly added to the basics: a run profit target (say +20 units) that closes the run in the black, and a maximum bet cap (say 100 units) that stops the line growing into unbearable amounts after a long winning streak. You can switch both variants on in the simulator above.
The maths and the expected result
Reverse Labouchere does not change the probabilities of roulette. On European roulette a red/black bet wins 18/37 of the time, roughly 48.65%. The zero is what keeps the long-term expectation negative. The system changes only the distribution of wins and losses over time: it produces many small closed runs losing the sum of the line, and occasional larger profits when wins chain together.
No amount of work with a line can change the payout ratio. Bet even money on European roulette and the mathematical disadvantage stays at roughly 2.70% of the amount staked — on American roulette, because of the double zero, roughly 5.26%.
What do long-run simulations show?
Over a short test Reverse Labouchere can look very good, especially if a few wins land back to back. The line lengthens, the bets grow and the bankroll can shoot upward fast. But the same principle works in reverse: the higher the bet reached after those wins, the larger the share of profit a single loss can take.
Over a long horizon the result starts converging on the mathematics of the bet you chose. The profit-target variant can reduce the extremes and the bet cap protects the bankroll, but neither adjustment turns the system into a long-term winner. Run 50,000 spins in the simulator and compare the result with a short 500-spin run — the difference is usually more eloquent than any theory.
The biggest risks of Reverse Labouchere
Bets growing after wins: the system raises your exposure at exactly the moment the player feels everything is under control. A false sense of safety: because the line shortens after a loss, the strategy feels less aggressive than Martingale — but the risk has not gone away, it has only moved. The psychology of profits: after a nice climb it is hard to end the run and lock the profit in; most players stretch runs longer than they originally planned. The house edge: the zero stays in play and pushes the long-term expectation below zero.
The difference from classic Labouchere
Classic Labouchere crosses numbers off after a win and lengthens the line after a loss — so the bets grow when things go badly and the player chases the losses back. Reverse Labouchere inverts that: it lengthens after a win and crosses off after a loss. The consequence is fundamental. In the classic version the profit of a run is fixed (the sum of the starting line) and the loss is theoretically unlimited; in the reverse version it is exactly the other way round — the loss of a run is firmly capped and the profit theoretically open-ended. Neither version changes the expected value of the bet.
The verdict: is Reverse Labouchere worth playing?
Reverse Labouchere is interesting mainly as a system to learn from, for understanding positive progressions. It is less destructive than a negative progression after a loss, because you know the worst case of a single run in advance. It still does not solve the fundamental problem of roulette: a negative expectation. For testing, comparing and understanding bankroll management it makes sense. As a long-term profitable strategy it does not.
The most common beginner mistake
A beginner usually tests the system on a small sample, hits a nice winning streak and concludes the strategy “works”. But a short test does not show how often a run ends by losing the sum of the line, nor how rare the long winning streaks the system depends on really are. So watch several runs, different simulation lengths and above all the maximum bet and the drawdown — and compare Reverse Labouchere with other systems on identical spins in the Roulette system tester.
The biggest misconceptions about Reverse Labouchere
A positive progression tempts you into feeling you are only risking “the casino’s money”. Here are the most common myths, explained so a beginner can follow them.
The largest bets come after a winning streak. One loss at that moment erases much of the climb — the risk has not gone, only changed its timing.
Every spin is a separate event. Previous results say nothing about what lands next — neither for the streak nor against it.
The loss of a completed run is indeed only the sum of the starting line, but runs end at a loss more often than the winning streaks manage to earn. The house edge does not change.
A +20-unit target or a 100-unit bet cap help with discipline and with the extremes, but the long-term expectation of −2.70% of turnover remains.
Reverse Labouchere vs. other roulette systems
Reverse Labouchere belongs to the positive progressions: the bets grow mainly after wins. That is why it feels calmer than Martingale — but it only shifts the risk into the phase where the player already feels they are playing with a profit.
| System | Risk | Principle | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martingale | Very high | Doubling the bet after a loss | Understanding the risk of a progression |
| Fibonacci | High | A progression following the Fibonacci sequence | A slower progression after a loss |
| Labouchere | High | A cancellation line; the bet is first + last | More advanced players and experiments |
| Reverse Labouchere | High | The line grows on a win and is crossed off on a loss | Hunting streaks with a capped loss |
| Parlay | Medium | The win stays in play (let it ride) | Short runs after a win |
| Bally | Very high | 24 numbers with a 12–36–108–324 progression | Blanket bets with a harsh progression |
| Charlotte | High | A single-number progression over 88 spins | Hunting the 35:1 payout to a plan |
| Dominance | High | A double street following the dominant side of the table | Players who follow trends |
| Double 10 | High | One number, stepping up after 10 misses | Patient single-number hunters |
| FAST | High | 33 numbers, low and high units | Maximum table coverage |
| Havana | High | One dozen, two levels of units | Dozen players |
| Holy Grail | High | 18 distinct numbers with a progression | Covering half the wheel |
| John Wayne | High | A spread of 18 numbers for 10 units | Combined bets on numbers |
| Numeric Scanner | High | Repeating numbers with a progression | Players who love stats and tables |
| Seven Corners | Medium | Seven corner bets, 27–28 numbers flat | Blanket bets with no progression |
| System 300 | Very high | 34 of 37 numbers, a rare 300-unit loss | Understanding asymmetric risk |
| Five-number system | High | Five numbers, progression blocks of 1-6-11-16 | Hunting the 35:1 payout on a budget |
The name of a system takes you to its page with an interactive test — the current system is highlighted. Want to compare several systems on the exact same sequence of spins? Use the Roulette system tester.
Common questions about Reverse Labouchere
Is Reverse Labouchere profitable in the long run?
No. It can produce interesting short-term results, especially when wins chain together, but over the long run it stays tied to roulette’s negative expectation. No amount of work with a line changes the payout ratio or the probability of a spin.
Which bets is the system used on?
Most often on bets paying 1 : 1 — red/black, odd/even or low/high numbers. On European roulette they have odds of 18/37, roughly 48.65%.
What is the difference from classic Labouchere?
Classic Labouchere crosses numbers off after a win and lengthens the line after a loss. Reverse Labouchere inverts it: after a win it adds the winning bet to the end of the line, and after a loss it crosses off the first and last number.
Is the system safer than Martingale?
It is usually less aggressive after losses — the worst case of a single run is capped in advance at the sum of the starting line. But the risk moves into the phase after wins, where the bets grow and one loss erases the accumulated profit.
What is the maximum loss of one run?
Exactly the sum of the numbers in the starting line times the unit. With the line 1–2–3–4 and a $10 unit, that is $100. It follows from the invariant of the line: when the line empties, you have lost the sum of the start.
Which starting line should I choose?
A shorter line of lower numbers means a smaller maximum loss per run, but also slower growth in the bets. A longer or higher line raises both. What matters is that the sum of the line is an amount you are genuinely willing to lose in one run.
What does the +20-unit stop rule do?
It closes the run as soon as its running profit reaches 20 units. It forces you to lock the profit in and stops a winning streak being stretched into the first big loss. It does not change the long-term maths.
What is the 100-unit maximum bet cap for?
It protects the bankroll from the line growing extreme after a long winning streak. The bet is capped, so the next loss takes less — but it also slows the profit down in the best phase of the run.
Is it better to play European or American roulette?
European roulette is better, because it has only one zero (a 2.70% house edge). American roulette has both a zero and a double zero (5.26%), making it noticeably worse for even-money bets.
Is Reverse Labouchere suitable for beginners?
As a learning tool, yes — it shows nicely how a positive progression, a capped loss and the psychology of profits work. As a long-term money-making strategy, no; the expectation stays negative.
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