For as long as gambling has existed, people have tried to outwit chance by creating betting systems to beat casino games. Developing a “foolproof” betting system can mean clocking a roulette wheel or counting cards, doubling down after a loss or doubling up.
The one thing they all have in common is patterns. Some betting systems seek to establish patterns (in betting, in card distribution, etc.), and others seek to find patterns in what are otherwise considered random events.
Nearly all of these systems are intended to assure players they can win at games wherein the house has an immutable advantage. Here, we look at a roulette betting strategy known as Due Column Betting.
Due Column Betting: Roulette Betting Systems
Due column betting is a form of progressive betting wherein a player determines at the start of the game what level of profit he would like to see from his session. If he makes his profit on the first bet, he walks away with a tidy sum. If he loses his first bet, he adds the amount “due” (losses) into his calculations for the next bet.
The Labouchere System & Roulette: Roulette Betting Systems
Perhaps the most popular form of due column betting is the LaBouchere system. Here, the player divides his bankroll into an even-numbered list of bet amounts. He then combines two of the bet amounts on the list and places their sum on one of the table’s even-money wagers (red/black, even/odd, high/low).
If he wins, he crosses the two amounts off his list. He then bets the sum of the next two bets on the list.
If he loses, he writes the amount lost at the end of the list and makes a new bet equal to the sum of the last two numbers on this new list.
The Labouchere system is meant to insure that the player makes a profit by covering multiple smaller bets with single large bets.
Due Column Betting & the Sport of Kings: Roulette Betting Systems
Due column betting is also popular with horse race handicappers. Here, bettors spread their expected profits over several races. For instance, a bettor who aims to wager on 10 races and make a $100 profit begins his session with $10 in the “due column.”
Because the odds in horse racing are more dynamic than those in casino games, bettors must adjust their bets accordingly. Continuing with the above example, a player looking to make $10 on a 2 to 1 favorite will bet $5 ($5 x 2 = $10). If he wins, he proceeds to the next race and calculates his bet based on the odds.
If he loses, his $5 wager is added to the “due column” for the next race, making the new “due amount” $15. This progression continues from race to race until the player wins the amount in his “due column.”
Bankroll Size: Roulette Betting Systems
As with any betting system, weathering the losses in due column betting requires a substantial bankroll. “Due column” betting works best with bets that are even-money or those with slightly higher odds.
Players that prefer to play for big immediate payouts (single-number in casino and online roulette, long shots in horse racing) will not enjoy due column betting. It is a technique that requires patience and a keen understanding of odds and bet progression.
Losing Streaks in Roulette Betting Systems
Any betting system that relies on progressive bets has the potential to cut a substantial dent in a player’s bankroll. Losing streaks are not rare in due column betting, and a player must prepare both his bankroll and his psyche for this inevitability. Due column betting is a system that requires players to bet increasingly large sums after each successive loss. Players who do not have the pocketbook or the stomach for this, will neither enjoy nor profit from due column betting.
Law of Independent Trials in Roulette Betting Systems
A major fallacy that the “due column” method relies on is that a player is “due” to win at some point. Ideally, this point would be before he goes bankrupt and/or cannot place his next progressive bet.
Unfortunately, this ideal is precisely that. Its fallacious reasoning ignores the Law of Independent Trials, a statistical principle that proves each trial (coin flip, spin of the roulette wheel, horse race) has no impact on the result of the next trial.
Many roulette games, for example, display the results of previous spins. Players deceive themselves by thinking that these results indicate a pattern they can use to predict the outcome of future spins. The Law of Independent Trials confirms that previous spins have no pattern in and of themselves, nor are they an indicator of what is to come.
Conclusion: Roulette Betting Systems
As with so many betting systems, the players employing them fail to make as much money as the hustlers and con men hocking them. Due column betting, like other progressive systems, is a fast, easy way to deplete a bankroll.
