Martingale vs Labouchere

Which roulette betting strategy is right for you? Compare these two popular systems side-by-side.

Martingale Strategy

Double your bet after each loss to recover losses plus a small profit when you win.

very-aggressivesimplenegative progression

Labouchere Strategy

Create a sequence of numbers and bet the sum of first and last. Cross out on win, add on loss.

aggressivecomplexnegative progression

10,000 Simulated Sessions Each: Martingale vs Labouchere

We ran both systems through 10,000 simulated sessions on a European wheel under identical conditions: $1,000 bankroll, stopping at $1,500 (win), $500 (loss), or 500 spins.

Measured over 10,000 sessions	Martingale	Labouchere
Sessions ended in profit	39%	46.2%
Average session result	−$65	−$84
Average spins per session	132	47
Average worst drawdown	−$272	−$408
Best single session	$500	$525
Worst single session	−$635	−$960
Hit the table limit	20.5%	0.5%

In this run, Labouchere ended more sessions in profit, while Martingale lost less on average — a classic trade-off between win frequency and loss size. Neither beat the house edge.

How Martingale sessions ended

Losing sessionsWinning sessions

Lost over $800

Lost $400–$800

35.8%

Lost $100–$400

25.2%

Lost up to $100

Won up to $100

Won $100–$400

Won $400–$800

39%

Won over $800

How Labouchere sessions ended

Losing sessionsWinning sessions

Lost over $800

1.1%

Lost $400–$800

52.3%

Lost $100–$400

0.4%

Lost up to $100

Won up to $100

Won $100–$400

Won $400–$800

46.2%

Won over $800

Methodology: fixed-seed runs from our open simulation engine, using the same settings as the strategy guides and interactive simulators — the numbers here match each system's guide page and can be reproduced there. Both systems lose on average because no betting progression changes the house edge; the comparison shows how differently they get there.