While many blackjack betting systems call on you to make risky and bankroll-threatening decisions at the table, the D’Alembert system is a bit safer choice. The D’Alembert was named after its creator, 18th-century mathematician and physicist Jean le Rond D’Alembert, who theorized that his work could be used to balance out wins and losses over the long-term – though he didn’t entirely mean for this to become a blackjack system. In any case, D’Alembert’s original work is well known for its application in the blackjack world, which definitely makes it worth reviewing.
How the D’Alembert System Works
This system is a lighter version of a negative progression, where players increase bets following losses. More specifically, the D’Alembert calls on players to increase bets by one unit following each loss, while decreasing wagers by one unit following a win.
For example, let’s say that you’re playing at a blackjack table where the minimum bet is $5, which would be one betting unit. If you lost this hand, you’d increase your next wager by one unit ($10 total); assuming you lose this hand too, your next bet would be three units ($15 total). If you came back and won the following hand, your next wager would be two units ($10 total). As you can see, this is a fairly easy betting system to use, and you only need to remember what your last bet was to effectively use it.
Does the D’Alembert System help you win?
As with any betting system, the true measure of success is in the profits. Of course, those who are up on their blackjack strategy know that no betting system can truly beat the house edge over the long-term. So in the end, it’s often more important to look at how safe a betting system is, rather than its potential for profits.
And the D’Alembert system is definitely one of the safer blackjack betting strategies you can use. Unlike most negative progressions, it doesn’t call on you to make huge bets following a loss. Instead, you only raise your wager one unit after losing a hand. Of course, a little more risk is added when you only decrease your bets following wins by one unit because, following a big losing streak, you could win a hand and lose right afterward. Overall though, you are taking far less risk by using the D’Alembert system than say with the Martingale or Parlay systems, which are much more extreme.