Talk:Labouchère system

Origins of the Labouchere System
I recall having read that the system was originally developed by the Finance Minister for Queen Victoria but can't find the source again. I having a passing reference in "Casino Confidential: A Pit Boss's Guide to Beating the House" by Anonymous 2008 but I'm sure there is a better reference elsewhere. Can somebody look through their roulette literature? (LuckyLove8 (talk) 09:34, 18 June 2008 (UTC))

Limitations of the system
This system works perfectly, but only if the player has an infinite amount of money in bank (to cover the losses and jump back in the game). Thus, it is flawless in theory but impracticable in reality. Reference (in French): http://eco.rue89.com/2009/05/27/ce-que-cachent-les-sites-qui-promettent-la-fortune 70.83.220.148 (talk) 16:05, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

i have an issue with the logic below.

"For instance, if a table had a limit of $500 and a player composed a Labouchere line as follows:

50, 50, 50, 50, 50

Nine consecutive wins (100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500) would cause the next bet in the system to exceed the table limit, and thus the line would be completed with a player profit of $2700."

I don't see how this would win you $2700? By my reckoning it would win you $500?

Can anyone comment? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.194.51.52 (talk) 04:32, 11 January 2010 (UTC)

To establish my credentials: My name is Marten Jensen and in 1998 I published the book "Secrets of Winning Roulette" in which I describe a number of betting systems including the Reverse Labouchere. I don't know how you arrived at $500 in the above example because the total amount won would be the sum of all the nine consecutive wins, which is $2700. --69.19.176.125 (talk) 21:06, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

Norman Leigh
When I looked for an article on Norman Leigh, I ended up here. I read his book "Thirteen Against the Bank," which I found to be interesting and very well written. I am curious about the man, who I believe is now dead. Specifically, I wonder if this is his only book and am curious about his history. From other sources, I have only seen negative criticism such as calling him a crook and a charlatan. This is mainly based on Leigh claiming his book is factual, but of course any story of this kind is usually subject to embellishment. If someone could do some research, it would be nice to have an article on this person. --69.19.176.125 (talk) 21:06, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

The problem is that there are very few sources for Leigh. Any research of the kind that you describe would be 'original research' (OR) and that is generally frowned upon in wikipedia. Really, the amounts that Leigh claims to have won are so ludicrously improbable (we're talking less than one in a trillion, assuming a fair table and no cheating) that it is very hard to believe the events in the book really occurred. If they really were banned from every casino in France, it wouldn't be too hard to find some newspaper reports, but to my knowledge none have ever been found. It's a nice story, but I fear that is all. 94.192.83.166 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 16:18, 30 October 2010 (UTC).

Norman Leigh. I met Norman Leigh and shook his hand. In the late 1980's to early 1990's Leigh placed advertisements in the Oxford Journal trying to make cash selling a roulette system. Myself and three friends (all bookmakers accept me) phoned to make an appointment and travelled to Southampton to meet him. He was in a bed sit and we were greeted by his landlady who said 'you have more visitors'. Leigh was in a sorry state. His clothes were stained and creased. His nails were filthy and he seemed desperate for money. He asked for £300 for a piece of paper with his roulette system on it. He claimed his system was guaranteed to win but he could not do it himself because he was 'banned from every casino in the world'. We had £300 with us but had no faith in his integrity and departed without buying his system. The four people who travelled to Southampton were, Mr Andrew Steer, Mr Roy Gainsburgh, Mr Robert Swan-Taylor (now deceased) and myself, Adrian Lambe. From memory the year was 1992. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.109.84.123 (talk) 00:59, 18 August 2019 (UTC)


 * The system he was selling did not work. it was based on increasing a stake on streets of 6 after a win unless you had a good run on one street it lost money. 86.25.124.25 (talk) 18:11, 21 June 2022 (UTC)