The various embodiments described herein include methods and systems for coding video. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining video data that includes a first syntax element with a corresponding alphabet of M elements, and obtaining respective probabilities of occurrence for the M elements. The method further includes entropy coding a first portion of the video data using the respective probabilities of occurrence, and, while entropy coding, encountering the first syntax element. The method also includes updating probabilities of occurrence based on the first syntax element, and, in accordance with at least one of the updated probabilities being less than a threshold probability value, determining regularized probabilities of occurrence by applying a probability regularization to the updated probabilities of occurrence, where the probability regularization does not include a division operation.