the best card counting system?

[Quinc]

in the book "ken uston - million dollar blackjack".. (i'm not promoting its just the best blackjack literture that i've read so far) it talks about the efficiency of professional level blackjack systems.

it says that ustons advanced point count is the best: playing .69 betting .99 composite .87.

i use advanced plus/minus and it is playing .55 betting .95 and composite is .79.

kens book was published in 1981.
after 24 years is there somthing newer, better, and maybe even easier to learn then ustons advanced point count?

 

[KenSmith]

Here's a good reference for several systems:
http://www.bjmath.com/bjmath/counting/OSRating.htm (Archive copy)

 

[Quinc]

thank you Ken.. now i know what i need to learn. would you recomend learning any of the systems inbetween plus/minus and omega first? also which system do you use?

 

[KenSmith]

For most players, I think Hi-Lo is all you'll ever really need. If you're concerned about the win rate not being as high as the higher-powered systems, just play an extra few minutes in every session!

If I were just learning today, that's all I would learn I think.

When I learned to play, I decided on Wong's Halves count, and that's what I still use. However, in many situations where I'm devoting brain effort to other things, I'll switch back to the Hi-Lo. For example, I often use Hi-Lo in tournament play.

The Halves count has a number of things going for it. It's the strongest in that list for betting correlation. It's ace-reckoned, so there's no side count needed. Also, the strategy index numbers share many identical values with Hi-Lo, and they're all quite close.

The downside is the fact that you're counting in halves instead of whole numbers. That's tougher to handle, and it takes a lot more work to become proficient at it.

What about unbalanced counts? While they are certainly easier, and they will win the money, I find them too limiting for one reason. They don't automatically give you an idea of how big your edge is at any given time. For that lack of precision, you get to ignore true count conversion. It's a valid trade-off, but one I just don't care for personally.

 

[Quinc]

i will stick with the hi/lo for this winter and then learn a more advanced count next winter.

thank you for your help Ken

-Quinc

 

[Mikeaber]

KEN WROTE What about unbalanced counts? While they are certainly easier, and they will win the money, I find them too limiting for one reason. They don't automatically give you an idea of how big your edge is at any given time. For that lack of precision, you get to ignore true count conversion. It's a valid trade-off, but one I just don't care for personally.

Point blank, what I've seen this in practice as meaning is that especially with a 6-deck shoe game, you will be well into the deck before the unbalanced count get's high enough to bet on. For example, in the simple Rookie K-O system, Your Intial Running Count is -20 for 6-deck shoes. You are at your Key Count when you reach -4. You will have to see 16 more low cards than high cards before you know you have enough of an edge to put your larger bet on the table. You will miss good opportunities to get money on the table in situations that a true count might send up the green light for you! In the mean time, you are betting flat at the minimum. But, it's better than nothin'!