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Your website rocks. I use the Wong Halves count but I’m curious whether another betting system is more efficient for single deck games. I believe most of the benefit from the halves system is from the betting precision, but I’m not sure whether in a single deck game that could be outweighed by a system with a higher playing efficiency. Assuming no obstacles for learning a new system, which would be the Utopian single deck system in your opinion?
You must play in Reno, because there aren’t many other places where this question is still relevant!
Personally, I chose the Halves count because of the high BE that you noted. Counts with a higher PE generally require a side count of Aces, which I just didn’t like doing. It’s not keeping the Ace side count that was annoying to me, but rather the adjustments needed to then utilize it.
Since my play was mostly double deck games, I have not done comparisons for single deck play. Sorry.
I also have often stated that were I learning a system today, I would stick with a very simple system, either Hi-Lo or KO. Single deck might be worth an exception.
When I started counting I wanted to learn the “best” system, so I only learned that system. Only later I realized that DD and SD games might be beaten more efficiently with higher PC. I ended up learning the Hi-lo eventually (only system I know about for Spanish 21), and I would have just switched to that had I not already memorized the damn indices for the halves.
So I really appreciate your response.
P.S. Don’t give up on SD just yet, Cali has a few decent (but not amazing) SD games too.
It’s clear you never heard of “Jim’s rhythm system”.
I can’t reveal the details, but it’s a modified anti martingale system that limits your losses and maximizes your gains, best played on a 6 deck shoe, and playing two hands or one hand, depending on the circumstance. If other players at the table don’t like you ‘changing up the cards’ by being in and out with one or two hands, you may want to find an empty table. You will never draw attention from the pit, and you never count cards. This system will lose more than it wins,but the wins can be huge.
Quelqu'un connaît-il Kevin Barton ? C'est mon père et je le cherche depuis 19 ans. C'est un joueur de blackjack très connu, un compteur de cartes. Toute information sur mon père serait très appréciée.
J'ai appris à compter les cartes. J'utilise le système Hi-Lo. (Je distribue un jeu de cartes et je note mes résultats ainsi que le temps qu'il me faut pour passer un jeu de cartes. Mon meilleur résultat jusqu'à présent est de 40 secondes.
J'ai trois questions à vous poser...
1. Comment calculer au mieux le nombre de jeux distribués en regardant simplement le sabot de défausse ?
2. Lors de mon avant-dernière visite au casino, je me suis très bien débrouillé MAIS... l'un des autres joueurs de la table m'a dit : " Qu'est-ce que tu fais, mec ? Tu comptes les cartes ?" J'ai été à deux doigts de faire un 1TP4 dans mon pantalon ! Alors, comment mieux "couvrir" le fait ?
3. Que pensez-vous du système TKO de Daniel Dravot ?
Merci,
GV
1. L'estimation du nombre de jeux de cartes dans le plateau de défausse est une compétence que vous pouvez mettre en pratique chez vous. Achetez quelques jeux de cartes usagés dans une boutique de cadeaux de casino et essayez de deviner le nombre de cartes contenues dans des piles de différentes tailles. Vous n'avez pas besoin d'être très précis. Une précision de l'ordre de la moitié d'un jeu de cartes devrait suffire.
2. Lorsque les mises sont faibles, vous ne pouvez pas vous permettre de vous camoufler pour dissimuler vos tactiques. Il vous suffit de limiter vos sessions à une seule table.
3. Le KO est à peu près aussi puissant que le Hi-Lo, et la plupart des gens le trouvent plus facile. Le TKO l'améliore encore, mais je m'assurerais que vous êtes très à l'aise avec le KO normal d'abord. Vous pourrez ajouter les idées de TKO plus tard.
Bonne chance et bonnes cartes ! -Ken-
Ken Smith is the only knowledgable player here. I don’t count but I play solid basic strategy and I press like a maniac until I reach the table max. I’m from the school of play to win big. I’ll break my bankroll up into 6 or 8 sessions usually around 600 bucks. I start at a hundred a hand. If I lose three in a row I’m gone. My goal is to press to the table max while pulling back enough money to double or split on any given bet amount. I play for streaks. I want to win 9+ hands in a row. It has happened. I usually don’t play longer than 10 to 20 minutes at a given time. It’s been great. I’ve won big. I’ve lost too. It’s a blast when a streak happens and you’ve got 20 people cheering for you with a 5 or 6 thousand dollar bet up there. Win or lose. It’s a major rush.
Say for example I was at a $15 minimum table, would you recommend using the same spread like the one listed. So $5 would be $15, $10 would be $30 etc etc?
Also, say for example I had a bankroll where I could afford to bet $20 – $240. If I was at a $5 table should I just bet $5 when the count is 1 or less and then jump to $40 when it get to 2. Other than maybe raising casino interest in your play, would this be a good strategy
Yes, you can think of spreads in terms of bet multiples no matter what the table minimum is. Of course, your bankroll needs to be proportionally larger too.
For your second question, a bigger spread will create a bigger return. In short, the less you can bet into bad counts and the more you can bet into good counts directly translate into better return. Larger spreads also create larger swings, in many cases much larger. So make sure you understand the bankroll required.
Luckily, the pit-bosses and THEIR bosses here in Mesquite seem to have a super-low opinion of the 6:5 games, so I doubt we’ll be seeing them for a while…
Hi Ken ! thanks for all. I would know if is possible to buy the advanced card set in ebook format or something like that because the shipping charges regard my country are really high.
I agree. The true count must be calculated in when deciding wether to hit or stay during a hand. Rigidly adhering to bs doesn’t seem to make sense to me. Or so it seems
I’ve played my fair share of blackjack in actual casinos. Many of it counting cards. This happens nearly every time. It’s a real pisser….you put all that time and effort into learning how to count cards only to realize the count is negative so often and usually right out of the gate. It’s very seldom the count goes high or in your favor. Counting cards certainly works but if you’re careful not to expose yourself by betting large amounts while the count is high you end up barely getting by. I’ve been working on progressive betting strategies for years now with no luck finding the perfect one.
Bonjour Ken,
Your website rocks. I use the Wong Halves count but I’m curious whether another betting system is more efficient for single deck games. I believe most of the benefit from the halves system is from the betting precision, but I’m not sure whether in a single deck game that could be outweighed by a system with a higher playing efficiency. Assuming no obstacles for learning a new system, which would be the Utopian single deck system in your opinion?
You must play in Reno, because there aren’t many other places where this question is still relevant!
Personally, I chose the Halves count because of the high BE that you noted. Counts with a higher PE generally require a side count of Aces, which I just didn’t like doing. It’s not keeping the Ace side count that was annoying to me, but rather the adjustments needed to then utilize it.
Since my play was mostly double deck games, I have not done comparisons for single deck play. Sorry.
I also have often stated that were I learning a system today, I would stick with a very simple system, either Hi-Lo or KO. Single deck might be worth an exception.
Here are a couple of links that may be helpful.
You probably already know about this comparison of counts: https://www.qfit.com/card-counting.htm
Here’s an interesting collaborative effort from the boards: https://www.blackjackinfo.com/knowledge-base/blackjack-card-counting/bjinfo-open-source-ubz-ii-v0-5/
Thanks, Ken.
When I started counting I wanted to learn the “best” system, so I only learned that system. Only later I realized that DD and SD games might be beaten more efficiently with higher PC. I ended up learning the Hi-lo eventually (only system I know about for Spanish 21), and I would have just switched to that had I not already memorized the damn indices for the halves.
So I really appreciate your response.
P.S. Don’t give up on SD just yet, Cali has a few decent (but not amazing) SD games too.
has anybody been using snyders red seven count?
It’s clear you never heard of “Jim’s rhythm system”.
I can’t reveal the details, but it’s a modified anti martingale system that limits your losses and maximizes your gains, best played on a 6 deck shoe, and playing two hands or one hand, depending on the circumstance. If other players at the table don’t like you ‘changing up the cards’ by being in and out with one or two hands, you may want to find an empty table. You will never draw attention from the pit, and you never count cards. This system will lose more than it wins,but the wins can be huge.
Great helpful advice re martingale. The pushes and table maximums make any negative progression a terrible strategy.
Quelqu'un connaît-il Kevin Barton ? C'est mon père et je le cherche depuis 19 ans. C'est un joueur de blackjack très connu, un compteur de cartes. Toute information sur mon père serait très appréciée.
J'ai appris à compter les cartes. J'utilise le système Hi-Lo. (Je distribue un jeu de cartes et je note mes résultats ainsi que le temps qu'il me faut pour passer un jeu de cartes. Mon meilleur résultat jusqu'à présent est de 40 secondes.
J'ai trois questions à vous poser...
1. Comment calculer au mieux le nombre de jeux distribués en regardant simplement le sabot de défausse ?
2. Lors de mon avant-dernière visite au casino, je me suis très bien débrouillé MAIS... l'un des autres joueurs de la table m'a dit : " Qu'est-ce que tu fais, mec ? Tu comptes les cartes ?" J'ai été à deux doigts de faire un 1TP4 dans mon pantalon ! Alors, comment mieux "couvrir" le fait ?
3. Que pensez-vous du système TKO de Daniel Dravot ?
Merci,
GV
1. L'estimation du nombre de jeux de cartes dans le plateau de défausse est une compétence que vous pouvez mettre en pratique chez vous. Achetez quelques jeux de cartes usagés dans une boutique de cadeaux de casino et essayez de deviner le nombre de cartes contenues dans des piles de différentes tailles. Vous n'avez pas besoin d'être très précis. Une précision de l'ordre de la moitié d'un jeu de cartes devrait suffire.
2. Lorsque les mises sont faibles, vous ne pouvez pas vous permettre de vous camoufler pour dissimuler vos tactiques. Il vous suffit de limiter vos sessions à une seule table.
3. Le KO est à peu près aussi puissant que le Hi-Lo, et la plupart des gens le trouvent plus facile. Le TKO l'améliore encore, mais je m'assurerais que vous êtes très à l'aise avec le KO normal d'abord. Vous pourrez ajouter les idées de TKO plus tard.
Bonne chance et bonnes cartes ! -Ken-
Ken Smith is the only knowledgable player here. I don’t count but I play solid basic strategy and I press like a maniac until I reach the table max. I’m from the school of play to win big. I’ll break my bankroll up into 6 or 8 sessions usually around 600 bucks. I start at a hundred a hand. If I lose three in a row I’m gone. My goal is to press to the table max while pulling back enough money to double or split on any given bet amount. I play for streaks. I want to win 9+ hands in a row. It has happened. I usually don’t play longer than 10 to 20 minutes at a given time. It’s been great. I’ve won big. I’ve lost too. It’s a blast when a streak happens and you’ve got 20 people cheering for you with a 5 or 6 thousand dollar bet up there. Win or lose. It’s a major rush.
Bonjour Ken,
Say for example I was at a $15 minimum table, would you recommend using the same spread like the one listed. So $5 would be $15, $10 would be $30 etc etc?
Also, say for example I had a bankroll where I could afford to bet $20 – $240. If I was at a $5 table should I just bet $5 when the count is 1 or less and then jump to $40 when it get to 2. Other than maybe raising casino interest in your play, would this be a good strategy
Yes, you can think of spreads in terms of bet multiples no matter what the table minimum is. Of course, your bankroll needs to be proportionally larger too.
For your second question, a bigger spread will create a bigger return. In short, the less you can bet into bad counts and the more you can bet into good counts directly translate into better return. Larger spreads also create larger swings, in many cases much larger. So make sure you understand the bankroll required.
Luckily, the pit-bosses and THEIR bosses here in Mesquite seem to have a super-low opinion of the 6:5 games, so I doubt we’ll be seeing them for a while…
Oui, c'est celui-là, même si les nuances sont légèrement différentes. Ils ont aussi Triple-Up.
Il se peut que je doive faire appel à mon frère cadet pour bricoler quelque chose. XD
Sorry Roberto, I don’t have an electronic version available. I may consider that in the future though.
Hi Ken ! thanks for all. I would know if is possible to buy the advanced card set in ebook format or something like that because the shipping charges regard my country are really high.
I sent an email to ‘observer’, in case he is interested in connecting with you.
You figured out how to count the side bets?
That’s extremely lucrative.
Can we talk?
I agree. The true count must be calculated in when deciding wether to hit or stay during a hand. Rigidly adhering to bs doesn’t seem to make sense to me. Or so it seems
I’ve played my fair share of blackjack in actual casinos. Many of it counting cards. This happens nearly every time. It’s a real pisser….you put all that time and effort into learning how to count cards only to realize the count is negative so often and usually right out of the gate. It’s very seldom the count goes high or in your favor. Counting cards certainly works but if you’re careful not to expose yourself by betting large amounts while the count is high you end up barely getting by. I’ve been working on progressive betting strategies for years now with no luck finding the perfect one.