Leroy's Blackjack Gambling

Card Counting Strategies

KO Card Counting Strategy

The KO card counting system, also called the Knock Out card count system, is a system where if you counted down an entire deck of cards, you won't end up with a count of 0. The methodology of the KO card counting system is explained in the book Knock Out Blackjack, written by Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs.

The KO strategy adds one extra small card to the Hi Lo count, the 7, as a +1 value . So by using this system you will end up with a count of positive 4 if you counted down a deck of cards, because there are 4 sevens in every deck. The imbalance of this counting system is created to deliberately avoid the need to make true count conversions. The following chart shows each cards value, in the KO count:

2, 3, 4 , 5, 6, 7 Count +1

8, 9 Count 0

10, J, Q, K, A Count -1

In Knock Out Blackjack, the authors claim that it is too mentally taxing for the majority of blackjack players to constantly be converting back and forth between the true count and the running count, which makes sense. It is difficult to keep converting back and forth unless totally focused. The KO card counting system was designed to make card counting slightly easier on the player.

Using the KO count blackjack strategy is easier to use though less accurate

The Hi Lo blackjack card counting system, also known as the Plus Minus system, was created by Harvey Dubner. Dubner simplified Dr. Edward Throp's groundbreaking system, the Ten Count, to make it easier for players to use at an actual table. The Hi Lo card counting system is a card counting strategy designed for use by beginning and intermediate blackjack players. This is the easiest card counting system to learn and is generally recommended for blackjack players who just play here and there, on the side, and aren't full time players. Due to its ease of use, the Hi Lo card counting system is the most frequently system used in blackjack teams. The reasoning is because the system works well to the stiff learning curve of a multilevel blackjack team.

Hi Lo Card Counting Strategy

The Hi Lo count is easy to learn. Any player who can add 1 and 1 together can master the Hi Lo counting system. First, you'll need to learn the respective value for each card in a deck:

2, 3, 4 , 5, 6 Count +1

7, 8, 9 Count 0

10, J, Q, K, A Count -1

As you can see, there are separate groups of card values. The 20 small cards (2 thru 6) are counted as plus 1 as they are played. The 12 middle cards (7 thru 9) are considered neutral cards and do not change the count as they are played. The 20 big cards (10 thru Ace) are counted as minus 1 as they are played. This system is considered to be a balanced system because if you counted down every single card in a 52 card deck, you would end up with a count of 0.

The Hi Lo card counting system is ever changing system, where each different card is changing the count one way or the other. It's an ongoing battle between the high cards and the low cards to control the card count. You are rooting for the under dog, because the more smaller cards that are played, the higher your odds of winning are. When less smaller cards are in the deck, you have better chances of being dealt blackjack, the dealer busting, or just getting strong starting hands.

When you first sit down at a blackjack table, that is using a new full shoe of cards, the count at the table starts at 0. From the initial 0 count, you will be adding 1, subtracting 1, or adding 0, for every single card that is dealt. If you accidentally miss cards that are dealt and your count gets off, you can shift your odds of winning without your knowledge.

The Hi Opt I blackjack card counting system is a card counting strategy that is designed for advanced blackjack players. This system works similiar to the the Hi Lo card counting system but has a few additional rules and card value changes which make the count more accurate. The Hi Opt I system is also often referred to as the Einstein Count. If you are serious blackjack player, you should definitely consider using the Hi Opt I card counting system. This system has a more math hook and can provide a slightly larger edge for the player. There are blackjack players that claim this small extra percentage of player advantage isn't enough to justify using a more complicated system, but some players disagree and feel that the Hi Opt I strategy is a far superior counting method.

Hi Opt I Card Counting Strategy

The Hi Opt I count requires more focus at the table. This system is also based on adding and subtracting the number 1, so only simple math is used. To use this card counting system you'll need to learn the respective value for each card in a deck. Make sure you review this chart several times to avoid confusing the values with those of other counting systems.

As you can see, there are seperate groups of card values. All 2's in the deck carry a value of 0 in this system and don't change the count when they are played. The 16 other small cards (3 thru 6) are counted as plus 1 as they are played. The 12 middle cards (7 thru 9) are considered neutral cards and do not change the count as they are played. The 16 big cards (10 thru King), excluding Aces, are counted as minus 1 as they are played.

There are separate rule variations for tracking Aces in the Hi-Opt I counting system. This system doesn't keep track of Aces in the card count but there are still changes to basic strategy that need to be made depending on how many aces have been played. Many players use external things such as chips, fingers, or feet, to keep track of how many aces have been played. Ken Uston recommended using your feet in his book Million Dollar Blackjack.

The Hi Opt 2 blackjack card counting system is a card counting strategy that is designed for more advanced blackjack players . This system is more complicated than the Hi Opt I strategy and should only be used by professionals.

The actual extra player advantage that you get from using the HiOpt 2 card counting system, as opposed to simpler card counting systems, is very small. Master Hi Opt 1 then learn the HiOpt II system test them both out and evaluate for yourself .

Hi Opt 2 Card Counting Strategy Explained

The Hi Opt 2 count requires an extremely amazing amount of focus at the table . This system is based on counting, but incorporates more than just the values of 0 or 1. With Hi Opt 2, certain cards have a value of 2 .

The most complicated element of the Hi Opt 2 system is that the cards have a larger range of values which make it harder to keep track of each card value and harder to keep an accurate count during an actual blackjack game. Memorize this chart inside and out to avoid confusing the values with those of other counting systems.

As you can see, there are seperate groups of card values. All 2's, 3's, 6's, and 7's in the deck carry a value of +1 when they are played. All 4's and 5's in the deck carry a value of +2 when they are played and all 8's and 9's carry a neutral value of 0. All of the 16 higher cards, with the exception of the Aces, carry a value of -2.

The Hi Opt 2 system shows that Aces have a neutral 0 count, but this isn't entirely true. Aces aren't actually counted in your count but there are several variations and changes to your basic strategy you'll need to make, depending on how many aces have been played. Instead of keeping track of aces in the card count, people often use external things such as chips, fingers, or feet, to track aces. We will not be covering the different ace varations in this section.

The Hi Opt 2 card counting method is considered to be a balanced card counting system because if you count through an entire deck of 52 playing cards, you should end up with a count of 0, otherwise something isn't right.

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