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Blackjack Card Counting Systems

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Blackjack, or Twenty-one, is the most popular casino game. With the development of the personal computer, players, including mathematically skilled individuals who had used brute force methods to develop systems to win at the game, found that computer-developed systems provided a distinct advantage.

In the 1960's, blackjack became the most popular of casino games after computer-based systems were developed which gave an edge to the player. Various mathematicians and gamblers including Edward Thorp and Les Golden have refined these systems.[1][2][3][4][5]

The following table summarizes the most popular and most powerful systems. References are provided to the developers of the systems and the most authoritative websites which discuss their attributes.

The numbers in the table are the values assigned to the given card. In blackjack, 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are all considered "10-value" cards. The total "count" of a hand is the arithmetic sum of the values assigned to the cards being held in the hand.

System Name 2s 3s 4s 5s 6s 7s 8s 9s 10s A’s Developer
Advanced Omega II[6][7][8] 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 -1 -2 0 Bryce Carlson
Canfield Expert[9][10] 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 -1 -1 0 Richard Canfield (John Hinton)
Canfield Master[11] 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 -1 -2 0 Richard Canfield (John Hinton)
Hi-Lo[12][13] 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 -1 -1 Edward O. Thorp
Hi-Opt I (High Optimum)[14][15] 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 -1 0 Lance Humble and Carl Cooper
Hi-Opt II (High Optimum)[16][17] 1 1 2 2 1 1 0 0 -2 0 Lance Humble and Carl Cooper
Keep It Simple 2 (KISS 2)[18][19] 0/1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 -1 0 Fred Renzey
Keep It Simple 3 (KISS 3)[20][21] 0/1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1 -1 Fred Renzey
Knock Out (K-O; All Sevens)[22][23][24] 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1 -1 Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs
Mentor[25][26] 1 2 2 2 2 1 0 -1 -2 -1 Fred Renzey
Red Seven[27][28] 1 1 1 1 1 0/1 0 0 -1 -1 Arnold Snyder
Revere 14 Count[29][30] 2 2 3 4 2 1 0 -2 -3 0 Lawrence Revere (G. Owens)
Revere Advanced Point Count (RAPC)[31][32] 2 3 3 4 3 2 0 -1 -3 -4 Lawrence Revere (G. Owens)
Revere Plus-Minus[33][34][35] 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1 -1 0 Lawrence Revere (G. Owens)
Revere Point Count (RPC)[36][37] 1 2 2 2 2 1 0 -1 -2 -2 Lawrence Revere (G. Owens)
Silver Fox[38][39][40] 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 -1 -1 -1 Ralph Stricker
Unbalanced Zen II (UBZ2)[41][42][43] 1 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 -2 -1 George C.
Uston Advanced Plus/Minus (APM)[44][45] 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1 -1 Ken Uston
Uston Advanced Point Count (APC)[46][47] 1 2 2 3 2 2 1 -1 -3 0 Ken Uston
Uston Strongest and Simplest (SS)[48][49] 2 2 2 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -2 Ken Uston
Wong Halves[50][51][52] .5 1 1 1.5 1 .5 0 -.5 -1 -1 Stanford Wong (John Ferguson)
Zen Count[53][54] 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 0 -2 -1 Arnold Snyder

In the Media

Never Split Tens!, a novel based on the life of pioneering blackjack card counting theorist Edward O. Thorp, by gambling writer Les Golden of Oak Park, Illinois, was published in 2017 by Springer. It includes numerous examples of card counting using Thorp’s systems in simulated casino play including changing bet sizes, group card counting, camouflage techniques, and entering play when the deck is favorable to the player.


References

  1. Golden, Les (2010). “Countering the Casino Countering of Counters: The Golden Diagram to the Rescue,” Bluff Europe, June, p. 84-85
  2. Golden, Les (2011). “Trust Me: An Undetectable Winning System For Blackjack! ,” Bluff Europe, March, p. 94-95
  3. Golden, Leslie M. (2011). “An Analysis of the Disadvantage to Players of Multiple Decks in the Game of 21.” The Mathematical Scientist, 32, 2, p. 57-69
  4. http://www.appliedprobability.org/content.aspx?Group=tms&Page=tmsabstracts
  5. Golden, Les (2011). “Stepping Out With My Baby: The Stepwise Betting Strategy,” Bluff Europe, April, p. 92-93
  6. Carlson, Bryce (2010) Blackjack for Blood, Gamestar Pr Inc
  7. "Omega II Blackjackage". http://www.blackjackage.com/omega-II-system.php. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  8. "Omega II BJ21". http://www.bj21.com/boards/free/free_board/index.cgi?noframes;read=148779. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  9. "Canfield Expert book". http://books.google.com/books/about/Blackjack_your_way_to_riches.html?id=6tXtee819p0C. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  10. "Canfield Expert Cardcounting". http://www.blackjack-strategy-page.com/cardcounting/canfieldexpertcardcountingsystem.htm. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  11. "Canfield Master". http://www.clickcasino.com/blackjack-canfield-master-system-lesson.html. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  12. Thorp, Edward O.(1962) Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One, Vintage, New York
  13. Thorp, Edward O.(1966) Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One, revised edition, Vintage, New York
  14. Humble, Lance and Cooper, Carl (1987) The Worlds Greatest Blackjack Book , Doubleday, New York
  15. "Hi-Opt I". http://www.theblackjackrules.com/hi-opt-i.htm. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  16. "Hi-Opt II blackjackinfo". http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=852. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  17. "Hi-Opt II blackjacktactics". http://www.blackjacktactics.com/blackjack/strategy/card-counting/hi-opt-ii/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  18. Renzey, Fred (2006) Blackjack Bluebook , Blackjack Mentor Press
  19. "Kiss 2". http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/kiss-ii/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  20. Renzey, Fred (2006) Blackjack Bluebook II , Blackjack Mentor Press
  21. "Kiss 3". http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=9028. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  22. Vancura, Olaf and Fuchs, Ken (1998) Knock-Out Blackjack, Huntington Press
  23. Zadehkoochak, M. (1992) The Book of British Blackjack Medimage. ISBN 1-897728-00-X
  24. "Knock Out or All Sevens". http://www.koblackjack.com/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  25. Renzey, Fred (2006) Blackjack Bluebook II , Blackjack Mentor Press
  26. "Mentor". http://www.clickcasino.com/blackjack-mentor-blackjack-counting-system-lesson.html. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  27. Snyder, Arnold (1983) Blackbelt in Blackjack
  28. "Red Seven". http://www.blackjackage.com/red-seven.php. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  29. "Revere 14 Count clickcasino". http://www.clickcasino.com/blackjack-revere-14-count-lesson.html. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  30. "Revere 14 Count howtoplayblackjacks". http://howtoplayblackjacks.com/blackjack-systems.htm. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  31. "Revere APC lolblackjack". http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/revere-rapc/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  32. "Revere APC bonusblackjack". http://www.bonusblackjack.org/card-counting/revere-advanced-point-count/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  33. Revere, Lawrence (1971) Playing Blackjack as a Business , Carol Publishing Group-Lyle Stuart
  34. "Revere". http://blackjackbookslibrary.com/playing-blackjack-as-business.htm. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  35. "Revere Plus-Minus". http://www.liveonlineblackjack.net/card-counting/revere-plus-minus/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  36. Revere, Lawrence (1971) Playing Blackjack as a Business , Carol Publishing Group-Lyle Stuart
  37. "Revere Point Count". http://www.liveonlineblackjack.net/card-counting/revere-point-count/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  38. Stricker, Ralph, Silver Fox Blackjack System, Gambler’s Book Club, Las Vegas
  39. "Silver Fox lolblackjack". http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/silver-fox/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  40. "Silver Fox bjinsider". http://www.bjinsider.com/newsletter_142_fox.shtml. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  41. C., George, The Unbalanced Zen II in Schlesinger, Don (2008 ) Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros’ Way, RGE Publishers
  42. "Unbalanced Zen II bj21". http://www.bj21.com/boards/free/free_board/index.cgi?noframes;read=111276. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  43. "Unbalanced Zen II lolblackjack". http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/unbalanced-zen-ii/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  44. Uston, Ken (1998) Million Dollar Blackjack, Carol Publishing Group
  45. "Uston Advanced Plus-Minus". http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/uston-advanced-plus-minus/. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  46. Uston, Ken (1998) Million Dollar Blackjack, Carol Publishing Group
  47. "Uston APC". http://www.duke.edu/web/DBT/Blackjack%20Counting%20Systems.doc. Retrieved 2012-11-24. </ref24}}
  48. Uston, Ken (1998) Million Dollar Blackjack, Carol Publishing Group
  49. "Uston Strongest and Simplest". http://www.clickcasino.com/blackjack-uston-ss-count-lesson.html. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  50. Wong, Stanford (1994) Professional Blackjack, Pi Yee Pr Press
  51. "Wong Halves wonghalvesblackjack". http://www.wonghalvesblackjackcardcountingsystem.htm. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  52. "Wong Halves blackjackage". http://www.blackjackage.com/wong-halves.php. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 
  53. Synder, Arnold (2005) Blackbelt in Blackjack, Cardoza, Las Vegas
  54. "Zen Count". http://www.gamesblackjack.org/strategy/card-counting/zen-count.php. Retrieved 2012-11-24. 

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