View source for Blackjack Card Counting Systems

[[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.<ref>Golden, Les (2010).   “Countering the Casino Countering of Counters:  The Golden Diagram to the Rescue,” ''Bluff Europe'',  June, p. 84-85</ref><ref>Golden, Les (2011). “Trust Me:  An Undetectable Winning System For Blackjack! ,” ''Bluff Europe'', March, p. 94-95</ref><ref>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</ref><ref>http://www.appliedprobability.org/content.aspx?Group=tms&Page=tmsabstracts</ref><ref>Golden, Les (2011). “Stepping Out With My Baby:  The Stepwise Betting Strategy,” ''Bluff Europe'', April, p. 92-93</ref>

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.

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|- style="text-align:center;"
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|System Name
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|2s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|3s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|4s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|5s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|6s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|7s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|8s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|9s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|10s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|A’s
!style="background:#B0C4DE"|Developer
|-
|Advanced Omega II<ref>Carlson, Bryce  (2010) ''Blackjack for Blood'', Gamestar Pr Inc</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.blackjackage.com/omega-II-system.php|title= Omega II Blackjackage|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bj21.com/boards/free/free_board/index.cgi?noframes;read=148779
|title= Omega II BJ21|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|1
|2
|2
|2
|1
|0 
| -1
| -2
|0
|Bryce Carlson
|-
|Canfield Expert<ref>{{cite web|url= http://books.google.com/books/about/Blackjack_your_way_to_riches.html?id=6tXtee819p0C |title= Canfield Expert book |publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.blackjack-strategy-page.com/cardcounting/canfieldexpertcardcountingsystem.htm
|title=Canfield Expert Cardcounting|publisher=|date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|0 
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0 
| -1
| -1
|0
|Richard Canfield (John Hinton)
|-
|Canfield Master<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.clickcasino.com/blackjack-canfield-master-system-lesson.html|title= Canfield Master |publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|1
|2
|2
|2
|1
|0 
| -1
| -2
|0
|Richard Canfield (John Hinton)
|-
|Hi-Lo<ref>Thorp, Edward O.(1962) ''Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One'', Vintage, New York</ref><ref name=''beat-1966''>Thorp, Edward O.(1966) ''Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One'', revised edition, Vintage, New York</ref>
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0 
|0 
|0 
| -1
| -1
|[[Edward O. Thorp]]
|-
|Hi-Opt I (High Optimum)<ref>Humble, Lance and Cooper, Carl  (1987) ''The Worlds Greatest Blackjack Book '', Doubleday, New York</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.theblackjackrules.com/hi-opt-i.htm |title=Hi-Opt I |publisher=|date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|0 
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0 
|0 
|0 
| -1
|0
|Lance Humble and Carl Cooper
|-
|Hi-Opt II (High Optimum)<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=852
|title= Hi-Opt II  blackjackinfo|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.blackjacktactics.com/blackjack/strategy/card-counting/hi-opt-ii/|title= Hi-Opt II blackjacktactics|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|1
|2
|2
|1
|1
|0 
|0 
| -2
|0
|Lance Humble and Carl Cooper
|-
| Keep It Simple 2 (KISS 2)<ref>Renzey, Fred  (2006) ''Blackjack Bluebook '', Blackjack Mentor Press</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/kiss-ii/
|title= Kiss 2|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>  
| 0/1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0 
|0 
|0 
| -1
|0
|Fred Renzey
|-
| Keep It Simple 3 (KISS 3)<ref>Renzey, Fred  (2006) ''Blackjack Bluebook II '', Blackjack Mentor Press</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=9028
|title= Kiss 3|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
| 0/1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0 
|0 
| -1
| -1
|Fred Renzey
|-
|Knock Out (K-O; All Sevens)<ref>Vancura, Olaf and Fuchs, Ken  (1998) ''Knock-Out Blackjack'', Huntington Press</ref><ref name=''british''>Zadehkoochak, M. (1992) ''The Book of British Blackjack'' Medimage. ISBN 1-897728-00-X</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.koblackjack.com/
|title= Knock Out or All Sevens|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0 
|0 
| -1
| -1
|Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs
|-
|Mentor<ref>Renzey, Fred  (2006) ''Blackjack Bluebook II '', Blackjack Mentor Press</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.clickcasino.com/blackjack-mentor-blackjack-counting-system-lesson.html
|title= Mentor|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|2
|2
|2
|2
|1
|0 
| -1
| -2
| -1
| Fred Renzey
|-
|Red Seven<ref>Snyder, Arnold  (1983) ''Blackbelt in Blackjack''</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.blackjackage.com/red-seven.php|title= Red Seven|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
| 0/1
|0 
|0 
| -1
| -1
|[[Arnold Snyder]]
|-
|Revere 14 Count<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.clickcasino.com/blackjack-revere-14-count-lesson.html|title= Revere 14 Count clickcasino|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://howtoplayblackjacks.com/blackjack-systems.htm
|title= Revere 14 Count howtoplayblackjacks|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|2
|2
|3
|4
|2
|1
|0 
| -2
| -3
|0
|[[Lawrence Revere]] (G. Owens)
|-
|Revere Advanced Point Count (RAPC)<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/revere-rapc/|title= Revere APC lolblackjack|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bonusblackjack.org/card-counting/revere-advanced-point-count/|title= Revere APC bonusblackjack|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|2
|3
|3
|4
|3
|2
|0 
| -1
| -3
| -4
|[[Lawrence Revere]] (G. Owens)
|-
|Revere Plus-Minus<ref>Revere, Lawrence  (1971) ''Playing Blackjack as a Business '', Carol Publishing Group-Lyle Stuart</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://blackjackbookslibrary.com/playing-blackjack-as-business.htm|title= Revere|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.liveonlineblackjack.net/card-counting/revere-plus-minus/|title= Revere Plus-Minus|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0
|0 
| -1
| -1
|0
|[[Lawrence Revere]] (G. Owens)
|-
|Revere Point Count (RPC)<ref>Revere, Lawrence  (1971) ''Playing Blackjack as a Business '', Carol Publishing Group-Lyle Stuart</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.liveonlineblackjack.net/card-counting/revere-point-count/|title= Revere Point Count|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|2
|2
|2
|2
|1
|0 
| -1 
| -2
| -2
|[[Lawrence Revere]] (G. Owens)
|-
|Silver Fox<ref>Stricker, Ralph, ''Silver Fox Blackjack System'', Gambler’s Book Club, Las Vegas</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/silver-fox/|title= Silver Fox lolblackjack|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bjinsider.com/newsletter_142_fox.shtml|title= Silver Fox bjinsider|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0 
| -1
| -1
| -1
|Ralph Stricker
|-
|Unbalanced Zen II (UBZ2)<ref> C., George, ''The Unbalanced Zen II'' in Schlesinger, Don (2008 ) ''Blackjack Attack:  Playing the Pros’ Way'', RGE Publishers</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bj21.com/boards/free/free_board/index.cgi?noframes;read=111276|title= Unbalanced Zen II bj21|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/unbalanced-zen-ii/|title= Unbalanced Zen II lolblackjack|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|2
|2
|2
|2
|1
|0 
|0 
| -2
| -1
|George C.
|-
|Uston Advanced Plus/Minus (APM)<ref>Uston, Ken  (1998) ''Million Dollar Blackjack'', Carol Publishing Group</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.lolblackjack.com/blackjack/card-counting/systems/uston-advanced-plus-minus/
|title= Uston Advanced Plus-Minus|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|0 
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0 
|0 
| -1
| -1
|[[Ken Uston]]
|-
|Uston Advanced Point Count (APC)<ref>Uston, Ken  (1998) ''Million Dollar Blackjack'', Carol Publishing Group</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.duke.edu/web/DBT/Blackjack%20Counting%20Systems.doc
|title= Uston APC|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref24}}</ref>
|1
|2
|2
|3
|2
|2
|1
| -1
| -3
|0
|[[Ken Uston]]
|-
|Uston Strongest and Simplest (SS)<ref>Uston, Ken  (1998) ''Million Dollar Blackjack'', Carol Publishing Group</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.clickcasino.com/blackjack-uston-ss-count-lesson.html
|title= Uston Strongest and Simplest|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|2
|2
|2
|3
|2
|1
|0 
| -1
| -2
| -2
|[[Ken Uston]]
|-
|Wong Halves<ref>Wong, Stanford  (1994) ''Professional Blackjack'', Pi Yee Pr Press</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.wonghalvesblackjackcardcountingsystem.htm
|title= Wong Halves wonghalvesblackjack|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.blackjackage.com/wong-halves.php
|title= Wong Halves blackjackage|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|.5
|1
|1
|1.5
|1
|.5
|0 
| -.5
| -1
| -1
|[[Stanford Wong]] (John Ferguson)
|-
|Zen Count<ref>Synder, Arnold  (2005) ''Blackbelt in Blackjack'', Cardoza, Las Vegas</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.gamesblackjack.org/strategy/card-counting/zen-count.php
|title= Zen Count|publisher= |date= |accessdate=2012-11-24}}</ref>
|1
|1
|2
|2
|2
|1
|0 
|0 
| -2
| -1
|[[Arnold Snyder]]
|-
|}

==In the Media==

<i>[[Never Split Tens]]!</i>, 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==
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==Categories==
[[Category:Academia]]
[[Category:American academics]]
[[Category:Betting systems]]
[[Category:Research]]
[[Category:Gambling]] 
[[Category:Gambling games]] 
[[Category:Gambling terminology]]