Gaming Blog

Selecting a counting system for blackjack

It’s important to remember that to be a consistent winner at blackjack, you must play mathematically correct (basic strategy), and add card counting to the skill of the player. With that combination, a player can consistently move the house odds to his favor. The question then becomes which counting system should one select. In my book KISS Guide to Gambling I list 55 different counting systems. Some are simple and easy to learn, while others require lots of work memorizing and high concentration while playing.

The easiest counting systems are those called “level-one”. These counts only assign values of +1 and –1 for the various cards in the deck. Multi-level systems, on the other hand, may assign values of plus or minus 2, 3 or 4 for the various cards. Another consideration to bear in mind when choosing a system is speed. You must keep the count accurately, even against a very fast dealer. It’s been found that problems with speed arise when using a multi-level count. We know that a more complex system will result in a more accurate count. However, when using a multi-level count it requires more concentration and opens more of a chance of making mistakes during play.

One simple and easy count and one that is still very powerful is called the Hi-Opt I. That system is a level-one count and can be learned very quickly and is easy to use at the table. Consider it when you go looking for a good counting system that you can handle.

2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	X	A
0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	-1	0

Gaming Tip - Payout Rate

When you see a particular casino advertising a 98 percent payout on their slot machines you should always ask a casino employee where those high payout machines are located. This is a simple technique to do, If you ask, they will tell. If you don’t ask, you will spend a lot of wasted time looking around the casino when you could be playing.

In the Month of September

• Sept. 1, 1956 The first scientific study of the mathematical odds of blackjack is written by Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel, and James McDermott and published in the September issue of the Journal of American Statistical Association.
• Sept. 2, 1911 born, William (Bill) Fisk Harrah, in South Pasadena, a businessman and the founder of Harrah’s Hotel and Casinos Empire.
• Sept. 7, 1994 The $70 million Fremont Street Experience opens in Las Vegas. The covered four-city block predestine walk has different overhead light and sound shows every evening.
• Sept. 8, 1953 Born, Stuey “The Kid” Ungar in Manhattan New York City. The only three-time winner of the WSOP main event.
• Sept. 13, 1951 A popular singer and teen idol named Frank Sinatra makes his Las Vegas debut in the Painted Desert showroom at the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino.
• Sept. 15, 2005 Elmer Sherwin wins $21,147,947.31 on a Megabucks slot machine at the Cannery in North Las Vegas. Sherwin also won a $4.6 million Megabucks jackpot at The Mirage on Nov. 22, 1989.
• Sept. 17, 1920 National Football League is first established.
• Sept. 26, 2006 Partypoker.com founders J. Russell Deleon and Ruth Parasol are tied for the 197th on Forbes’ annual list of the 400 richest Americans with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion each.
• Sept. 27, 2006 A gang of thieves hold up security van transporting cash from the Mount Parns Casino in Athens, Greece and make away with an estimated 1.6 million euros (1.9 million US$).
• Sept. 28, 1998 A contest was held in Las Vegas to “Name The Castle” which was under construction on the Las Vegas strip. The “Excalibur” name was selected and $25,000 was awarded to the person who submitted it.
• Sept. 29, 1961 Fidel Castro declares casinos in Cuba to be illegal and closes all of them.

Did you know

• There are about 150 cruise ships operating around the world that have casinos on board.
• Nevada has been the No. 1 fastest-growing state in America for 19 consecutive years. Las Vegas itself has been the No. 1 fastest growing city for 19 consecutive years.
• To raise revenue, all 13 original colonies established lotteries. The proceeds helped establish some of the nation's earliest and most prestigious universities -- Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, Princeton, and William & Mary. Lottery funds were also used to build many churches and libraries.
• The term “stateroom” comes from the days of the riverboats on America’s great rivers. The suites for the wealthy travelers and gamblers on those old paddle wheelers, were named after the various states of the union.
• In the 1930’s Monte Carlo casino was spending 5,000 francs each year on new croupier’s rakes, the old ones wore out by racking in players chips at roulette.
• Japan is the only country in the world with legalized betting on bicycle, motorcycle and motorboat races.
• The first recorded lottery with a monetary prize was in Florence, Italy in 1530.
• Vegas Vic, the enormous cowboy sign over Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas is the world’s largest mechanical neon sign.