Beat the Casino With Card Counting

All card counting systems use a running count to indicate when the odds favor the player. This is total you keep in you head. You add or subtract its value from the running count for very card that is played. This running count tracks the history of the game. <pre>#Decks? IRC ——??????? — 1?????? ?????? -2 2????? ??????? -4 6????? ?????? -12 8??????? ???? -16 </pre> A balanced card counting system will end at zero when you count through the entire deck. ? To accurately use a balanced count, you must visually estimate the number of decks remaining in the shoe and divide your running count by that number to get a true count. ? You bet according to the true count. ? That estimate and calculation adds complexity. The Red Seven Count is an unbalanced count. When you count through the deck, you do not end at zero. ? Counting through a single deck will end at +2. ? This is purposely done to remove the need for the true count. ? Removal of the true count makes the system easier to use. ? However, some statistical advantage is lost to achieve ease of use. ? Balanced systems yield slightly higher player advantages. An unbalanced system must have an “initial running count” or IRC. When you begin counting, you start at the IRC and not zero. ? When you finish, you’ll arrive at zero and know you counted correctly. ? Plus, zero is the pivot point. ? A count above zero indicates a players advantage. ? You bet the high wager when the count is above zero. ? You bet the low wager at zero or below. The IRC is -2 times the number of decks. So, the table here defines the IRC. The Red Seven system has an easy to remember IRC. For example, let’s say you are counting into a six deck shoe. The Initial Running Count (IRC) is 6 x -2. That means the IRC is -12. Now, imagine you see the cards being dealt. You translate each card into its value, and then add that amount to the running total. When you have a high running count number, there are more ten cards in the shoe. At this point you realize that the odds are in your favor. Cards played are translated to numeric values and added to the running count. ? The numeric value of the cards is shown in the following chart. <pre>Face??? Value —-????????—–2???????????? +1 3???????????? +1 4???????????? +1 5???????????? +1 6???????????? +1 red 7???? +1 black 7??? 0 8???????????? ?0 9???????????? ?0 10?????????? -1 Jack?????? -1 Queen??? -1 King??????? -1 Ace????????? -1 ?</pre> Note the value of the seven cards. A red seven is counted as plus one. These are seven of diamonds and seven of hearts. Black sevens are value zero. These are the clubs and spades. By splitting the value of the seven cards, the system becomes unbalanced. A first you practice counting single cards. ? Simply flip through the deck and keep the running count as you go. ? Don’t say the count out loud. ? You don’t want do that in the casino, so it’s not a habit you want to start in practice. You graduate to counting pairs of cards. ? Flip through a deck counting 2 cards at once. ? It’s often easier to count pairs because will cancel each other out. ? At the blackjack table, you’ll often see pairs of cards <pre>Pair????? ?? ?Value —-????????? ?? —–King, 8??? ?? ?-1 8, 4????????? ?? +1 5, 2???????????? +2 Ace, Jack?? -2 </pre> The odds of a player winning a hand are greater when there are more ten cards in the shoe. ? The house has the advantage when there are more low cards in the shoe. ? This is because the house must hit below 17. ? All card counting systems are based on this fact. You must know when the odds of winning shift to the player. ? Keeping the running count tells you when there are more ten cards. ? Thus, you will know when the odds favor the player. ? At that point you increase your wager. You must have two wagers when using the red seven system. ? A low wager is typically the table minimum bet. ? You use the low wager until the running count goes above zero. ? The high wager should be 10 times the low wager. ? If the table minimum is $10, the high wager should be $100. Your bankroll must be large enough to sustain losses at the high wager. ? The statistical advantage only becomes apparent after many hours of play. ? You have to be prepared for a losing streak even at the high wager. ? The high wager should be no more than 2% of your bankroll. ? You can calculate the high wager from the low wager, and the starting bankroll from high wager. That is the basic Red Seven system. Since it is unbalanced, you do not need to calculate the true count. All you must know are the point values and the IRC.

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