Blackjack For Blood Review

I’ve put together a list of 21 blackjack books that every player should read.

1. Blackjack For Blood Reviews
2. Blackjack For Blood Review Ign
3. Blackjack For Blood Review Sheet
4. Blackjack For Blood Reviews
5. Blackjack For Blood Review

This list includes books for beginners, intermediate players, and experts. By finding and reading the books listed below you can get a complete education in blackjack.

1 – Beat the Dealer

Edward Oakley Thorp is an American mathematics professor and blackjack player from Chicago, Illinois. He’s known as both the father of card counting for his revolutionary work in blackjack and father of the wearable computer after making the first wearable computer and using it in a casino.

He received a Ph. D in mathematics in 1958 and worked as a professor from 1959 to 1982. During this time he developed his blackjack theory which was based on the Kelly criterion.

Over 50 years have passed since Thorp wrote Beat the Dealer and it’s still influencing how people play blackjack today. Beat the Dealer was the first book to mathematically prove you can use card counting to beat the house advantage.

Review Author: Casino Advisor Team Added: Sunday May 18th 2008 Blackjack for Blood is a blood is a book that can benefit any blackjack player, both novice players looking for the basic rules of the game on when to hit, stand or double to the more savvy players looking to count cards and take advantage of a system that will basically guarantee. The Blackjack Zone by Eliot Jacobson Subtitled: Lessons in Winning at Blackjack and Life.This book is for the player who wants to know what works, what doesn’t and why. In a casual, humorous, and easy-to-read manner, Jacobson takes you through basic strategy, the skills necessary to survice as a hobbyist, and then on to card counting and advantage pl.

His point based system revolutionized how blackjack was played. Using his system you assess the composition of the remaining cards in the deck and bet based on this. His book covers basic rules, how to overcome casino counter measures, winning strategies for any level player, charts to illustrate concepts, and ways to spot cheating.

The book is called 'Blackjack for Blood' for a reason. First off you must have enough of a bankroll to survive bad runs (which means having a steady career; winning is never guaranteed) and you must memorize basic strategy to a T. You must also learn how to count in some way or form. I downloaded an app on my phone to help with this. The Blackjack model, like the Z Slayer, sports a 3.5″ barrel and is chambered in.45 Long Colt/.410 Gauge as well. This one is a bit more subtle and mysterious in its appearance with an entirely black finish and a silver spade on the hinge. 5 – Blackjack for Blood. Bryce Carlson started playing blackjack in 1970. His interest in blackjack didn’t stem from wanting to make a lot of money; it was from wanting to beat the casino. Carlson gained his blackjack knowledge by reading many great books and trading tips with several famous blackjack players he got to meet over the years.

2 – Professional Blackjack

Stanford Wong is the pen named used by John Ferguson, who is a gambling author and member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame. He created one of the first blackjack odds analyzing software called “Blackjack Analyzer” for personal use, but it later became commercially available.

Wong’s interest in blackjack started in 1964 when he was teaching a finance course. He left his teaching job to pursue his dream of a gambling career. His pen name Wong refers to an advantage in blackjack that he made popular in the 1980s.

Wong’s most popular book, Professional Blackjack, was published in 1975. His book covers what all blackjack players want to know; how to win without getting kicked out of a casino.

While reading his book you’ll learn the basics of blackjack, the High Low count system he uses, the three level Wong Halves Count, and information about the Over / Under 13 side game that can be found in some casinos. At the end of his book you’ll find 100 pages worth of charts showing various things related to the game.

3 – The Theory of Blackjack

Peter A Griffin is one of the original seven Blackjack Hall of Fame members, mathematician, and author. His first interest in blackjack was in 1970 when he went to Nevada to do research for a course on the mathematics of gambling. After losing all his money, he was determined to do further research.

In 1979 his book Theory of Blackjack was published and it became a blackjack classic. His book shares the methods behind today’s card counting system. He provides his techniques to determining the accuracy of a card counting system, how to analyze betting and playing strategies for any system, and finding the basic strategy for playing any set of rules and any number of decks. Although his book covers the background of card counting, it’s more mathematically based than your average blackjack book.

4 – Blackbelt in Blackjack

Arnold Snyder is a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame and was making a living playing blackjack when he started writing books. He felt the need to write about blackjack because it bothered him to see all the bad information being put out by so called experts who didn’t even play the game.

His book Blackbelt in Blackjack was published in 1983. It’s said this book is for professional players who are looking to further their winning ability but this book covers the basics of blackjack to the more advanced techniques. His book covers everything you need to know on blackjack such as team play, multiple deck camouflage techniques, pros shuffle tracking, 7 count, zen count, true count, hi lo count, and more.

5 – Blackjack for Blood

Bryce Carlson started playing blackjack in 1970. His interest in blackjack didn’t stem from wanting to make a lot of money; it was from wanting to beat the casino. Carlson gained his blackjack knowledge by reading many great books and trading tips with several famous blackjack players he got to meet over the years.

His book Blackjack for Blood was published in 2001. It’s for people who don’t know anything about blackjack but want to get started. His book starts with blackjack basics and then goes to the information he learned from world class players. He covers the strategy he personally uses while playing, the Advanced Omega II System for card counting. Carlson developed the Omega II Blackjack Machine, which is computer software that helps him analyze blackjack so he can improve his playing.

6 – Knock Out Blackjack

Knock Out Blackjack was published in 1998 and written by Ken Fuchs and Olaf Vancura. This book teaches you The KO Count. This count was a revolutionary new way to count cards.

The belief that the Hi Lo involved too much counting and took the fun out of the game is what led Fuchs and Vancura to write this book. They developed the KO Count by making one major change to the Hi Lo method. This change is that 7 is a low card instead of a neutral. When you see a 7, you add a one to the count. This leads to an unbalanced system.

This book goes into depth of how the KO Count method works and some suggestions on how to play the game while using this method.

7 – Playing Blackjack as a Business

Lawrence Revere was a controversial figure in the world of gambling because he was both a player and worked for the casino. He played under several aliases such as Leonard Speck Parsons and Paul Mann. He was a pit boss, owner, troubleshooter, dealer, and professional Blackjack player over the course of 28 years. His first introduction to blackjack was when he was 13 and began dealing blackjack in home state of Iowa.

His book Playing Blackjack as a Business was published in 1971 and includes strategies he developed with the high speed computers made by Julian H. Bruan with the IBM Corporation. These counting strategies are The Revere Point Count, The Revere Five Count Strategy, The Reverse Plus Minus Strategy, and The Ten Count Strategy.

His Revere Point Count is considered a benchmark strategy. He also had a high level strategy called Revere Advanced Point Count but it’s unnecessarily complicated and rarely used today.

8 – The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book

The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book by Ken Cooper and Lance Humble was published in 1980.

This book is a complete system blackjack card counting book. It starts with information about blackjack and why card counters can win. It then jumps into the social part of blackjack card counting such as reading the dealer, talking to the pit boss, choosing the casino, and when it’s time to make a fast exit.

You then learn about the card counting system promoted in this book, Hi Opt 1 counting system using a side count of aces. After that the book covers private blackjack games, playing multiple hands, additional tips, and more.

9 – Million Dollar Blackjack

Ken Uston was a famous blackjack player best known for his concept of team play blackjack. He graduated from Yale with honors and was Senior Vice President of the Pacific Stock Exchange when he gave up his career to peruse blackjack.

He was first famous for earning millions of dollars from casino. He was then famous for being banned from many casinos around the world causing him to disguise himself to get back into these casinos.

Uston filled a high profile law suit that said casinos couldn’t ban someone for card counting, and he won. This caused casinos everywhere to change their blackjack rules and increase the decks in a game.

His book Million Dollar Blackjack was published in 1982 and includes all of his knowledge related to blackjack and his experiences throughout his gambling career.

10 – Blackjack Attack

Donald Schlesinger is a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame and author of Blackjack Attack which is widely considered one of the most important books relating to blackjack today.

Blackjack Attack is a collection of Schlesinger’s articles from the Blackjack Forum of Arnold Snyder. First published in 1997, it’s currently in its third edition which has twice as much information as the second edition.

This book is for players that already have a good understanding of basic blackjack information and card counting and have played it in a live game setting. He covers camouflage, risk analysis, systems comparison, optimal betting, team play, and more. The third edition added his reexamination of Peter Griffin’s work and the most accurately devised basic strategy and effects of removal charts.

11 – Basic Blackjack

Another great blackjack book by Stanford Wong, Basic Blackjack was published in 1992. Basic Blackjack covers what the title says, the basics of blackjack. It covers the basic strategy variations in blackjack found whenever blackjack can be found.

He goes over common rule variations like whether the dealer hits soft seventeen or the number of decks. He also covers uncommon rule variations and how they change the player’s strategy and expectations.

At the end of the book you also find information about tells, warps, and other tricks. These last three chapters of the book have been debated as crossing the line from advantage to cheating.

12 – Play Blackjack Like the Pros

Play Blackjack Like the Pros was published in 2005 and is an instructional book by Kevin Blackwood. Blackwood is a professional blackjack player and has played in the Ultimate Blackjack Tour and the World Series of Blackjack.

In his book he teaches the million dollar strategies he uses. You’ll learn about blackjack in high and low stakes casinos, shoe games, online, and tournaments. As with most blackjack books you start with an overview of the game but then he teaches his own card counting method for novice, recreational or professional.

His book also covers information about money management, team play, and camouflaging techniques. Blackwood also shares his stories and successes at the table.

13 – Blackjack Essays

Mason Malmuth is a professional gambler that has written over 600 articles and 20 books. In 1978 Malmuths interest in gambling sparked during an overnight stop in Las Vegas on his way to California. 9 years later in 1987 he left his corporate job to pursue a career in gambling and gambling writer full time. He currently owns Two Plus Two Publishing.

His book Blackjack Essay was published in 1996 and is aimed at advanced blackjack players.

Blackjack Essay covers:

• Shuffle tracking
• Blackjack biases
• Theoretical concepts
• Current blackjack
• Supplemental strategies
• Mistaken ideas
• Playing in a casino
• Front loading
• Obsolete techniques
• Gambler’s ruin
• Back counting
• The one deck game
• Betting strategies
• Becoming a professional
• Casino preparation
• Heads up play
• First basing
• And more.

14 – Blackjack Blueprint

Rick “Night Train” Blaine is a well known professional blackjack player who brings in a mid-seven figure salary from his blackjack playing alone. He plays blackjack all over the world alone and also as a blackjack team player or leader. He’s best known for his teaching skills for new blackjack players.

His book Blackjack Blueprint was published in 2005 and has everything you need to know about blackjack and how to make money playing it. You learn about card counting, basic strategy, maximizing potential, playing solo or on a team, tournaments, shuffle tracking, casino comps, playing in disguise, outwitting the eye in the sky, and more.

His revised edition also contains new information about rebates on gambling losses, disguising wins, hiding chips, risk of identity theft, personal privacy, and more. His main point of the book is a blueprint layout of how you can make blackjack a part time money making career.

15 – Get the Edge at Blackjack

Get the Edge at Blackjack was published in 2003 and written by John May. This book takes you into the secret world of professional blackjack players to teach you how to win like the pros and beat the casinos.

Casinos now use high tech mechanisms that allow them to count cards with the players and use facial recognition to look through disguises. With these new improvements, winning at the casino hasn’t been harder.

In his book, May covers dealer hole card play, automatic shuffling machines, exploiting dealer errors, Kelly betting, and more. All the subjects May covers are lightly gone over and refer you to many books that go over the specific subject in greater detail.

16 – Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution!

Frank Scoblete, also known as King Scobe, is author of Gold Touch Blackjack Revolution!, which was published in 2006. Scoblete’s interest in gambling first started while he was in Atlantic City doing research for the part of a gambler in a play. In 1989 he left the theatre company and started writing about gambling.

In his book you learn about the easiest advantage blackjack method ever developed, Speed Count. Speed count is considered by some less powerful that both the Knock Out count and the Hi Low.

But this is not believed by everyone and the Speed Count is much easier to learn than the traditional count.

17 – Modern Blackjack

Modern Blackjack was written by Norm Wattenberger and published in 2010.

His book covers:

• Over a 100 variations
• Modern basic strategy
• Casino heat
• Modern card counting systems
• Current casino conditions
• Scams and myths
• Casino comportment
• Strategy comparisons
• Hole carding
• Shuffle tracking
• Spanish 21 hole carding
• And team play.

His book goes into great details and shows the remarkable amount of research he put into each subject. Modern Blackjack teaches you everything you need to know from blackjack basics to the advanced strategies used by blackjack professionals.

18 – Blackjack Bluebook II

Blackjack Bluebook II was written by Fred Renzey and was originally published in 2003. This book is a handbook on how to play blackjack and win legitimately at casinos. It contains many visual scenarios and a color coded strategy chart to help you grasp the basic strategy of the game.

He disproves many blackjack myths and correctly shows how to play several hands that are usually misplayed. You learn 3 different card counting systems for entry level up to professional. It also includes the KISS count and many outside of box tips that are rarely written about. These include:

• The Magnificent 7 Hands
• Profiting from Other Players’ Hands
• Hi Card / Lo Card Layouts
• True Fudging with Unbalanced Counts
• The Nifty 15
• And The Ace / 10 Front Count.

19 – Big Book of Blackjack

Another book by the Blackjack Hall of Fame member Arnold Snyder, Big Book of Blackjack was published in 2006. This book is a big book of everything you need to know about blackjack.

Snyder fills this book with his over 25 years of experience in blackjack advice for players of all stages from beginning to advance players. Along with his guidance he includes winning techniques that have never been in a nationally distributed book. He focuses on both teaching you how to play blackjack and keeping the fun of the game while winning.

20 – Blackjack Wisdom

Blackack Wisdom was written by Arnold Snyder and is a collection of his best articles. This book isn’t a guide to blackjack with a certain method; it’s a mixture of all the blackjack information Snyder has written and learned about over the years.

You’ll read how Snyder keeps blackjack fun with his humorous remarks throughout the book. He also talks about several other blackjack books and why you need to read them to build on your blackjack knowledge.

21 – Winning Blackjack for the Serious Player

Winning Blackjack for the Serious Player was written by Edwin Silberstang and published in 1993. His book covers the basic rules of the game as well as a simple card counting method.

It includes:

• Five practice quizzes
• Money management
• Tipping guide
• Eight rules of self-discipline
• And sage advice for being a winner

His book also includes basic strategy charts based on location such as Vegas or Atlantic City. This book doesn’t go in depth about advanced card counting strategies and only covers the Hi Low counting method. It’s an easy to read book to help you get serious about playing blackjack.

Conclusion

21 blackjack books every player should read has a book for everyone. Among these books you can find ones that teach you the basics of blackjack to books that teach you professional strategy and secret methods used by the pros.

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for mathematically proven systems, how to make a load of money, or how to keep the fun in the game, you can find a book that fits your needs here.

Counting cards is the most popular and possibly the most practical
way to get an edge when playing blackjack. It’s a completely legal
means of getting an edge over the casino, and it’s one of the
reasons that blackjack is one of the only beatable casino games on
the floor. This page provides a detailed overview of how card
counting works, the history of the practice, and some insights into
how to get started counting cards for yourself.

You’ll probably be surprised at how easy it is to count cards, but
once you realize that, you’ll also be surprised at how many
different ways of counting cards exist. But don’t let the number of options scare you away. Counting cards is
one of the easiest ways to become an advantage gambler. You don’t have to be a genius or a savant. All you
have to do is be able to add 1 and subtract 1 from a running count in your head.

How Card Counting Works

In most gambling games, the odds are the same every time you bet. That’s because the games have no
memory of past occurrences.

If you’re playing roulette, there are 38 spaces where the ball can land. If you bet on any single space on the
wheel, your odds of winning are 37 to 1. They remain 37 to 1 on every subsequent spin.

But suppose you filled in one of those spaces when a ball landed in it?

The odds of winning on the next spin would become 36 to 1.

And if you kept blacking out spaces, you’d eventually have much better odds of winning that single number
bet.

In fact, eventually, when the odds of winning got to be 34 to 1, you’d have a positive expectation bet against
the casino. The single number bet pays off at 35 to 1.

All you’d need to do would be to wait until enough numbers had been blocked off the wheel.

Of course, that will never happen at the roulette table, but it happens all the time with a blackjack game.

That’s because once a card has been dealt, it can’t be dealt again until it’s shuffled back into the deck.

Blackjack For Blood Reviews

You will find games with automatic shuffling machines where the cards get fed back into the deck immediately
after each hand. And in those games, it’s impossible to get an edge over the casino—at least via counting
cards.

But in other games, the odds of winning change based on the composition of the deck.

It’s easy to see why with a thought experiment:

Pretend you’re playing in a single deck blackjack game where all the aces have already been dealt.

What are your odds of getting a blackjack? If you said 0%, give yourself a gold star.

You can’t get a blackjack without a 10 and an ace. So as each ace and 10 card gets dealt, your chances of
getting a blackjack decrease.

Why is this important?

It’s important because the payout for a blackjack (or a natural) is 3 to 2, and that’s where a lot of the player’s
expected value comes from.

Blackjack For Blood Review Ign

By the same token, if lots of lower cards have been dealt, and a lot of aces and 10s are still in the deck, you
have a better chance of getting a blackjack.

If you raised the size of your bets when you have a better chance of hitting a blackjack, and you lowered the
size of your bets when you have a worse chance of hitting a blackjack, you’d probably make more gambling
at cards, wouldn’t you?

Card counters use a heuristic system to keep track of the ratio of high cards to low cards in the deck. It’s
simply a matter of assigning a value to the high cards and the low cards and tallying them up as you see the
cards get dealt.

The simplest systems just assign the aces and 10s a value of -1 and the 2s through 6s a value of +1.

As you keep a running count, you can raise and lower your bets according to how favorable the deck is.

You can also make changes to the strategy you use to play your hand based on the count.

Basic strategy players face a house edge of between 0.25% and 1%, depending on the rules at the casino in
question.

But card counters can flip that edge to their side and get an edge over the casino of as much as 1% or 2%.

That doesn’t sound like much, but if you’re playing for high enough stakes, you can make a little bit of money
and have a lot of fun.

And it’s way better than the approach most people take when gambling—betting their money, crossing their
fingers, and relying on lady luck.

The History of Counting Cards

• Who invented card counting?
• How long have been people counting cards?
• Why do the casinos allow this activity to go on?

We take a look at some of the answers to these questions in this brief history of counting cards.

Many histories of card counting cite Ed Thorp as the inventor of card counting, and that’s fair. He did invent
what we think of as the “modern” method of counting cards.

But Ed Thorp himself, in his book Beat the Dealer, mentioned several gamblers of his acquaintance who were
beating the casinos with various crude card counting methods. But these guys were system players, and it’s
unclear as to how successful they were. Thorp just doesn’t go into that much detail.

But in terms of a mathematically proven card counting strategy to beat the house, Ed Thorp’s book is the first
and most important example. And even though it was published in 1962, it’s still in print, and almost all
advantage blackjack players recommend owning and reading a copy of it.

Of course, in the early 1960s, John Scarne was considered the foremost gambling authority in the world. He
had addressed blackjack strategy in his book, Scarne’s Guide to Casino Gambling, but Thorp had criticized
some of that advice as being mathematically incorrect.

Thorp and Scarne had a bit of a rivalry, but both of them contributed mightily to the literature of advantage gambling.

It only took Vegas casinos a couple of years to become terrified of Thorp’s methods, so they made a couple of
changes to blackjack rules throughout the city. They eliminate the option of splitting aces, which was a huge
blow to players. They also only allowed players to double down on a total of 11.

Some well-publicized challenges between Thorp, Scarne, and the casinos made a bit of news, but no one ever
accepted anyone’s challenges for various reasons. It seems as if the excitement of being able to beat the
casino is a news story that recurs every now and then. It was all the news when the book and then the movie
Bringing Down the House came out, too.

Casinos began putting countermeasures in place to prevent card counters from getting an edge throughout
the 1960s and the 1970s. The most common countermeasure at that time was to increase the number of
decks in play. In those days, games with 2 and 4 decks were considered tough. Now, 6 and 8 deck shoes are
more or less the standard.

Another development that would matter to the advantage blackjack community was the rise of the Griffin
Agency. They were a private investigations company which put together a book of mug shots of known
gambling cheats. They eventually included known card counters in these books, which were called The Griffin
Book. At one time, they made a fortune selling their services to casinos, but the company has since become
defunct.

During these few decades, various teams have engaged in this type of advantage play, too. The most famous
of these is the MIT Blackjack Team, which isn’t exactly one team at all. In fact, it’s several, and there have been
several incarnations through the years.

Since the 1970s, literally hundreds of books on card counting have been written and published. Some
of them, like the books by Stanford Wong, are excellent. Others, like Bringing Down the House
by Ben Mezrich, are mediocre at best. (That’s the book that made the MIT Blackjack Team a household
phrase, at least temporarily.)

You’ll find reviews of blackjack books on this page of our site.

Counting cards has even been the subject of court cases. In New Jersey, the courts have ruled that since
counting cards isn’t illegal, the casinos have no right to bar players suspected of counting. Atlantic City
responded by increasing their countermeasures. You won’t find anything less than an 8 deck game there, and
most games use a continuous shuffling machine, which makes counting impossible.

Is Counting Cards Illegal?

In no jurisdiction of the world that we know of is counting cards illegal. Think about it. How could thinking
about the game you’re playing be illegal? It’s not even cheating.

This doesn’t mean that casinos don’t reserve the right to run you out of there if they catch you. It’s probably
more common that they’ll just start shuffling up on you a lot more often, though.

On the other hand, if you’re using some kind of device to count cards, you ARE cheating, and in most
jurisdictions, you’re breaking the law. You’re not allowed to use devices when gambling in order to get an
edge. This includes any kind of portable computer you might try to use to help you count.

Blackjack For Blood Review Sheet

We’re amazed that people would feel the need to use such a device in the first place. It’s not that hard to keep
count mentally. It just takes a little bit of practice.

How to Count Cards

The first step in learning how to count cards is to choose a card counting system. We have a page about card
counting for beginners which includes information about a simple count called the ace-five count, but it’s not
as practical or as accurate as it needs to be. It’s just good for players who are just getting started.

We recommend that beginners start with the venerable and still useful hi-lo count, which is basically the same
counting system used in Thorp’s book Beat the Dealer.

Here’s how it works:

• Every time you see a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, you add 1 to the running count.
• Every time you see an ace or any card worth 10, you subtract 1 from the running count.

You need to be comfortable with integers in order to pull this off. If you remember how the number line from
middle school math works, you should be fine. If you need a refresher on integers, you can find one here.

This count that you’re keeping is called a “running count”. If at any time during your session the dealer stops
and shuffles up, you need to start your count over from 0.You also need to learn how to convert this running
count into a “true count”. This takes into account the number of decks in play. To convert the running count
into a true count, divide the count by the number of decks you estimate are left in the shoe. This will eliminate
the dilutive effect of having so many decks of cards in play.

The point of this count is to determine when you should raise your bets:

• If the count is 0 or negative, you bet the minimum amount at the table.
• If the count is positive, you increase the size of your bets in accordance with
  how high the true count has gotten.

Most players just multiply their minimum bet by the true count number to get the amount to bet.

You’re betting $5 per hand.

If the true count is +1, 0, or negative, you bet $5 per hand.

If the true count is +2, you bet $10 per hand.

if the true count is +3, you bet $15 per hand.

The size of your “betting spread” is up to you, but the more you bet when the count is really high, the more of
a mathematical edge you get against the casino.

But here’s something else to keep in mind. One of the ways that casinos spot counters is by monitoring players
who are changing their bet sizes. The lower your spread, the less likely you are to get caught. We’ve been
caught using a spread of 1-10 units, which was admittedly a little aggressive. We’ve seen counters who limit
their top bets to 3X or 5X their minimum bet.

Of course, there are also basic strategy adjustments based on how high or low the count is. These take into
account how likely it is that you’ll be dealt a high card or low card on the next card, and it also takes into
account the likelihood that the dealer has a 10 in the hole or something much lower.

Adjusting your strategy to account for the true count nets you an additional 0.2% to 0.3% against the casino.
It’s not necessary to change your strategy based on the count, but if you want to milk the casino for every
tenth of a percent, you can do so.

The reasons should be obvious, but if the count is low, you’re less likely to get a blackjack. That means
doubling down and splitting aren’t as likely to net you the big payoff that you’re hoping for when you put more
money into action. It also means that there are a relatively large number of low value cards in the deck, making
it less likely that you’ll bust if you hit.

On the other hand, if the count is high, you’re more likely to get a blackjack. So you want to split and double
more often so that you can get more money into action and take advantage of that bigger payout. It also
means that you’re more likely to get a 10 on your next card, which is likely to bust a lot of hands.

You shouldn’t be adjusting your strategy on every move you make, either. Only about 10% of the time do you
make these adjustments in your basic strategy.

We generally just rely on bet sizing to provide use with our edge over the casino.

How to Practice Counting Cards

You can’t just read the above guide on how to do the hi-lo count and walk into a casino and start counting .
This is a skill like any other, and you’re going to need to practice. You start by counting through a single deck
of cards at your kitchen table.

The hi-lo count is a balance counting system. That means there are as many +1 values as there are -1 values.
If you count through a deck of cards using this system accurately, you should end with 0. If you’re ending with
any other number, start over, concentrate, and keep at it until you can count through a deck one card at a
time and get a total of 0 when you finish.

Once you can count through a single deck of cards accurately again and again, start timing yourself. Your
goal should be to cut your initial time in half.

Once you’ve accomplished that, start dealing through the deck in pairs instead of dealing through the cards
one at a time. Your goal now is to start recognizing combinations of cards and what their point totals are. For
example, if you deal a 2 and a 5 (a “hard 7”), you’re looking at a +2. If you deal a 10 and a 2, you’re looking at
2 cards which have canceled each other out and count as 0.

Your goal is again to cut the time it takes you to count through the deck in half.

Once you’ve accomplished this, it’s time to start amping up the distractions. Learn to count through the deck
accurately with the television on. Try playing the radio and the television at the same time.

Your goal is to be able to count so quickly, accurately, and silently that it requires no effort.You also want to
be able to accomplish this without looking like you’re concentrating especially hard.

Have someone you trust watch you. Have them point out if you’re frowning, if your brow is furrowing, if
you’re sub-vocalizing and/or moving your lips—anything that might clue the casino in on the fact that
you’re counting.

You can also practice counting in an online setting, but we think that’s less effective than using real cards.
After all, you want to duplicate the kind of distracted environment that you’ll find in a casino. And you’ll also be
dealing with regular-sized playing cards at a regular-sized table, so why not practice with the tools you’ll
actually be using.

Next, you should find a low stakes blackjack game somewhere and practice counting there. At most blackjack
tables where there’s not a lot of action going on, you can just observe. Try keeping a running count and
converting it into a true count when you’re not playing. See how comfortable you are with it.

Finally, when you’re ready, try playing in as low a stakes game as you can find. Count cards. Get in and get out.
You don’t want to get busted your first time out. It would be awful to be banned or barred on your first
counting session.

How to Avoid Getting Caught

Let’s talk a little more about avoiding detection. The easiest way to avoid detection is to not spend a lot of time
in any one place. It’s tempting when you find a juicy game to stay there forever, but that’s the opposite of what
you should do.

In Sklansky on Blackjack, David Sklansky provides the following advice about avoiding detection:

• Don’t play at the same casino more than once a day—or maybe even more
  than once a week.
• Don’t play there during the same shift every day.
• Don’t play with the same dealers every day.
• Don’t spend more than an hour at any given table at any given casino at a time.

These all seem like sensible guidelines to us, but we have a few more suggestions:

• Don’t give advice to the other players at the table.
• Don’t deviate from basic strategy too much.
• Pay attention to how much attention the casino staff are paying to you. If you
  think you’re being watched, get out of there.
• Don’t concentrate too hard.
• Tip the dealer occasionally. Counters are notorious for not tipping, as it cuts into
  their expectation.
• Don’t drink alcohol, but do have a drink in your hand. We always order a club soda
  with lime in a short glass. It looks like an alcoholic drink, but your mind will stay sharp.
• Avoid looking nerdy in any way. You don’t want to look like a mathematician.
  You want to look like a country bumpkin or a city slicker, but not a brainy type.

Don’t stress out too much about avoiding detection. Scenes of violence in modern casinos are rare. The
industry is too well-regulated. The worst case scenario is that you’ll be escorted off the premises.

On the other hand, if you want to read some interesting stories about encounters between blackjack players
and dealers during a less civilized age, check out Lawrence Revere’s books on blackjack. The World’s Greatest
Blackjack Bookby Lance Humble also contains some interesting stories.

And if you’re just looking for drama related to counting cards, check out Ben Mezrich’s book, Bringing Down
the House. It’s completely different from the movie, but it’s no less melodramatic. It’s also (admittedly)
inaccurate about the details of what really happened, which is disappointing. We’ve found that the true
stories are almost always more interesting than the fictionalized versions.

Various Systems for Getting an Edge

The hi-lo system is only one way of counting cards. Numerous methods exist, all of which have interesting
names. Each of these systems have advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons. We provide a broad
overview of the most popular systems below, but each of these link to a page describing that particular system
in more detail.

First, a word about types of card counting systems. They can be categorized in multiple ways, but two that
matter follow:

1. Balanced versus unbalanced

   A balanced system has the same number of points for low value cards as it does high value
   cards, so that when you count through a deck, you always finish with 0. An unbalanced system
   does not. Unbalanced systems are often used to eliminate the need for a running count
   to true count conversion.

2. Single level versus multi level

   A balanced system has the same number of points for low value cards as it does high value
   cards, so that when you count through a deck, you always finish with 0. An unbalanced system
   does not. Unbalanced systems are often used to eliminate the need for a running count
   to true count conversion.

When you click through to the detailed description of each system below, you’ll find information about these
2 categories and how they apply.

The goals of different systems vary. Some have a goal to just be easy to use. Others focus on offering the best
edge when making basic strategy adjustments. Others shoot for a strong betting correlation. We discuss how
each system meets those criteria in the individual articles, too.

Hi-Lo System

This is the most basic and probably 2nd easiest counting system to learn. We describe it in some detail on
this page, but we go into exhaustive detail on the page devoted specifically to that system.

K-O (Knockout) System

The K-O or Knockout System is an unbalanced system that eliminates the need to convert the running count
into a true count. They do this by starting the count at a negative number and unbalancing the count.

Hi-Opt I and Hi-Opt II Systems

These are the systems promoted in Lance Humble’s book, The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book.

Wong Halves System

This is one of the most accurate systems to use, but it’s also harder to use than most. It doesn’t use whole
numbers. 2s and 9s, for example, are worth +0.5 and -0.5, respectively. This increases the count’s accuracy,
but it makes it harder to implement.

Omega II System

This system is found in Bryce Carlson’s book, Blackjack for Blood. It’s relatively hard and requires you to keep
a side count of aces.

Zen System

This one comes from Arnold Snyder’s book, Blackbelt in Blackjack (which is one of the best books on the
subject, in our opinion.) It’s more accurate than the Hi-Lo System, but it’s also harder to implement. Some
cards are worth 1 and some are worth 2, which makes it a “multi level” system.

Red 7 System

This strategy is as easy as the Hi-Lo System. Like the K-O System, it also eliminates the need for a running
count to true count conversion. It’s also found in Arnold Snyder’s book, Blackbelt in Black, which we can’t
recommend too highly. It’s probably our favorite blackjack book.

Canfield Expert and Master Systems

The Canfield Expert is an older system from the 1970s that was used mostly in single deck games. It’s easy to
use but probably not as effective as newer counts with a similar level of difficulty. The Master system is much
harder and not as effective as it should be given its difficulty.

Kiss 2 and Kiss 3 Systems

These counts are unusual in that they keep up with suits as well as point values. These are surprisingly
powerful and easy counts to use. They’re explained in detail in Renzey’s Blackjack Bluebook II.

Mentor System

This is a system that’s used mostly for multi deck games. It’s featured in Renzey’s Blackjack Bluebook II.

REKO System

This is Norm Wattenberger’s improvement to the K-O System mentioned earlier.

Revere Systems

Lawrence Revere was one of the great characters in the game of blackjack. He published several books
himself, but the most entertaining material ABOUT him can be found in Lance Humble’s The World’s Greatest
Blackjack Book. Most of his systems are harder than they need to be.

Silver Fox System

This is a proprietary system that used to be available from Ralph Stricker.

UBZ a System

This is also called the “Unbalanced Zen Count”. It’s another proprietary system.

Uston Systems

• Uston APC

Ken Uston also had several counting systems. They seem hard.

Much of the information about the various systems above was learned reading QFIT, which is an
excellent resource, and we’re in Norm Wattenberger’s debt for the information he provides there.

Conclusion

Counting cards is a completely legal way to get an edge over the casino, and the great thing about it is that it’s
not really that hard to do. That being said, learning how requires a certain amount of dedication. But if you
can add or subtract 1 repeatedly, you can count cards in blackjack.

Blackjack For Blood Reviews

The practice has an interesting history, and it’s recently caught the public eye again because of the movie
Bringing Down the House.

Casinos are wise to how counters get an edge, and they’re good at thwarting suspected advantage players.

Blackjack For Blood Review

It just means you have to be sensible and smart. Don’t be obvious about what you’re doing. And don’t camp
out at one place for hours on end or hit the same casino at the same time every day of the week.

You’ll get most of your edge by raising and lowering your bets based on the ratio of high cards to low cards in
the deck, but you can get another 0.2% or 0.3% by adjusting your strategy decisions about 10% of the time.
The rule of thumb is to hit more often when the count is low, but double down and split less often. You do the
opposite when the count is high.

Lots of people still beat the casinos on a regular basis. With a little bit of study and effort, you too can become
a card counter. It just takes a little bit of practice.