Ask any casual gambler about the best way to beat the house, and you’ll inevitably hear tales involving intrepid card counters.
Jan 23, 2018 Professional blackjack player, DarkStar, compares double-deck pitch to the typical 6 deck shoe game. Which one to play is up to you but both have advantages. A single-deck Vegas Strip game (blackjack pays 3:2, double down on any two cards, and dealer stands on soft 17), is pretty close to being a break even proposition for a basic strategy player. With four or more decks in play, and the same set of rules, the house has about a ½ percent edge.
From the famed MIT Blackjack Team — which was immortalized in the film 21 (2008) starring Kevin Spacey as a math professor turned count team leader — to the instructional material published by the legendary gambling author Stanford Wong, card counting has been embedded in the public consciousness for decades.
And at first glance, that makes perfect sense…
All it takes is a quick back-of-the-napkin lesson to get the gist of counting cards at the blackjack table.
When you see plenty of high cards hit the felt as the dealer does their thing, you know the odds of hitting high totals like 18, 19, 20, and 21 decrease accordingly. Thus, you should lower your bets to the table minimum.
Conversely, when your scans show a ton of low cards getting dealt, it’s time to ramp up the betting because your odds of hitting premium totals have now gone up.
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After hearing this brief introduction, thousands of gamblers strike out to Sin City each and every year hoping to try their hand at the blackjack tables. Many even make a point to study card counting systems, of which literally hundreds have been devised over the last few decades.
It all began back in 1962 when math genius Edward O. Thorp invented the first effective method for counting cards and adjusting one’s blackjack plays accordingly. Thorp’s “Ten Count” counting system established the template, and from there, dozens of blackjack sharps and math whizzes have taken their own shot at creating the best way to count cards.
Most Popular Card Counting Systems
- Ace 5
- Hi Lo
- Hi Opt I
- Hi Opt II
- Halves
- Knockout KO
- Omega II
- Red 7
- Speed Count
- Ten Count
- Zen
Each of these systems takes a particular path to the same destination — gaining insight into whether the deck is “optimal” or “suboptimal” going forward. When a proficient card counter can pin down which cards have been previously dealt, they can size their bets accordingly to take advantage — and even flip the house’s inherent 1% edge in their own favor — the minute a deck’s count creates a higher likelihood of landing the winning hand.
But which card counting strategy reigns supreme?
Well, that’s all a matter of subjective interpretation, of course, because all card counters are created differently.
Many folks who are blessed with supercomputer minds and mathematical acumen prefer balanced systems like the Omega II because they don’t mind running through complex calculations like long division and such on the fly.
Others out there who aren’t ready for such taxing mental math might take a liking to an unbalanced system like the Red 7, as it cuts the process down to simple addition and subtraction.
Of course, the more complex the system, the better it will perform on a statistical basis. On the other hand, those slight gains in the player advantage don’t really matter all that much if you’re unable to keep things sorted in your head during a hectic game of blackjack in the casino setting.
Earlier, we covered one of the more widely used card counting methods out there — the Golden Touch Speed Count invented by Henry Tamburin and Frank Scoblete. The Speed Count lives up to its name by making the process streamlined and efficient, but doubts remain concerning its overall effectiveness.
Today, it’s time to tackle another beloved member of the card counting family — the Knockout KO system.
Introduction to the Knockout KO Count System and Its Origins
The Knockout “KO” card counting system was created in 1998 when Olaf Vancura published “Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised” (1998).
Having earned his Ph.D. in physics from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University in 1992, Vancura found himself studying the origins of the universe at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics by day.
By night, however, the mathematically inclined Vancura liked to visit the casino and gamble on card games — especially blackjack. Eventually, he combined his love for cards with his academic bona fides, creating and teaching a course at Tufts University on the math behind gambling games. Convened as part of the Tufts Experimental College, Vancura’s course quickly wound up becoming one of the most popular on campus.
This acceptance from students and colleagues alike prompted Vancura to write a textbook entitled “Smart Casino Gambling: How to Win More and Lose Less,” which was published in 1996.
As he later told the American Physical Society (APS) during a retrospective interview, Vancura was primarily interested in dispelling the common myths and misconceptions surrounding concepts like card counting:
“I couldn’t find [a textbook] without junk.”
.“I didn’t want to expose my students to the nonsense that existed in current tomes about card counting.”
Shortly after “Smart Casino Gambling” hit the university bookstore’s shelves, Vancura extended an invitation to the director of casino operations at Foxwoods — a Connecticut casino resort which ranks as one of the largest in all of America — asking him to speak to students.
This connection led Vancura into the wider world of the gaming industry, and he soon decided to leave astrophysics behind for a new career as a consultant tasked with creating new casino games for Mikohn Gaming.
After relocating to Las Vegas in 1997, Vancura eventually met up with Ken Fuchs, who worked with Motorola as a senior electrical engineer specializing in cryptographic encryption. Fuchs also had a gambling-oriented hobby, one which involved the development of computer simulations designed to study optimal blackjack strategy.
And just like that, a marriage made in gambling heaven was born.
One year later, the pair’s collaborations began focusing on perfecting the “unbalanced” count, a concept originally conceived by card counting icon Arnold Snyder in “Blackbelt in Blackjack” (1983). When using the “Red 7” count introduced by Snyder, players relied on the following values to develop their running count.
Card Rank Values in the Red 7 Count
- Aces and 10s = -1
- 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s = +1
- Red 7s = +1
- Black 7s, all 8s, and all 9s = 0
With 20 cards in the deck valued at -1 but 22 cards worth +1, Snyder’s Red 7 count was deemed unbalanced as opposed to the “balanced” systems of old which divided the deck’s values into even proportions.
In the preface to “Knock-Out Blackjack,” Vancura and Fuchs trace the lineage of their Knockout KO count directly to Snyder and his innovative Red 7 system:
“The Red 7 system was a breakthrough in simplicity, a pseudo-Level 1 system with all cards valued at +1, 0, or -1.”
.“Due to the unbalanced nature of the system, no true count conversion, hence mental multiplication and division, is ever necessary.”
.“The Knockout system is predicated on many of the important principles introduced by Snyder.”
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As they alluded to in their tribute to Snyder, the purpose of an unbalanced count like the Red 7 or Knockout KO is to remove the need to convert your “running” count into a “true” count.
When utilizing a balanced count, players must keep track of two different mathematical processes at the same time.
First, you need to track exposed cards and tabulate their values to determine your running count. Concurrently, the counter needs to maintain a separate count of all cards dealt to determine how many decks are left in the shoe. Finally, knowing their running count number, a balanced count practitioner divides it by the number of decks in play to arrive at the true count.
Like Snyder before them, Vancura and Fuchs sought to eliminate that tedious mental math by limiting the player’s focus to the running count only. This was accomplished by fusing the balanced count methodology with flexible starting count figures, which fluctuate depending on how many decks the shoe contains at the start.
Introductory Lesson on How the KO Count Works at the Table
Taking a look at the point values used in the Knockout KO system below, you should be able to spot a certain sense of familiarity.
Card Rank Values in the Knockout KO System
- Aces and 10s = -1
- 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, and 7s = +1
- 8s and 9s = 0
That’s right, other than the provision about valuing the red 7 of hearts and 7 of diamonds as +1 — and thus separate from their black 7 of spades and 7 of clubs cousins and their 0 value — the Knockout KO and Red 7 systems are essentially identical.
This similarity holds true when examining how the Knockout KO count manages to avoid those pesky true count conversions. Instead of assigning players with the task of counting the decks remaining and dividing their running count by that number, both the Red 7 and Knockout KO systems factor deck density into the starting count.
Here’s how it works.
When you’re using the Knockout KO approach at a single-deck table, you’ll go ahead and start with a 0 count like you would in the classic balanced systems.
But up the deck density to a two-deck shoe, and your starting count now shifts to -4. Make it a six-deck shoe, and the starting count drops even lower to -20, while an eight-deck shoe requires the count to start at -28.
Using these neutral and negative starting counts, players sift through the deck’s exposed cards and adjust their running count accordingly, hoping to see the count eventually climb to the low negatives and positives. As the count increases, the Knockout KO system uses a set of “Key Count” numbers to let you know exactly when to pivot and pump up the betting.
Using the table below, you can see the start counts — deemed initial running counts (IRCs) in advantage play vernacular — for various deck densities, alongside the key count needed to begin betting bigger.
Knockout KO Initial Running Counts (IRCs) and Key Counts
As you can see, more decks in the shoe means more positive progress needed in your running count to finally reach the key count.
A single-deck grinder only needs to see the count climb by +2 (from 0 to +2) in order to size their wagers higher. But if you’re sitting in a double-deck game, you’ll need to count +5 (from -4 to +1) before going for the gusto. Six-deck shoes have a whopping 312 cards to wade through, so players must count upward by +16 (from -20 to -4) before firing max bets. And finally, eight-deck tables can’t be pounded until you see a +22 push (from -28 to -6).
We can use an example hand to see how the Knockout KO count really works in action. Owing to the rarity of single- and double-deck blackjack in modern casinos, we’ll roll with the standard six-handed shoe found in most Sin City games. The table features yourself playing Hand 1, along with three other players trying to beat the dealer.
Hand 1 | Hand 2 | Hand 3 | Hand 4 | Dealer Hand |
---|---|---|---|---|
8d / 3h | As / Jh | 5h / 4d | 2c / 10c | 5c / 5h |
Because we’re using a six-deck shoe, the initial running count (IRC) begins at -20.
Most counters try to separate cards into “sides,” rather than doing a straight up and down count, so we’ll start with the low-ranked cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) valued at +1. You see six of these low cards on the table, good for +6, so your start count moves from -20 to -14.
Next, we’ll do the high cards (A, K, Q, J, 10) worth -1, and with three of them out there for -3, the count drops from -14 back to -17.
The next step in the hand is players acting on the cards, followed by the dealer, so we’ll run through one more count before this deal is done.
Hand 1 | Hand 2 | Hand 3 | Hand 4 | Dealer Hand |
---|---|---|---|---|
8d / 3h | As / Jh | 5h / 4d | 2c / 10c | 5c / 5h |
Double (Kd) | BJ | Hit (6s) / Hit (7c) | Hit (2s) / Hit (9c) | (4d) / Hit (5c) |
21 | 21 | 22 (Bust) | 23 Bust | 19 |
You play the 11 perfectly with a well-timed double-down plus a face card for a 21, but while that’s a nice treat, the name of the game here is counting cards.
Our count stands at -17, so we’ll start with the low card side and see where we get. Five of the baby cards equals +5, so we’re up to -12 for the moment. After subtracting -1 for the single high card to come out, the count slides back to -13.
Moving from the -20 start count to -13 represents significant progress, so if things keep up on this track, we’ll hit the key count of -4 before long.
When you do cross over the key count, try to utilize a progressive wagering scale to take advantage of increasingly favorable deck conditions.
In other words, when you’re right at the -4 key number in this six-deck scenario, feel free to double your initial minimum bet. Get the count to -2, and you can triple the table minimum. Find your way to a 0 count and make it 4x the minimum. And bet the maximum whenever the count reaches positive numbers.
Using the Knockout KO system correctly, even inexperienced card counters are capable of creating a player edge between 1-2%.
What Actual Players Are Saying About the KO Count
Researching and reading about card counting systems is an essential first step, but there’s nothing quite like firsthand experience.
You’ll be out there taking the Knockout KO count to your favorite casino sometime soon, but before you do, let’s see what actual blackjack enthusiasts have to say about the system.
Robert Leeroy Parker — author of Magnum Blackjack and frequent contributor to the Blackjack Insider Newsletter — had this to say while reviewing the Knockout KO system:
“Knockout Blackjack was published in 1998, and it has quickly become the second most popular system, undoubtedly due to its simplicity.”
.“KO was viciously attacked by many when it first appeared. People simply could not accept that anything that simple could work.”
.“However, extensive computer simulations have shown that KO and Hi-lo are neck-and-neck, with KO out-performing Hi-lo under some game conditions.”
In a review of the original Knockout KO book titled “Counting Cards Can Be Simple, This Book Shows the Way” — posted to Amazon by a reader named Richard from Florida — the average player’s perspective is captured perfectly:
“If you have tried counting cards using other systems and have failed, then Knock-out Blackjack is the book for you. Not only is the system uncomplicated, but the authors layout a step by step progression of easily understandable techniques.”
“The data supporting the K-O system is included in various chapters, yet you do not need to know or memorize the math. There is no dividing and they show you how to make a simple adjustment so you there are no negative number to work with. And it is easily adjustable to any number of decks.”
“When they say it is the easiest card counting system every devised, it is true. I have tried other systems and failed. But with K-O system the average person will have the advantage over the house for a change.”
Meanwhile, fellow Amazon reviewer Ian Jeffreys wasn’t as impressed, writing in “Authors Have Overstated the Method” that the Knockout KO system is overrated:
“The KO system presented in this book depends on a set of simulation data I’m sure the authors believe is valid, but shows serious evidence of sample bias.”
.“Recent work done on optimal betting theory, which allows a fair comparison of blackjack systems, shows that the KO method is extremely weak. The claim that KO can, for example, seriously challenge the dominance of Bryce Carlson’s complex and powerful AOII system is just ridiculous…”
.“Just look at some of the independent studies archived in the rec.gambling.blackjack archives to see how weak KO really is.”
Like I said, though, learning to appreciate any particular card counting method is all a matter of personal preference.
If you’re new to the world of advantage play blackjack, so-called “Level 1” unbalanced systems like the Knockout KO are the perfect entry point. You won’t have to get bogged down in maintaining dual counts or converting from running to true, which lets you focus on the task at hand — beating the house with well-timed big bets.
Of course, other systems out there have been shown to be more effective, but as a result, these counts are far more difficult to use in the casino setting.
Conclusion
The Knockout KO card counting system offers the perfect compromise between complexity and usability. Rookie card counters who find themselves struggling with some of the old-school balanced counts — most of which were invented by legitimate math geniuses — will definitely appreciate how the Knockout KO boils things down to basic addition and subtraction. And as you grow more skilled with your advantage play abilities, the Knockout KO system provides an effective jumping-off point toward learning the more advanced concepts.
If you’re interested in counting cards without dealing with intimidating math formulas, the Knockout KO system created by Vancura and Fuchs has everything you need to succeed.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Online blackjack is a great product, as it allows you to avoid the crowded tables and smoky environment that you find at a land casino, while also featuring the ability to play as many hands at once as you like and more flexible wagering options. Unfortunately, some of the experience is lost in the cyber world, as you have no interaction with a dealer and the game moves a lot faster. Thankfully, online betting sites have overcome these issues with the introduction of live dealer blackjack.
Introduced several years ago, live games have grown in popularity as computers and internet speeds have improved. Live dealer blackjack games allow you to sit in at tables that are broadcast from studios throughout the world while also participating in the games directly. This manages to mix the best of both worlds when it comes to land and online gaming. You can read more about Video vs Live Dealer Online Blackjack here.
The Basics
Live dealer blackjack sees you selecting the style of game you want to play, with tables generally segregated by wagering limits. Once you are seated at a table, a video screen will load, which will see you facing a real-life dealer and table, which is broadcast either from a studio or a land casino location elsewhere throughout the world.
After the game loads up, you select your wager, which is represented in much the same way you’d see in a standard online game. Once all the wagers are set the dealer will say “No more bets”, and then begin to play out the hand.
When the dealer begins to play out the hand, he or she will slide cards out from the shoe, sliding them over a scanner and then putting them into the field of play. As these cards are scanned they will also be broadcast onto your screen, giving a double representation of the cards you, the other players, and the dealer are dealt.
After the cards have been dealt, players will take turns to play out their hands. Players will have a series of options placed in front of them, including hit, stand, double down, split, and sometimes surrender. When you select how you want to play your hand, the dealer plays out the hand, paying your winnings or subtracting your losses instantly. This is immediately reflected on your account balance, and the process starts over again just as it would in a real casino.
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The Benefits of Live Dealer Blackjack
While live play and online play both have their own individual strengths, live dealer blackjack manages to take a hold of the advantages of both, giving what we consider to be one of the most complete and ideal blackjack experiences available.
Some of the advantages in live dealer games are:
- You get to play from the comfort of your own home, avoiding the smoky interiors of casinos for the comfort of your favorite chair… plus you don’t have to even wear pants to play!
- You don’t have to deal with other players. I HATE dealing with know-it-alls at the casino who criticize you for splitting 8s or doubling down when they think it cost them a good card, and when I play live dealer I never have to deal with this.
- The dealers. The dealers in live dealer games have the same great attitudes that you often find at a land casino, and you are able to interact with them via a chat function. If there’s ever a time you don’t like a dealer, you can simply close the window and move to a different table or wait for a dealer shift, which happens very frequently online.
- Minimum bets and multiple spots. Many of the tables at a land casino nowadays have minimum bets of $25 a hand, but online you can find tables that take bets as low as $5 and still maintain a healthy 3:2 payout on blackjack, versus the 6:5 that you see all too often at land casinos these days.
Best Live Dealer Blackjack Software
As with everything online gaming, not everything is created equal when it comes to the various live dealer software being provided by casinos. Some providers have high-quality studios and cameras, and some are low-class joints that sound like they have toilets flushing in the background. These are a few of the software groups we feel put out the best live dealer blackjack software.
Net Entertainment – Net Ent’s live dealer casino product features high definition video cameras, multiple language support, and a product called “Common Blackjack”, which allows for up to 100 players to participate at any time. There are some excellent casinos offering Net Ent live dealer services, and we recommend checking out spots like Mr Green, Unibet, and Guts to play these live blackjack games.
Microgaming – Based on the Isle of Man, Microgaming is the oldest online gaming company around, and they have gone through great measures to create one of the most diverse and high-quality live dealer platforms in existence. The company’s live blackjack games also feature high definition cameras, multi-language support, and statistical analysis that is available for each hand. The company has also inked an agreement with Playboy, which gives players the chance to mingle with gorgeous dealers wearing the iconic bunny suit. If you’re looking to play live dealer Microgaming blackjack, you can do so at 32Red, Royal Vegas, and Roxy Palace.
Evolution Gaming – While Net Ent and Microgaming built their names with traditional online casino games, Evolution Gaming has expanded their brand by almost solely focusing on the live dealer element. The result of this is a polished gaming platform that has a full set of table games including blackjack, baccarat, roulette, Casino Hold’em, Three Card Poker, and Caribbean Stud. The blackjack side of things sees players able to play standard versions of the game alongside tables with Perfect Pairs, 21+3, and other sidebets. There are also variants that throw a few wrenches in the rulebooks in an effort to keep things fresh. Some of the big name casinos offering Evolution’s live dealer games include bwin, RedBet, Unibet, and LeoVegas.
Playtech– Playtech’s live dealer software is much like Microgaming and Net Ent’s as it featured HD cameras that produce high-quality games The blackjack tables are some of Playtech’s most popular, as they provide games for desktop and mobile devices, Bet365 is a great example. The games support play in the UK, Spain, and Italy, and can also be played via television systems.
Ezugi – Probably the smallest corporation on this shortlist, Ezugi’s quality isn’t as high as the other three, but it does manage to offer innovative live blackjack from the comfort of your own home. Mini-games, multi-tables, and social integration all help to make Ezugi’s games stand out as being worth your time.
Not sure how live dealer blackjack tables differ? Take a look at these bullet points for a very logical way to think about the selection of a solid live online casino.
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Mobile Live Dealer Blackjack
About ten years ago people would have scoffed at you for suggesting that you could play live dealer blackjack on your phone, but today that is a possibility and stands to be one of the fastest growing sectors for live games moving forward. Those looking to play games on their mobile devices will find that the games are specifically tailored for the small screen, with action buttons being found on the sides and the dealer being front and center, often times feeling more like you’re zoomed in on the action than you would be from your desktop computer.
While playing on your smartphone is nice, I have to say that my preferred way to play live dealer blackjack is on my iPad, as it gives you a larger screen to see what is going on and the product just seems easier for me to navigate. To me, nothing is better than being able to lounge on my hammock outside and still be able to pick up high definition quality dealers through my home’s Wi-Fi. Make sure to try both mobile versions to see which one fits your style best.
The Future of Live Dealer Blackjack
Online gaming has transformed and matured itself over the past 15 years, and moving forward it is going to be interesting to see how live dealer blackjack evolves to stay competitive. We are already starting to see the seeds planted for virtual reality live dealer games, which will allow you to play with a headset. This style of game would make everything in the studio or casino appear as if it were really in front of you, allowing you to look around in 360 degrees, all with stereoscopic 3D coming right at you.
Of course, we can also expect to see additional game variations being introduced, and it is likely that we will see more tie-ins (i.e. Microgaming and Playboy), which will change things up in terms of the presentation and features of set games.
Summary
Live dealer blackjack is one of the bold new ways that online casinos are trying to bring a land betting experience right into your home. The experience has a lot of advantages over more traditional forms of blackjack, and you can find excellent tables with 3:2 payouts on blackjack with lower minimum bets than you would see at your brick and mortar casino.
There are definitely some spots better to play at than others, and some software is definitely superior in terms of offering better quality feeds and more variations of blackjack. Moving forward, the future of live dealer games is bright and we are excited to see what developers can come up with in the coming years.
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