Card Counting Systems Compared

You might think of the Revere Advanced Point Count system as
a sort of sequel to the Revere Point Count. The problem with
this system is that it's not easy to use at all. Some card
counters like to milk card counting systems for every tenth of a
percent of advantage that they can. A system like the RAPC might
be appropriate for such players, but newer, easier-to-use
systems offer the same advantages without the difficulty.

Lawrence Revere co-designed this system with Julian Braun.
Revere was one of the interesting characters in the early days
of blackjack card counting. He developed multiple systems with
Braun, but the one that's in most use still today is the Revere
Point Count.

Card counting systems for Blackjack are compared here, along with their Card Values, Betting Correlation, Playing Efficiency, Insurance Correlation, Ease of Use and Type. These terms are defined at the bottom of the page and are used to estimate the effectiveness of a Blackjack card counting strategy. Ease of use is rated from 1 (hardest) to 10 (easiest) and is based strictly on my own opinions (and a few phone calls from authors since I first published this page J ). A card counting system can either be single level or multi-level. It can also be classified as balanced or unbalanced. Players generally begin with a balanced single level card counting system and move on to more complex card counting systems. In general, using a level 2 counting system is more accurate than a level 1 system but more error prone. The advantage is approx. 5-10% and you will experience a slightly lower standard deviation because your advantage is more accurate at each true count.

Most of his systems can be read about and learned from his
book Playing Blackjack as a Business.

But some of Revere's and Braun's systems are considered
proprietary, meaning they're not just available in a book. You
have to actually buy the details for using the system. The
Internet is full of gambling systems you can buy, and most of
them are worthless. Unlike most of those systems, the RAPC will
actually help you get an edge over the casino. But you can find
other card counting systems that will give you an edge over the
house that don't require you to buy them.

In fact, you can learn everything you need to make a profit
counting cards on the internet—on this site, in fact.

Of course, different systems offer different advantages and
disadvantages, but we tend to agree with David Sklansky, author
of Sklansky Talks Blackjack. He suggests that the Hi-Lo Count is
powerful enough for anyone, and it's easy to use.

This page describes in some detail how card counting in
general works and how the Revere Advanced Point Count in
particular works. We also provide some analysis of its
New usa online casinos 2015. advantages and disadvantages compared to other systems.

More about Lawrence Revere

Lawrence Revere is the author of Playing Blackjack as a
Business, which is worth investing in if for no other reason
than the charts and tables are so pretty and colorful. That's
not a practical attitude, you might think, but we do think that
being willing to look at the materials is practical in the
extreme. After all, you need to stay motivated to do the work
required to learn the system.

We mentioned earlier that he was quite a character. One of
the reasons we suggest this is because of anecdotes we read in
Lance Humble's book, The World's Greatest Blackjack Book. We've
also read that Revere worked both sides of the casino industry.
He was consulting with casinos about how to detect card counters
while at the same time consulting with players about how to
avoid detection.

He died in 1977, so a lot of the card counting techniques he
was a proponent of were cutting edge at the time but are
obsolete now. The RAPC is considered one of them, but we present
the details here for those interested in how such things work.

How Card Counting Works

Counting cards in blackjack takes advantage of the fact that
the composition of a deck of cards changes during play. When
certain cards are dealt, the ratio of high cards to low cards
can change. A deck with a lot of 10s and aces—compared to the
lower cards—is more likely to result in a player being dealt a
'natural' or a 'blackjack'. Since that hand pays off at 3 to 2
instead of even money, a player who raises her bets when the
deck is rich in aces and 10s can get an edge over the casino.

But that's just one way card counters get an edge (albeit the
most important one). The other way counting cards help is that
basic strategy changes based on the composition of the deck.
Basic strategy is simply the correct playing decision for every
possible combination of player totals versus dealer upcards.

When the composition of the deck changes, certain decisions
change. Whether or not to take insurance is an easily-understood
example. Insurance is just a side bet that the dealer will have
blackjack. If the deck has proportionally more aces and 10s than
low cards, the dealer also has a higher probability of having
such a hand. So insurance, which is normally a sucker bet, can
be the right play in certain situations.

And card counters don't actually memorize which cards have
been dealt and which ones are still in the deck. They assign
values to certain cards and use those values to keep a rough
estimate of how favorable or unfavorable the deck is at any
given time. The low cards have positive values, as their removal
from the deck improves your odds. The high cards have negative
values, as their removal from the deck worsens your odds.

The values given to each card are the meat and potatoes of
any card counting system.

How the Revere Advanced Point Count Works

Here are the values assigned to the various cards in the RAPC
system:

• You'll notice that almost every card in the deck is given a
  value. The only cards that count as 0s are the 8s.
• You'll also notice that the values given range from +/- 1
  through 4. Most beginner systems are called 'single-level'
  systems, because they only require you to add and subtract a
  single value, usually 1, but sometimes 2. The number of values
  in use can be used to describe the system. In this case, we have
  a 4-level system.
• When the total is positive, you raise your bets. When the
  total is 0 or negative, you bet the table minimum. The higher
  the count, the more you raise the size of your bets.

The Pros and Cons of the RAPC

You can look at the effectiveness of a card counting system
according to how well it estimates when you should raise and
lower your bets. You can also look at how well it measures when
you should take insurance. They can also mathematically estimate
how well a system advises your strategy decisions.

These measurements are usually expressed as a number between
0 and 1, with a 1 being perfect. The betting correlation for the
RAPC is 1.0, which is perfect, but many simpler systems provide
an almost equally accurate estimate of when to raise and lower
your bets.

The insurance correlation for this system is far better than
most, though, at 0.71. That sounds low compared to 1.0, but most
systems don't do this good a job of measuring when you should
take insurance.

The playing efficiency is a measure of how well the system
advises your basic strategy, and the playing efficiency for this
system is 0.53. This probably sounds quite a bit worse than it
actually is. We know of plenty of card counters who don't even
bother adjusting their basic strategy when playing—they just
raise and lower their bets according to the count, and they win
plenty of money.

The biggest disadvantage of the RAPC is its complexity. Much
easier systems exist which provide you with results just as
positive. We recommend using one of them instead.

The Revere Advanced Point Count is an obsolete, hard-to-use
card counting system. It's interesting more as a look at what
kinds of complex systems might have been in use in the past.
More modern and easier to use systems provide just as much of an
edge with less work on the part of the player, though. We
recommend trying one of those.

There are many different blackjack card-counting systems but they all have the same objective: to provide a simple method of calculating when the odds are in your favor and therefore when you should increase your stake on a particular hand.

Let's look at some of the more common systems in use and judge them against four key criteria. These are:

1. Ease of Learning and Use (E)
2. Playing Efficiency (PE)
3. Betting Correlation (BC)
4. Insurance Correlation (IC)

Ease of Learning and Use is measured on a simple scale of 1 to 100 with 1 being the hardest and 100 the easiest system to learn and use. The other three criteria need some explanation.

Playing Efficiency is a term used to describe the accuracy of a specific system. It is typically expressed as a percentage and the closer it is to 100%, the more efficient the system is in defining the correct playing decision. Efficiencies are typically between 50% and 75%.

Betting Correlation is a measure of how good a system is in providing information on when to increase or decrease the size of bet. It is normally expressed as a decimal, for example 0.92, which means that a count with such a betting correlation is correct 92% of the time in defining the correct size of bet. Correlations are normally upwards of 90%.

Insurance Correlation is a measure of how well a blackjack card counting system indicates a correct decision when insurance betting. When the dealer has an up-card which is an ace, players are offered the choice of taking 'insurance' before the dealer checks his other card. The bet is independent of the main wager. Typical correlation figures are 70% +

Hi-Lo System

This is probably the most common system and is very popular with people beginning to learn how to card count. It is explained on other pages here but it scores pretty well on our criteria. Ease of use is typically scored at around 65, with playing efficiency of 0.51, betting correlation of 0.97 and insurance correlation of 0.76.

Card Counting Systems Compared Side By Side

REKO System

This is a more efficient system generally than the Hi-Lo system. It works using the following card count:

• Cards of value between 2 and 7 are counted as +1
• 10 and ace cards are counted as -1
• Other cards require no count.

The simplicity of the REKO system makes it ideal for multi-deck games and the more decks are used in a game, the more powerful the system becomes. It is known as an unbalanced system because the count is not started at zero. To define the starting count you simply multiply the number of decks being used by -2. So if 8 decks are in use the starting count is -16 (8 x -2).

The values given to each card are the meat and potatoes of
any card counting system.

How the Revere Advanced Point Count Works

Here are the values assigned to the various cards in the RAPC
system:

• You'll notice that almost every card in the deck is given a
  value. The only cards that count as 0s are the 8s.
• You'll also notice that the values given range from +/- 1
  through 4. Most beginner systems are called 'single-level'
  systems, because they only require you to add and subtract a
  single value, usually 1, but sometimes 2. The number of values
  in use can be used to describe the system. In this case, we have
  a 4-level system.
• When the total is positive, you raise your bets. When the
  total is 0 or negative, you bet the table minimum. The higher
  the count, the more you raise the size of your bets.

The Pros and Cons of the RAPC

You can look at the effectiveness of a card counting system
according to how well it estimates when you should raise and
lower your bets. You can also look at how well it measures when
you should take insurance. They can also mathematically estimate
how well a system advises your strategy decisions.

These measurements are usually expressed as a number between
0 and 1, with a 1 being perfect. The betting correlation for the
RAPC is 1.0, which is perfect, but many simpler systems provide
an almost equally accurate estimate of when to raise and lower
your bets.

The insurance correlation for this system is far better than
most, though, at 0.71. That sounds low compared to 1.0, but most
systems don't do this good a job of measuring when you should
take insurance.

The playing efficiency is a measure of how well the system
advises your basic strategy, and the playing efficiency for this
system is 0.53. This probably sounds quite a bit worse than it
actually is. We know of plenty of card counters who don't even
bother adjusting their basic strategy when playing—they just
raise and lower their bets according to the count, and they win
plenty of money.

The biggest disadvantage of the RAPC is its complexity. Much
easier systems exist which provide you with results just as
positive. We recommend using one of them instead.

The Revere Advanced Point Count is an obsolete, hard-to-use
card counting system. It's interesting more as a look at what
kinds of complex systems might have been in use in the past.
More modern and easier to use systems provide just as much of an
edge with less work on the part of the player, though. We
recommend trying one of those.

There are many different blackjack card-counting systems but they all have the same objective: to provide a simple method of calculating when the odds are in your favor and therefore when you should increase your stake on a particular hand.

Let's look at some of the more common systems in use and judge them against four key criteria. These are:

1. Ease of Learning and Use (E)
2. Playing Efficiency (PE)
3. Betting Correlation (BC)
4. Insurance Correlation (IC)

Ease of Learning and Use is measured on a simple scale of 1 to 100 with 1 being the hardest and 100 the easiest system to learn and use. The other three criteria need some explanation.

Playing Efficiency is a term used to describe the accuracy of a specific system. It is typically expressed as a percentage and the closer it is to 100%, the more efficient the system is in defining the correct playing decision. Efficiencies are typically between 50% and 75%.

Betting Correlation is a measure of how good a system is in providing information on when to increase or decrease the size of bet. It is normally expressed as a decimal, for example 0.92, which means that a count with such a betting correlation is correct 92% of the time in defining the correct size of bet. Correlations are normally upwards of 90%.

Insurance Correlation is a measure of how well a blackjack card counting system indicates a correct decision when insurance betting. When the dealer has an up-card which is an ace, players are offered the choice of taking 'insurance' before the dealer checks his other card. The bet is independent of the main wager. Typical correlation figures are 70% +

Hi-Lo System

This is probably the most common system and is very popular with people beginning to learn how to card count. It is explained on other pages here but it scores pretty well on our criteria. Ease of use is typically scored at around 65, with playing efficiency of 0.51, betting correlation of 0.97 and insurance correlation of 0.76.

Card Counting Systems Compared Side By Side

REKO System

This is a more efficient system generally than the Hi-Lo system. It works using the following card count:

• Cards of value between 2 and 7 are counted as +1
• 10 and ace cards are counted as -1
• Other cards require no count.

The simplicity of the REKO system makes it ideal for multi-deck games and the more decks are used in a game, the more powerful the system becomes. It is known as an unbalanced system because the count is not started at zero. To define the starting count you simply multiply the number of decks being used by -2. So if 8 decks are in use the starting count is -16 (8 x -2).

The logic here is that the automatic assumption is that the game favors the house. Increased betting activity relies on the count passing zero and moving into positive numbers. Its scores against our criteria are: E = 8; PE = 0.55; BC = 0.98; IC = 0.78

Zen Count System

This is an older system and dates back to 1983. It's a balanced system, which means the count starts at zero. The card count values are:

• 8 or 9 count as zero
• 7 counts as +1
• 4, 5 and 6 count as +2
• 2 and 3 count as +1
• Ace is counted as -1
• 10 or above count as -2

You can see from this that the system is more difficult to learn, and the general opinion is that the increased complexity is probably not worth the effort. Its criteria scores are: E = 4; PE = 0.63; BC = 0.96; IC = 0.85

Wong Halves System

One of the most difficult systems, this is for the more advanced players only. The card count values are:

• 8 counts as a zero
• 9 counts as -0.5
• 7 counts as 0.5
• 6 counts as 1
• 5 counts as 1.5
• 3 and 4 counts as 1
• 2 counts as 0.5
• Ace counts as -1
• 10 or more counts as -1

This is by far the most complex system reviewed here. Again it's a balanced system but the sheer complexity of count is difficult when compared with the more simple system outlined above. Its criteria scores are: E = 2.5; PE = 0.56; BC = 0.99; IC = 0.72

Red Seven System

An easier, unbalanced system developed by Arnold Snyder and described in his book, Black belt in Blackjack in 1983. It is a 'suit aware' system, which means that a 7 card is counted differently depending on the color of the card. Here are the card count values:

Chinese Counting System

• Ace counts as -1
• 2 through 6 are counted as 1
• 7 is counted as either 0 or 1 depending on suit
• 8 and 9 count as zero
• 10 and above are counted as -1.

Counting Systems Music

Its criteria scores are: E = 7; PE = 0.54; BC = 0.98; IC = 0.78 Foxwoods resort casino bingo.

Card Counting Systems Compared Worksheets

Casinos in switzerland. Some people simplify the system by making the 7-card count as 0.5. This makes the system a little more difficult but does not seem to detract from its accuracy.