Month: October 2020

The Omega II card counting system was developed by Bryce Carlson and was introduced in his book Blackjack for Blood in 2001.

It is an advanced system that is difficult to learn, but extremely effective.

What makes this system harder is that the indexes range from -2 to +2, and keeping track of aces is encouraged.  That means a lot more to keep track of during a hand.

In addition, a true count is used instead of only the running count, meaning additional math is involved.

Fortunately, the Omega II system is a balanced system, meaning if you were to count down an entire deck, you would end up with 0 at the end, making it easy to practice by counting down decks. 

How it Works

Each card in the deck is assigned a value of -2, -1, 0, +1, or +2.  The chart of values is:

2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	J	Q	K	A
+1	+1	+2	+2	+2	+1	0	-1	-2	-2	-2	-2	0

As the cards are dealt, a running count is kept.  The count does start at 0 and is increased or decreased per the value of the card dealt. You will then need to convert the running count to the true count before deciding on your bet.  The true count is determined by dividing the running count by the estimate of remaining decks in play.

When the next hand is dealt, you add the new card values to the previous running count, not the true count.  But once again, when you’re ready to bet, convert the running count to the true count and bet based on the true count.

Your running count will revert back to zero once the cards are shuffled.

ACE TRACKING

Because aces are given a value of zero, some consider them not counted, but keeping track of how many have been dealt, will greatly increase the effectiveness of the Omega II system.

It does mean extra work to keep a separate count of aces, but studies have shown that knowing the ace count, increases the system’s efficiency by almost 3 percent.

If you have a high positive count and know there are still lots of aces left in the deck, increasing your bet at this time, with a greater chance of hitting a blackjack that will pay 3-2, can greatly improve your profits.

SIZING YOUR BETS

As with other systems, the higher the positive true count, the bigger your bet should be.  If the true count is low or negative, you want to keep your bet at the table minimum.

Using the true count as a multiplier is again, most popular. For example, if the true count is +4, your bet should be 4 times the table minimum.  Conversely, if the true count is +1 or less, your bet should remain the table minimum.

Of course, sizing your bet is totally dependent on your individual playing style.  However, the use of a bet sizing system should be practiced because it will keep your wins and losses manageable, while misdirecting the fact that you’re counting cards.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Omega II counting system is best used by an intermediate player because of its complexity.  Omega II is a powerful, effective and efficient system that offers great rewards for those willing to learn it.

The Mentor card counting system is another one developed by Fred Renzey and is introduced in his book the Blackjack Bluebook II. 

This is a multi-level system and also considered a level two system because of the wider range of indices.

What makes this system harder is that the indexes range from -2 to +2, so there is more memorizing to be done.

Another difficult part to this system is that it uses a “true count” and not just the running count.  This means some additional math, fortunately not too difficult though.

What makes it easier to learn is that it is a balanced system, meaning if you were to count down a deck, you would start with 0 and end with 0.  That makes it easier to practice because you know if you’re not at 0 when you run out of cards, you counted something wrong.

How it Works

Each card in the deck is assigned a value of -2, -1, 0, +1, or +2.  The chart of values is:

2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	J	Q	K	A
+1	+2	+2	+2	+2	+1	0	-1	-2	-2	-2	-2	-1

A running count is kept as the cards are dealt.  The count does start at 0.  You will need to convert the running count to the true count, which means, for this system, dividing the running count by the estimate of remaining double decks in play. Note that the true count is figured out based on the number of “double” decks remaining.  That is different than other systems where the conversion is based on remaining single decks.

As you keep track of your running count, before you decide on your bet, you convert that running count to the true count. 

When the next hand is dealt, you add the new card values to the previous running count, not the true count.  But once again, when you’re ready to bet, convert the running count to the true count and bet based on the true count.

Your running count will revert back to zero once the cards are shuffled.

SIZING YOUR BETS

If the true count is positive, you’ll want to increase your bet, if it’s negative, you want to keep your bet at the table minimum.

Most players like using the true count as a multiplier with this system.  For example, if the true count is +4, your bet should be 4 times the table minimum.  Conversely, if the true count is +1 or less, your bet should remain the table minimum.

Ideally, sizing your bet should be done by whatever method fits your individual playing style.  Use of a bet sizing system, will keep your wins and losses to maximums and minimums, while misdirecting the fact that you’re counting cards.

FINAL THOUGHTS

With the Mentor card counting system being a level two system, with a betting correlation of 97%, it is efficient and understandably very effective with medium sized shoe games.  

It is not an easy system for a beginner, but an advanced player could be quite successful using this system.

The Uston APM (Advanced Plus/Minus) card counting system was developed by Ken Uston, and first published in his book, Million Dollar Blackjack, in 1981.  He is also a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.

Many argue that this system is what introduced card counting to blackjack players and thereby increased the popularity of blackjack.  

It is a level one system, easy for beginners to learn, and yet effective in the proper situations.  The main shortcoming to the system is that it was developed for single or double deck games, which are hard to find.

He has added the APC (Advanced Point Count) and SS (Strongest and Simplest) systems to account for multiple deck games.

How it works

There are only 3 card values: -1, 0 or +1 and your count starts at 0 and continues until there is a shuffle, where you again start the count at 0.

It is a balanced system, meaning if you were to count down a deck, you would end at zero.

The card value chart is:

2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	J	Q	K	A
0	+1	+1	+1	+1	+1	0	0	-1	-1	-1	-1	0

It is easy for the beginning card counter because you can easily cancel out cards that are counted by the presence of another card.  There are 3 cards with no value, 5 cards with a plus 1 value, and 5 cards with a -1 value.

When counting at a table, simple eliminate pairs that will cancel each other out and the remaining points are added to the running total count.

As with all counting systems, the higher the count, the more you should bet.  As the cards are dealt, you assign the above appropriate values to the card and keep a running total count.  You make your next bet based on that running count being positive or negative.

Because it is for single deck games, there is no need to consider a true count, because the running count and true count are the same when considering a one deck game.

While tracking aces is not part of the system, you can increase the advantage of using this system by also keeping track of the aces.  Because the system is so simple, it shouldn’t be hard to remember if any aces have been played.  If half the deck has been played and no aces have dropped, with a plus count, you stand a better chance of hitting blackjack and therefore should increase your bet.

Sizing your bets

Because of the simplicity of the system, using the running count as a multiplier is considered best practice.  For example, if the running count is +4, your bet should be 4 times the table minimum.  Conversely, if the running count is +1 or less, your bet should remain the table minimum.

Ideally, sizing your bet should be done by whatever method fits your individual playing style.  Use of a bet sizing system, will keep your wins and losses to maximums and minimums, while misdirecting the fact that you’re counting cards.

Final Thoughts

The Uston APM system is another easy card counting system for beginners to learn.  It is a good system to try as your first effort in card counting, which you can then use as a basis for advancing into more technical systems.

It is an old system that can still be reliable and effective if you’re able to find a single deck blackjack table to play.