Since there are just 5 “small” cards for every 13 “big” cards in a 52-card deck, we get an average of 1.03 “small” cards for every hand of blackjack played–about one card per hand, regardless of how many people are playing, how many decks are in play, etc. Using this number, you have all you need to build the Speed Count method.

1. 2 – Speed Count The next system is the speed count, which was developed by Frank Scoblete and is included in a couple of his blackjack books. The basic way to use the speed count is to track low cards and compare the volume of them to the number of hands that are dealt on each round.
2. A new Blackjack counting system called Speed Count has appeared in the past few weeks. It was developed by Dan Pronovost and Henry Tamburin of DeepNet Technologies and is being licensed to Frank Scoblete, Henry Tamburin, and Dom LoRiggio, who will market the product under the name Golden Touch Blackjack (GTB).
3. The blackjack speed count is a system that is being promoted all over the internet as a new and revolutionary blackjack card counting system. I have looked into it, have not bought it nor would I. Casino rules these days are far too well designed to provide the edge the authors claim the system can produce.
4. The Speed Count in blackjack is an interesting enough card counting system that completely eliminates the need to account for both high cards and low cards. You just track the low cards and the number of hands dealt each round.

Gamblers have been fascinated by card counting ever since Edward Thorp shared his secrets through the 1962 book Beat the Dealer. This advantage-play technique has only gained further popularity over the years thanks to the MIT Blackjack Team’s efforts.

Card counting is an exciting prospect because you can win lots of money. Both Thorp and the MIT Blackjack Team are prime examples of this.

But before you start earning big profits like these blackjack legends, you must first choose a counting system.

This is easier said than done, given that there are over one hundred card systems floating around. These strategies differ based on what kind of advantage they give you and how complicated they are.

Obviously, you don’t want to jump into the most difficult system if you’re new to card counting. Instead, a beginner-friendly strategy will help you learn this process with the minimum degree of difficulty.

Keep reading as I cover three of the easiest blackjack card counting systems for beginners. But first, let’s look at the basics behind counting cards.

What’s the General Basis Behind Card Counting?

Many gamblers like blackjack because it offers a chance to use extensive strategy to improve your winnings. Depending on the rules, you can lower the blackjack house edge to under 1% with good strategy.

But the key here is that the casino still has an advantage over those who use basic blackjack strategy. This is where card counting comes into play, because this strategy gives you the advantage and can lead to long-term profits.

The underlying goal of card counting is to find out when the shoe is rich in aces and tens. The reason is twofold:

1 – You have a better chance of getting a natural blackjack payout.

2 – Your odds of quality double-down opportunities also improve.

Another positive product of card counting is that you can find out when the deck is high in low cards (2 – 6) and bet less.

Low cards improve the dealer’s odds of winning. The reason is because the dealer’s score must reach 17, and they have less chance of busting when there are more low cards available.

By keeping track of card values as they’re dealt, you can boost your chances of winning and potentially making big profits.

Of course, tracking cards in a bustling casino environment is easier said than done. This is especially the case when considering that modern blackjack games have six to eight decks in the shoe.

But just about anybody can successfully count cards with enough practice. And you can easily practice by using card counting trainers on websites.

Other ways to practice include dealing shoes to yourself while counting cards, or having a friend deal to you. I like the latter method because it simulates your friend being the dealer and you as the player.

Spreading Bets

Simply counting cards is only part of the equation to making money. You also have to bet more when the count is in your favor to reap profits.

This is referred to as “spreading bets” in card counting. The idea is to start at the table minimum, then increase your wager as the count goes in your favor.

The bet spread occurs between your smallest and largest bets.

Some systems have their own method for how you spread wagers during a favorable count. But the gist is that you must raise your wagers when the deck is in your favor, so you earn more money.

This requires a balancing act because wagering too much will attract the suspicion of casino staff members and potentially get you banned.

Experience and fully knowing your chosen card counting method will help you determine how to best spread bets when you have a favorable count.

3 Systems that Beginning Card Counters should Use

1 – OPP System

I begin with the OPP card counting system since it’s extremely easy to use. In fact, virtually any new blackjack player can quickly learn and understand this system.

The main thing you need to do with the OPP strategy is track low cards. You add one to your count whenever a low card is dealt and subtract one for every hand in play (including the dealer).

Low cards being dealt works to your advantage, because this means there are fewer cards that’ll help the dealer.

Here’s an example of how to use this strategy:

• You start the shoe with a +6 count.
• You subtract one (- 1) for every player dealt into the hand, including the dealer.
• You add one (+1) for every low card that’s dealt.
• The goal is to bet more when the count goes higher into the positives.
• You want to increase your wager when the count reaches +12 or +14.

Here’s an example of OPP in action:

1. A new shoe is being dealt.
2. Your count starts at +6.
3. There are four players, plus the dealer (subtract 5 = count at +1).
4. Four low cards come out during the hand (Add 4 = count at +5).
5. Your next round will begin at +5 (minus number of players in the hand).

This is referred to as an “unbalanced” counting system because the count doesn’t end at zero when the shoe has been dealt. Going further, you don’t have to account for how many decks are in the shoe with an unbalanced system.

This differs from the Hi-Lo strategy (discussed next), where you must factor in the remaining decks to determine your “true count.”

Another great thing about the OPP system is that you don’t have to track high cards (A to 10) or neutral cards (7 to 9). Instead, you simply count low cards and subtract the number of players/dealer at the start of each hand.

The only downside to OPP’s simplicity is that it’s less accurate than the other systems I’m going to cover. Nevertheless, it can give you an edge on the casino.

2 – Knockout (KO) System

The KO system is more complicated than OPP because you also need to track high and neutral cards. Another difference is that the low card category includes 7.

Here are the different card groups and how you assign them values:

• Low cards (2 to 7) = +1
• Neutral cards (8 to 9) = 0
• High cards (A to 10) = – 1

You need to track every card with this system – not just the low ones like with OPP.

Another difference between KO and OPP is that there’s no preset starting count (+6) at the beginning of a shoe. Instead, your count begins as soon as the first card of a shoe is dealt.

Here’s an example of the KO in play:

• Ace is dealt (count at – 1).
• 2 is dealt (count at 0).
• 7 is dealt (count at +1).
• 8 is dealt (count at +1).
• 4 is dealt (count at +2).
• Jack is dealt (count at +1).
• Count = +1.

This is another unbalanced system because there are a greater number of low cards than high cards. Therefore, you don’t need to convert to a true count with KO.

The lack of a true count makes KO simpler than the Hi-Lo system that I’ll cover next.

Another benefit of KO is that it’s more accurate than OPP. This gives you the perfect blend of simplicity and accuracy.

But this also leads to downsides, including that KO is more complicated than OPP and less accurate than Hi-Lo.

3 – Hi-Lo System

This card counting strategy is similar to KO, because you need to track low, neutral, and high cards. But the two key differences are that 7 is neutral, and you need to differentiate between a running and true count.

Here’s how you assign values to each group of cards:

• Low cards (2 to 6) = +1
• Neutral cards (7 to 9) = 0
• High cards (A to 10) = – 1

The Hi-Lo is what’s known as a “balanced system,” because the count will always reach zero by the end of the shoe.

The reason why Hi-Lo is balanced and KO isn’t is due to the 7 being neutral. This means that an equal number of cards are high (5) and low (5) with the Hi-Lo strategy.

Given that Hi-Lo is balanced, you also have to account for the number of decks remaining in the shoe. Going further, you must convert your running count into a true count.

Here’s an example:

• Your running count is +8.
• There are four decks remaining in the shoe.
• This makes your true count +2 (8/2).

You use your true count to determine how much you’ll spread your bet by. Here are the guidelines for spreading your wagers with the Hi-Lo:

1 – Determine a unit size (e.g., $25).

2 – Figure out your true count (e.g., +4).

3 – Subtract one from the true count (4 – 1 = 3).

4 – Multiply this number by your unit size (25 x 3 = 75).

5 – Your bet should be three units, or $75.

The Hi-Lo is definitely tougher than KO and OPP due to the added steps. But from an overall perspective, Hi-Lo is relatively easy when compared to the dozens of other counting systems available.

Other Easy Card Counting Systems for Beginners

Ace/Five Count System

Ace/Five is a simple strategy that only requires keeping track of 5-value cards and aces. You add one for every 5 that’s dealt, and subtract one for every ace.

The goal is to get a positive count of +2 or higher. You double your bets at this point, while only wagering the table minimum when the count is +1 or lower.

Here’s an example:

• Ace is dealt (count at – 1).
• 2 is dealt (count at – 1).
• 5 is dealt (count at 0).
• 9 is dealt (count at 0).
• 5 is dealt (count at +1).
• Count = +1

Given that Ace/Five only requires you to track two card values, it’s similar to OPP in terms of simplicity. But like OPP, this strategy isn’t as effective as some of the other systems discussed here.

But if you’re just a casual blackjack player who wants to gain a bit more of an edge, then I recommend trying Ace/Five.

Red Seven System

Red Seven was developed by blackjack legend and card counter extraordinaire Arnold Snyder. This system works similar to KO and Hi-Lo, except that there’s a special distinction made for red and black 7s.

Here are the basics of Red Seven:

• 2 to 6 = +1
• Red 7 = +1
• Black 7 = 0
• 8 to 9 = 0
• A to 10 = – 1

You can actually switch the counts for the red and black seven – it makes no difference. But the key is that you do make a distinction between the colors.

Snyder did this so he could create an imbalanced system that was easy to use with no true count involved. But he also wanted to make Red Seven more accurate than KO (black 7s being neutral).

Red Seven is great if you hate converting your running count to a true count, but still want the accuracy of a balanced system.

The downside to this strategy is that it’s almost as complicated as the Hi-Lo, yet you only get 80% of the same accuracy.

Ten Count System

Edward Thorp introduced the Ten Count System when he wrote Beat the Dealer in the sixties. Although not as accurate as modern strategies like Hi-Lo, the Ten Count gets the job done in certain situations.

The catch, though, is that Ten Count is designed specifically for single-deck blackjack games. And unfortunately, quality single-deck blackjack with 3:2 natural payouts are a rarity today.

Nevertheless, Ten Count is a good system to use when acclimating yourself to card counting. Here are the basics of this strategy:

• A to 9 = +4
• J to K = – 9

This is noticeably different from the three systems that I covered above. But Ten Count is still relatively easy for beginners to use.

Here’s an example of how you can implement the strategy:

• 5 is dealt (count at +4).
• 6 is dealt (count at +8).
• K is dealt (count at -1).
• 8 is dealt (count at +3).
• 3 is dealt (count at +7).
• Count = +7

Unlike some systems, Ten Count doesn’t have a defined amount where you begin increasing your bet by X amount. Instead, Thorp leaves it up to players to decide how much to increase or lower their bets by.

I suggest spreading your bets by five units or more when you have a favorable count of at least +2.

The advantage of Thorp’s system is that it’s easy. You only have to track two card groups and use two numbers for the count.

The downside is that this strategy is poor for multi-deck games.

All blackjack tables featured single-deck games in Thorp’s early blackjack days. Therefore, he didn’t account for the effect of removing aces from a six-deck shoe.

Lumping aces into the low card group is fine in single-deck blackjack because it doesn’t have as big of an impact. But this miscalculation plays a bigger role in the four-, six-, and eight-deck games of today.

Again, Ten Count is fine for practicing card counting. But it doesn’t apply to the modern blackjack world.

Is Card Counting Illegal?

A popular misconception is that card counting is illegal. This has been fueled by Hollywood movies like 21, where card counters act like their lives depend on not being detected by the casino.

The truth is that counting cards isn’t illegal. But casinos may ban you from their establishment if they think you’re a successful counter.

The easiest way for casinos to root out a card counter is by their betting patterns. For example, moving from a $10 minimum bet to $500 later in the shoe looks very suspicious.

Some players camouflage their counting efforts through the following ways:

• Make an occasional strategy mistake.
• Dress to blend in.
• Act like they increase and lower bets based on superstitions.

It also helps to research casinos to find out how tolerant they are towards card counters. Some casinos don’t sweat counters as badly as others.

Do You Have to Be a Genius to Count Cards?

The 1988 film Rain Man created the perception that you need to be a mathematical genius to successfully count cards. But as you may have gathered from these simple systems we covered above, this isn’t accurate.

Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman) kept track of every single card while counting in Rain Man. But you only need to keep a running tally of the card values to give yourself an edge.

As I mentioned earlier, nearly anybody can learn to count cards – especially with the systems covered above. Furthermore, you don’t need to be a genius to keep an accurate count.

Conclusion

The nice thing about card counting is that it’s not as difficult as most players think. You can quickly learn one of the systems that I discussed above and use it to give yourself an advantage.

How big of an edge you gain depends upon the exact strategy you choose. My favorite is the Hi-Lo, due to its combination of simplicity and accuracy.

But you may ultimately choose a system like OPP, KO, or Ace/Five because you just want an easy way to count cards.

Whatever the case may be, I highly suggest that you use one of the strategies covered here to give yourself an easy introduction to the card counting world.

If you play blackjack, why aren’t you counting cards? It’s a proven mathematical way to eliminate the house edge, and some players are so good at it that they make money in the long run. Is it because you think counting cards is too hard or you have to be a mathematician to do it?

I’ve got good news for everyone who plays blackjack that isn’t counting cards yet. The first thing is that the statement above about using card counting to break even or beat blackjack is true. You can use counting to win playing blackjack.

How To Speed Count In Blackjack Games

The next piece of good news is that it’s much easier to get started as a counter than almost everyone believes. You can use one of the simplest counting systems ever designed to break even or better, and I can teach you how to use it in just a few minutes. You don’t have to be a gifted math student or anywhere close to a genius.

If this sounds too good to be true, just take a few minutes to read the rest of this article. I’m getting ready to prove it to you.

The final piece of good news is that, once you start counting cards at any level, it’s easy to keep learning and working until you’re counting at an advanced level and beating blackjack on a regular basis. Everything you need to know to get started is included below.

1 – Ace Five Count

The ace five card counting system is as simple as a card counting system can get. Anyone can learn how to use it in just a few minutes, and once you start using it, you can eliminate the house edge every time you play. It’s easier to learn how to use than basic blackjack strategy.

You can use the ace five count in any blackjack game, but if you want to benefit from it as much as possible, you need to do two things. The first thing is either get a blackjack strategy card and use it or memorize basic strategy.

The other thing you have to do is find blackjack games with good rules. The best games have as many of the following rules as possible. You won’t find games with all of these rules often, but you want games that have most of them.

How To Speed Count In Blackjack Simulator

• Surrender
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Can double after splitting
• Can split three or more times
• Blackjack pays 3:2 (never play at a table that pays less than 3:2 for a natural blackjack)
• Can double down on any two cards
• Can double down on any hand even after hitting

The ace five blackjack system is based on the fact that the ace is the most valuable card for the player and the five is the worst card for the player. When a five is removed from a deck, it increases the player’s chance to win. This effectively lowers the house edge.

When an ace is removed from the deck of cards, it hurts the player’s chance to win and raises the house edge. Using these two pieces of information, you can track the aces and fives and use the information to alter your bet amounts. This can eliminate the house edge.

How To Speed Count In Blackjack

Here’s how the ace five card counting system works:

You start with a count of zero. If you don’t like to work with negative numbers, you can start with a count of 10, and adjust the count where you raise your bets by 10. Every time you see a five, you add one to your count, and every time you see an ace, you subtract one from your count.

It doesn’t matter if the ace or five is in your hand, another player’s hand, or in the dealer’s hand. You add or subtract for every five and ace that gets played.

You start with a base bet amount, and when the count reaches +2 (or 12 if you started at 10), you double your bet amount. Every time the count goes up, you double your bet again, and when it goes down, you reduce your bet accordingly. Any time the count is at +1 or below, you bet your base amount.

The only downside to the ace five card counting system is that it’s a relatively weak system compared to more advanced systems. It will help you overcome the house edge, but it’s not going to do much better than allow you to play a breakeven game. Of course, playing breakeven blackjack is better than losing.

2 – Speed Count

The next system is the speed count, which was developed by Frank Scoblete and is included in a couple of his blackjack books. The basic way to use the speed count is to track low cards and compare the volume of them to the number of hands that are dealt on each round.

The reason I include it in this article is because it’s an easy system to learn. It’s not quite as easy to learn as the ace five count, but it’s easier than most advanced counting systems.

I’m not going to spend a great deal of time with the speed count here, because it’s also a weak system compared to many others.

In other words, most blackjack players should go directly from the ace five count system to a more advanced system like the KO, Red 7, or Hi Lo. I cover the KO in the next section.

If you want to learn more about the speed count system, you can follow this link. Here are the basics of the system before you move on to the next section.

You track all of the cards valued two to six that are dealt every round and subtract the number of hands that are dealt on the round. You then use this number to adjust your overall count and adjust your bet size based on the running count, just like in the ace five system.

How To Speed Count In Blackjack Machines

3 – KO or Knock Out

If you understand how to use the ace five and speed count systems, you’re ready to learn the KO system. This isn’t a system you find on most pages designed for normal blackjack players, but it’s not much harder than learning how to use basic strategy. In my experience, most regular blackjack players can quickly learn how to use it.

If you look over the KO system and don’t care for it, the Red 7 and Hi Lo systems are also good systems you can learn how to use. Any of these three systems teach you how to make money playing blackjack.

The difference between simple systems like the first two on this page and advanced systems is the number of cards you track. In the ace five system, you track two cards. In the speed count, you track five cards. In the KO system, you track 11 cards. Every time you see any card from a two to seven, you add one to your count and every time you see a 10 to ace, you subtract one from your count.

Once you learn how to track a few cards, it only takes a little bit of practice to learn how to track more. You don’t need to memorize the cards. You simply subtract or add one at a time to your count.

The main advantage that the KO system, and the Red 7 system, has over the popular Hi Lo system is you don’t have to calculate your count based on the number of decks remaining during play. This is handled by starting your count at a set number based on the number of decks before you start counting.

Don’t worry about all of this right now, because you don’t have to worry about it unless you learn how to use the Hi Lo system.

In a single deck game, you start your count at 0. In a double deck game, you start your count at -4. In a six-deck shoe game, you start your count at -20, and in an eight-deck shoe game, you start at -28.

How To Speed Count In Blackjack Game

When the count is at 0 or negative, you make your minimum bet. When the count gets to +1, you double your bet. You keep doubling your bet as the count goes up until you reach your maximum bet amount.

How To Speed Count In Blackjack Without

Conclusion

How To Count At Blackjack

You can start using the ace five system today. It’s an easy way to play a breakeven blackjack game against the casino, and anyone can learn how to use it. Once you’re comfortable using the ace five, start learning how to use the KO system. If you want to take it slow, you can learn the speed count before using the KO. But if you can use the speed count, you can use the KO, and it’s a better overall system.