Card
Counting System Comparison
Blackjack
card counting systems can be compared based on statistics or on
their classification:
The
most important statistics used to evaluate the efficiency
a counting system are betting correlation and playing efficiency.
These are terms created by Peter Griffin, author of Theory
of Blackjack. This is the classic blackjack book on the mathematics
of the game and includes a complete discussion of basic strategy
and card counting systems. It will not teach you how to count
cards but it explains the underlying concepts. |
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Betting
correlation and playing efficiency are defined as:
-
Playing Efficiency (PE): A description of the
accuracy of any card counting system, usually expressed as a
percentage or fraction. The closer to 1 the number is, the more
accurate the system is in terms of indicating the proper strategy
decision to be made.
-
Betting
Correlation (BC): A term used to illustrate the efficiency
of a counting system's ability to inform the player when to
increase or decrease his bet. It is usually expressed as a decimal,
such as 0.95. This would mean that a count with a 0.95 betting
correlation is correct 95% of the time in determining the proper
bet size.
Because
aces are large cards for betting purposes but small cards for
playing purposes, increasing the BC will decrease the PE. The
type of game available (single or multi-deck game) is an important
factor in choosing a system. Multi-deck games are primarily beaten
by a large betting spread and require a card counting system with
a high betting correlation. In single-deck games where players
are usually forced to use a small bet spread (to avoid detection),
a system with a high playing efficiency is the better choice.
The
most important classifications for card counting systems are:
-
Level (L): The level of a strategy refers to
the highest integer value assigned to the cards. A level one
system assigns one value; plus or minus one, to the cards. A
level two system assigns two values, such as plus and minus
one and two. Multi level systems (level 2 and 3 counting strategies)
are harder to use, but are more accurate and efficient.
-
Side
Counts (SC): An additional count to track specific
individual cards, usually aces, to increase the betting or playing
efficiency.
-
Type
(T) (balanced or unbalanced): In a balanced card counting
system, the total of all the point counts will add up to zero
while the sum of all the point counts in an unbalanced strategy
is positive. Balanced strategies are generally a bit more accurate
but they are more difficult to use because they require conversions
from the running count to a true count in order to be useful
in a multiple-deck game. To determine the true count, divide
the running count by the number of decks remaining to be played.
In unbalanced systems, the number of decks and the penetration
into the deck have to be taken into account by the distribution
of the card values.
The
most popular card counting systems are listed here, along with
their betting correlation, playing efficiency, level, side count
(Yes/No) and type.
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