- Red Seven Card Counting System
- Red 7 Card Counting System
- Hand Counting System
- Red 7 Card Counting System Chart
- Red 7 Card Counting System
The Zen Card Counting system is another contribution from recognized card counting master, Arnold Snyder.The Zen system is one of several that were detailed in Snyder’s authoritative book, Blackbelt In Blackjack.He also introduced the RED 7 method and others. Counting Cards With the Red 7 System Determine your starting count based on the number of decks in play. See our guidance in the section When you see an A, K, Q, J, or 10: Subtract 1 from your running count When you see a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or red 7: Add 1 to your running count When you see a black 7.
I personally, am finishing my ninth year of supporting myself from solely from AP opportunities and the majority of that play is simple blackjack card counting. I started with the 'standard', level one, hi-lo count. After 4 years, I switched to a level 2 count, Revere Point Count, which I played for 18 months before switching back to hi-lo. I truly believe that much more important than what count you play is that you play it well, seek out and play good games and are properly bankrolled.
So while, Red seven is fine if you are comfortable with it, it would not be my choice for a couple reasons. First it is an unbalanced count. Unbalanced counts were created to eliminate the need to convert the running count to a true count for the number of decks in play. In doing so, it does give up a little bit of accuracy. I have never felt that true count conversion to be that difficult or bothersome, so I don't want to give up that accuracy for no reason. The second thing I don't like about unbalanced counts is the way you start counting with a negative number. I find counting negatives slightly more burdensome. But that is me personally, if you are comfortable with it and after 150 hrs of play and 450 hours of practice you should be, so no need to change. It will work fine.
What concerns me more than your choice of count, is your statement about 'insufficient funds' and 'overbetting your bankroll'. You are playing to a high 'risk of ruin' which if you are not familiar with RoR (and you should be), it is exactly what it sounds like. Playing to a high RoR is a disaster waiting to happen. Many players do so, especially early on when they are underfunded and get away with it. I myself did. But, doing so means that you could get wiped out, despite the fact that you are doing everything else correctly.
Its not so great playing Red-7 on single/double deck games, its much better at shoe games (54/69 for Play Eff.{1-2 Decks} and 98/100 Bet Corr.{4+ Decks}). When you're ready to move up, try Hi-Opt II (no side-count of Aces). A second reason to move up is for gains when taking Insurance. R7 scores 78/100 and HO-II is 91/100. Essentially a top insurance Index like HO-II does not count 9's and Aces.
Cheers
The second thing I don't like about unbalanced counts is the way you start counting with a negative number. I find counting negatives slightly more burdensome. But that is me personally...
It's easy enough to eliminate the negative counts by just tweaking the IRC to your taste. KISS III uses a default IRC that is positive and rarely dips into the negative (and if it does, you should probably be taking a cell phone call). I don't remember what the 'default' IRC is for KO but in any case, all of these counts are easy enough to modify to taste.
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I'll try to keep it simple. What you can play perfectly is what you should play.
Good advice. I might replace 'perfectly' with 'well.' Personally, I've used the plus-minus for 25 years. It isn't going to get much better than that with me.Red Seven Card Counting System
Good advice. I might replace 'perfectly' with 'well.' Personally, I've used the plus-minus for 25 years. It isn't going to get much better than that with me.
Wizard, I have a question for you. Everyone knows who you are. Your picture is on your website. How can you sit down at a casino and play blackjack without severe heat?
Say I use a spread of 1 to 5 and play in a 8 (or 6) deck game with no surrender and with 50% penetration where the house edge is exactly 0.5% from rules. What will be my edge using a Red7 count + IL18 compared with a Hi-Lo count but with only basic strategy?
Red 7 Card Counting System
AxiomOfChoice good point ! (I am very curious about that aspect too) And I too have a question which I think fits well in this thread:
Say I use a spread of 1 to 5 and play in a 8 (or 6) deck game with no surrender and with 50% penetration where the house edge is exactly 0.5% from rules. What will be my edge using a Red7 count + IL18 compared with a Hi-Lo count but with only basic strategy?
Your edge will be about 0 with that spread and those rules, regardless of system! A 1-5 spread is not enough to beat a shoe game. 1-10 is the bare minimum to have a decent edge. Add in really bad penetration at 50%, and I would not surprised if you would be playing with a net disadvantage under these conditions.
Now if we alter the above to be a 1 to 10 spread, 6 decks, 0.5% HE off the top, and 75% penetration, then you will have a workable edge - with
Hand Counting System
either system. The difference would almost be a roundoff error.Also, one note is that the 'stock' Red 7 as presented by Snyder in the literature doesn't have full index numbers for the I18, so you would have to generate those on your own, or find an additional resource.
Red 7 is deemed as a card counting system that is best for card counting beginners or even blackjack beginners. But, that doesn’t mean that it’s an inaccurate system. On the contrary it is very accurate, very basic and very professional, which is why it’s great for beginners.
The best way to use it is to combine it with some blackjack strategy in order to gain an even bigger advantage. The Red 7 system was invented by the legendary card counter, Arnold Snyder, and you can read about it in his famous book called Blackbelt in Blackjack.
The Red Seven Count – How it Works
If you know how Hi-Lo works, you will be able to use the Red 7 immediately. Similarly to the Hi-Lo counting system, here too players assign points to different types of cards. Two, three, four, five, six and red seven are assigned +1. Ten, jack, queen, king and ace are assigned -1, while 0 is assigned to eight, nine and black seven. What you need to do with these points is to add and subtract them and when you have reached a positive count you can increase your bet safely.
The count begins by multiplying the number of decks with -2. For example, if there are 8 decks, your count will begin from -16. As cards are dealt you just add and subtract points according to their face value, and when the count reaches +1, +2 or +3 you can increase your bet. Also, the Red 7 comes with a strategy of when to hit or stand in situations such as: stand on 16 if the dealer has a 10 while the count is 0 or higher, stand on 12 if the dealer has a 3 while the count is 0 or higher, stand on 15 if the dealer has 10 while the count is +2 or higher etc.
Red 7 Count vs. Hi-Lo Count
The Red 7 count is much more accurate and favored compared to the Hi-Lo. With the Hi-Lo you have to make a rough estimate of how many decks are left in order to convert the running count into a true count. With the Red 7 you get the true count from the very beginning. Also, the principle of the method ensures that the decks are favorable until you reach the moment when you can increase your bet, and there is very little chance that you will fail.
Summary of the Red 7 Card Counting System
Red 7 Card Counting System Chart
The Red 7 can be learned quickly because it is simple, although there are advanced versions of it. According to Snyder, you will have an advantage in 80% of the cases, and you will make less mistakes because you don’t have to memorize anything or convert the running count, thus your card counting will be more accurate. Nevertheless, begin with the basic Red 7 by practicing home with multiple decks. Doing that while playing for real money would be a bit foolish.
Red 7 Card Counting System
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