Ko Count Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the most challenging casino games as it requires skills and knowledge. This is the reason why a number of strategies have been developed over the years in order to help players increase their chances of winning. One very popular method is the card counting which has many variations and systems.
They vary in terms of effectiveness and level of difficulty which help players decide which one is the most suitable for them. In general, card counting is practised by advanced gamblers as it requires experience and solid knowledge of the basic strategy. However, nowadays due to the huge interest in Blackjack worldwide there are many card counting systems available which mostly differ in the way the card counting is conducted and their assigned total values.
One such a method is the K-O system (Knockout Count) as it gives players the opportunity to make wiser decisions for their moves and bets. It is both simple and effective which makes it the perfect strategy for beginners. Even though it is moderately easy to be learned, it still requires a lot of practice and concentration as after all it uses the main card counting principle of assigning new point values to the cards.
Aug 03, 2020 Markets will be settled after the qualifying stage and any subsequent disqualification or amendment to the result will not count. Dead heats Unless stated otherwise in the Specific Sports Rules the Dead Heat Rule applies to bets on a market where there are more winners than expected. The KO or Knockout system is one of the easiest unbalanced blackjack card counting strategies as it was developed in a way that eliminates the need to keep true and side counts. This makes this system a really good starting off point for novice card counters. In the Knockout Card Counting (KO Count) system, all card values are the same as in the Hi Low system, except for the value of the 7 take a look at the book Knock Out Blackjack for a more detailed look at the system. In the KO system, the seven is considered a low card and a plus value, while in the Hi Low system it is considered a neutral card. If the count isn't 0, then you did it wrong! The other category is unbalanced card counting, where the end total is not necessarily 0. Knockout (KO) is an unbalanced card counting system. KO Card Counting Strategy. KO or Knock Out strategy begins with the fact that when the whole deck is used up, the count should not end up being zero.
Brief History
The K-O system grew in popularity incredibly fast in 1998 when Ken Fuchs and Olaf Vancura published one of the most famous books about Blackjack – “Knock-Out Blackjack-The Easiest Card Counting System Ever Devised“. This card counting system encouraged many players to put efforts and time in learning as it was the proof that even beginners can gain advantage over the casino using such systems.
Assigned Card Values of the Cards in the K-O System
As already mentioned the K-O system is not only simplified but also accurate and effective. Just like the rest of the card counting systems it uses the main principle of assigning particular point values to the rank of the cards. This strategy is very similar to the popular Hi-Lo system which is very convenient for players who are already familiar with this basic card counting method. The only number that has a different assigned value than the Hi-Lo system is seven and players should pay special attention to this subtlety.
The K-O system offers the following plan: the numbers from two through seven receive plus one value, eight and nine get zero, and for the rest of the cards the count is minus one. In order to make it work and keep track of the cards successfully, players need to count them with their assigned value instead of their real one. This way they will be able to determine whether or not they are in a favourable position and thus, choose the best possible move for their hand.
| K-O Card Counting System | |
|---|---|
| Card Value | Count |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | count +1 |
| 8, 9 | count 0 |
| 10, J, Q, K, A | count -1 |
Classification of the K-O System
For players’ convenience, each card counting system has a level of count which indicates how difficult is to learn and apply them. This information can be extremely useful when deciding whether a particular strategy is suitable or not. K-O system is level one which means that it is especially designed to be appropriate for all of the players regardless of their knowledge of the card counting systems.
Another very important classification the card counting systems have is whether they are balanced or unbalanced ones. In contrast to the H-Lo system which is a balanced one, the K-O system falls into the category of the unbalanced systems. This means that if the players count through the whole deck, the final number won’t be zero.
Card Counting Systems
Hi-Lo System
Red Seven System
K-O System
KISS Systems
Important Considerations
There are a few important factors that should be taken into account if players decide to use the K-O card counting system. Prior to playing, it is crucial to pay attention at the number of decks involved in the game as they will determine the count players should begin with. The principle that when the count is positive, players have an advantage over the casino applies for this strategy as well and they should be familiar with it in order to make the best possible decisions when betting.
Benefits of the K-O System
Probably one of the biggest benefits of this system is that it is very simplified and easy to be learned. Even inexperienced players will be able to take advantage of it and apply it in the casino. It is also very effective and accurate and it allows them to adjust their bets accordingly and thus, get more money. It is a great card counting system as it contains everything they need in order to increase their winning hands.
When it comes to card counting systems, the phrase betting correlation is often used and it indicates how good a particular plan is at showing players how advantageous are the upcoming cards for their bets. It is measured in points and the higher the system is rated, the better accuracy it provides. In this sense, the betting correlation of the K-O system is 0.98 which is an indicator on itself that it is worthwhile.
Conclusion
The K-O system is a great card counting strategy for all kinds of players, regardless of their experience and mathematical skills. If they want to succeed in winning, it is necessary to be extremely disciplined and organised. Even though many of the card counting strategies are simplified and easy to learn players need to bear in mind that a lot of efforts and dedication are still compulsory. In order to achieve the desired result, they should be extremely focused and know the chosen system backwards and forwards.
This system is perfect for players who just discovered their interest in card counting strategies as it is very simple to be understood and there is no need to do complicated mathematical equations. It is very similar to the famous Hi-Lo system and thus, reliable and accurate. It gives players the unique opportunity to predict to some extent the upcoming cards and use this valuable information to adjust their basic strategy and place appropriate amount of bets.
If you are already accustomed to the Hi-Lo and alternative primary count systems, it should be time to learn a brand new system. This page discusses the knock out card counting system. Let us start with balanced and unbalanced card counts. The card counting strategies are either balanced or unbalanced.
Balanced suggests that counting through a whole deck of cards should bring you to a count of zero like at the beginning of the game. An unbalanced count brings you to a number different than zero. Beginner counting systems like the Hi-Lo system are balanced. The most famous unbalanced system is the KO blackjack system also known as KO.
Unbalanced systems, in general, must not be tried by beginners. This is often because it will be harder for you to detect your errors when you count through a deck of cards. However, the knock out system is a simple count to use despite the fact that it is unbalanced. The disadvantage is that it is slightly less accurate than the Hi-Lo count.
The knock out system is not a counting technique for boxing knockdowns. It is a blackjack counting system. The KO blackjack system is just like the initial Hi-Lo count except that the seven card is given a value of +1 similar to the low cards. Since there are four cards of this denomination during a single deck, the final count once one deck is +4. The KO blackjack system sacrifices accuracy for convenience. It is smart for the casual player who prefers to use a friendly system. However, it is not a correct count out there. It is, however, still helpful. If you are solely playing blackjack for fun, this can be a decent system to try.
Knock out blackjack is one of my favorite card counting systems. The reason why I prefer this system so much is that it is easy to use and it eliminates the necessity for changing the running count into a true count.
The knock out blackjack works in a very similar way to most of the other card counting methods. Card counting does not require you to remember the order or any specific cards that came out of the deck. Instead, it uses a particular system to calculate the proportion of high cards to low cards left in the shoe. When a pack contains a proportionately greater number of 10s and aces in it, it is a lot more profitable for the player. The reason should be apparent, however, if it is not, think about it.
One hand in blackjack leads to a higher payout than any other hand. That is a “natural” 21 that is also referred to as a “blackjack.” Only two values of cards can mix to create such a hand. One amongst those is the ace, and the alternative is cards with a value of ten. If you removed each of the aces from the deck, your probability of getting dealt a natural would become zero, right? Thus obviously, if the deck has fewer low-value cards and more high-value cards, you are a lot more likely to get dealt a 21.
Moreover, when you get dealt a natural, you get paid off at three to two. Therefore if you decide to increase the size of your bets once you are likely to get a three to two payout, it stands to reason that you would have an improved probability of winning more money, right?
We will explore the ko counting system futher in this guide as well as explain how to use it properly and what are the advantages. We hope that you find what you were initially looking for and that we would help you become a card counting expert.
Ko Count Blackjack Cards
The Specifics of Knock out Blackjack
The knockout blackjack count technique also referred to as the KO method, of card counting is so popular because of a book called Knock-out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised, written by Ken Fuchs and Olaf Vancura. Just like the Hi-Lo counting System, the KO blackjack count strategy assigns point values to every card in the deck and as the cards are being dealt out a player keeps track of the count by adding or subtracting the suitable value.
If you are accustomed to alternative ko card counting system in which all cards in a deck might be added together to equal zero, then you will need to get used to the knock out the system, because it is unbalanced because there are more +1 cards in a deck than -1 cards. This method is additionally based on a +2 count which suggests that once your count gets to +2 you must begin considering raising your bet and as the count gets higher and over +2 you must raise your bet even more. The KO blackjack strategy is a good one for beginner card counters because it is easy to learn without an enormous amount of practicing and might give you the edge over the house once you start playing casino blackjack.
In the knockout blackjack system, each card with a worth between 2 and seven is counted +1. The Aces and 10’s are counted -1. There are twenty-four of the previous and twenty of the latter, therefore if you counted through a complete deck using this method, you would have a total of +4 once you finish. This is why this system is known as unbalanced. You should increase your bet when the count is positive and decrease it when it is negative.
In other words, the higher the count is, the bigger your bet should be. It is almost that easy. There’s one extra wrinkle, however. You most certainly have to take into consideration the number of decks that are in use. In most ko card counting methods, a player must convert the running count into a true one to adjust for the additional decks which are currently in play. For instance, if you are playing a single deck game, and every one of the Aces is dealt, then you currently have a 0.33 probability of being dealt a blackjack.
However in an eight deck game, once four aces are dealt, you will still have twenty-eight Aces left within the deck. The result of every individual card is diluted by the massive number of decks within the shoe. Converting the running count to a true one, however, requires skills in the division and estimating. The formula is easy enough—you just divide the count by the number of decks you expect are left within the shoe. In the knockout blackjack system, you will be able to skip the division. This is one of the reasons that the system is not balanced.
The other quirk regarding the knockout blackjack system is that you do not always begin your count at zero, as you would in different methods. Your beginning count in the knockout blackjack system is decided by the amount of decks left in the shoe. If you are playing in a game with a single deck, your initial count is zero, however, if you are playing against two decks, you begin your count at -4. With six decks, you start your count at -20, and with eight decks, you begin your count at -28.
Raising and Lowing Bets in Knock out Blackjack
You will have to decide on a bankroll and a betting spread before you start playing. A typical betting range is one to five units. Therefore you may begin with a bankroll of $10 000 and have a betting spread of between $100 and $500. On hands where the count is negative, you should stick with your $100 bets. As long as you are using the basic strategy, you will solely be playing at a disadvantage of about 1% during those hands. On hands in which the count is positive, you will raise your bet according to how high is the current count.
For example, you might bet $200 once the count is 2, $300 once the count is 4, and so on. On these hands, the maximum disadvantage could be between 1% and 4%. Therefore, you will make up for the negative expectation. However, it does increase your potential winnings.
Strategy Decisions in Knock out Blackjack
You should regulate your strategy for playing every hand according to the count, and by doing this, you might increase your edge slightly.
However, it is not necessary to form method adjustments to be profitable as a card counter. The edge you get comes from knowing when is the appropriate time to lower or increase your bet which is between 70% – 90% of counting cards. If you’re really dedicated to taking every tenth of a percentage from the edge, then you will be able to take your time to learn the basic adjustments in strategy based on the count, however if you are that kind of person, you will most likely also wish to learn a more complicated counting system than the knock out blackjack. The Knock out blackjack system was created to be both easy to use and efficient at the same time.
However, if you think about it most systems that are easy, sacrifices a certain amount of accuracy. So the Knockout blackjack system is perfect for novices and beginners. However, experts who wish to take it to the next level can probably want to begin experimenting with some of the additionally involved systems such as the Omega II or the Hi-Opt I count.
How to Use the Knock out Blackjack System
Some Blackjack ko card counting systems need users to maintain three completely different counts as well as a sometimes sophisticated conversion to find out if the remaining cards hold any advantage for the player. Some of them force the user to quickly add and subtract by 4’s, 9’s and even fractions.
The knock out Blackjack System only needs one count; the running count. The running count in the KO blackjack technique utilizes -1’s and +1’s. For example, the 8 and nine cards are zero points, everything between 2 and 7 is +1 and the ten value cards, and Ace is -1. Keeping a running count using the knock out Blackjack System is the sole thing you have to try doing. The running count can tell you if the unused cards left within the shoe will bring an advantage to the player. The basic idea behind ko card counting is that low cards are bad for the players and high cards are good for them.
Once your knock out Blackjack Count is bigger than zero, it means that there are more 10’s and Aces left in the deck than the five to thirteen ratio found in a new deck. This is not just a theory since it has been mathematically proven many times over the past fifty years. The first purpose of the knock out System is to find out when you have to increase or decrease your bet. The count might go both ways thus if it is far enough within the negatives you must probably get out of the game and come back later.
There is one side of card counting strategies such as the Knock out System that are open to discussion. These methods show you when it is appropriate to increase your bets. However, they do not indicate how much you should increase the bet with. There are no concrete formulas that everybody agrees with therefore I usually recommend that players develop their systems for deciding. Many people debate that the number of decks that are currently being used should have an impact on how much that increase should be. Most agree that once the running count is +1 you must double the size of your initial bet. If you are at +2 two or three times, your initial bet is sensible.
I always recommend using caution when you decide to increase your bet. The knock out System is very easy and straightforward. However, mistakes are often made particularly once you first begin using it at a casino. You should always keep in mind the size of your bankroll once making larger bets is usually a decent plan.
Ko Count Blackjack Poker
Conclusion
Keeping a running count needs much practice, but it is quite simple. Usually, most players make mistakes when they calculate the true count, which has a significant impact on their success in blackjack. Even when they do it successfully, many players find the counting and the true count in systems such as the Hi-Lo quite boring and some of them even believe that it takes all the fun and excitement out of the game. This is why most players prefer the method this article is dedicated to. As we discussed earlier, most players enjoy this system so much because it is quite easy and fun rather than the more complicated techniques.
The knock out strategy features only one distinction from the very popular Hi-Lo method. In this strategy, seven is no longer a neutral card and is now a low one. This means that every single time you see a seven card you should add one to the count. That is it; the other cards keep the same status. Moreover, if you count the entire deck, in the end, you will have a +4 instead of a zero, which makes the knock out system unbalanced.
As we stated earlier, there is no need to calculate the true count if you use the knock out technique. It is an unbalanced strategy which means that the count will most likely be above zero for most of the time. Which means that a positive number will no longer indicate that the edge is to the player’s advantage. Rather than that, a particular value is being chosen, on which the player starts to increase his bet. Usually, the value is two times the number of decks that are currently being used. For example, if the dealer uses six decks, the starting value would be twelve.
A final note on the knock out strategy, when dealer’s card which is facing upwards is an Ace, each of the players will get the opportunity to place a side bet, which is most commonly known as insurance. It will pay out if the dealer gets a blackjack. Most of you have probably read or heard somewhere that you should never get this bet as almost all basic strategies state so. However, the knock out method indicates that you always have to take that so called insurance if the count is three or above times the number of the decks in play. For example, if there are six decks in the game, the running count should be eighteen or over. We hope that we have taught you everything you need to know about the ko counting system and that you will use what you have learned here to increase your winnings in blackjack.