Wong created the Halves Count to increase the win rate. He felt the high-low was comparable regarding insurance and playing strategy. By using the Halves, the player is expected to pick up an extra 0.1 bets per hour above your expected win rate.
If you multiply the above halves by 2, the halves become ones, and the highest (5 card) becomes a 3, making this a level 3 system. Wong also modified basic strategy to accompany the halves strategy.
Advantage: Squeezes a bit higher win rate.
Disadvantage: Requires more mental abilities and practice to master.
Mr. Uston considered this to be a professional level count. He along with his team used it to literally win millions of dollars in the 1970s. This system is about as complicated and difficult to learn as a system can be. If you are willing to put in the hours required, this system could pay big dividends. Just to get proficient with the Uston Plus- Minus count requires about ten hours of practice. According to Uston, expect to practice 25 hours to learn and become proficient with the Uston APC. He also includes tips on how to master it and the Ace side count.
Even if you choose another system, his book is an enjoyable read. He is a teachers teacher.
The system comes with a matrix just like the Uston Plus-Minus, and the true count is made in half decks rather than full decks.
Advantage: Created by a truly brilliant man and should be a very accurate system.
Disadvantage: Due to the time required, this is for professionals only. It is complicated and will require time and dedication to master.
Although there are more counts which could be listed, this list gives you plenty to choose from. Eventually they become either redundant or ridiculous. Some are mostly academic exercises, while others are very practical. A professional has a different ethic than the casual player. If you were going to become a professional, you would search out the best system possible, and put in countless hours to master the system and its nuances. You would do no less to become a professional in any profession. I put in over ten years of education to get educated in my profession. If I were to put in ten years of intense study toward Blackjack, I would probably be the best player in the world. So, does a few months of study and a bit of daily practice sound that bad? Not to master a system that will pay you for the rest of your life.
Keep in mind, you will get out of it what you put into it. The more you study and practice, the better you will get. You must treat it as a profession as well. If you were a Medical Doctor, would you let your mind wander while you take out that Gall Bladder? Would you try to do it with a few drinks under your belt? I certainly hope not. A professional in any field studies, concentrates, and practices. The same should be true of the professional gambler. There will be time to drink and party once you leave the table. But while you are there, you are all business. You just have to disguise that you are all business.
Lawrence Revere wrote a book called Playing Blackjack as a Business. It included some of the counting systems listed earlier. I want to emphasize to you that if you have any plans to become a professional, you will need to play Blackjack as a business because it will be your business. Just like a business, you have to have capitol to start up the business. This is your bankroll. Many businesses have to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to yield a comfortable living for the owner. So it will be with your business of Blackjack. Let’s say you can win 1% of what you invest. It doesn’t take a computer to see that to win a thousand dollars, you have to invest $100,000. This is your business investment. This is your action. A business has to have savings in case business slows down. For the professional Blackjack player, this is your bankroll. You must have enough to get you through the hard times when business slows (losing periods).
If you are going to be a non-professional blackjack player, you have different requirements than the professional. You are going to Vegas or wherever, and play for a week. You have a bankroll for the trip, and when you get back home, you go back to your work and make more. If you lose all of it, you still have rent money. You don’t have to approach the game the same way the pro does. You don’t have to pick the most complex system. If you win 1.5% instead of 2%, it’s really no big deal. Your approach to picking a system is going to be different. You might start by trying a simpler system. If it works for you, then stick with it. You can add a new system for next trip. You may not ever get to a level 2 system. After all, the increases are small to most players, yet the effort is large.
