New and Improved E-Z Count

The E-Z Count System was first published in my book, Easy Blackjack for the Average Joe. Two years later, while researching another book on card counting, I came across a similar concept.  The Proportion Count, by Robert Scharff, counted 10's in the hands and kept a side count of Aces.  If one 10 was dealt to a hand, the count remained neutral. If two 10's were dealt, the count became -1. If no 10's were dealt, the count became +1.  His premise was there were three cards per hand, and proportionately, there should be one 10 card dealt.

Although I didn't know the Proportion Count when I invented E-Z Count, there are similarities. Using Casino Verite' software, I ran over One Trillion hands, and determined the average number of cards per hand of 2.75, close to Mr. Scharff's 3.

Of the thirteen cards in a suit, five are the 10 value cards plus the Ace.  The 7, 8, and 9 are considered neutral.  Of course the remaining 5 cards are the 2 - 6, low value cards.  If you are familiar with the Hi-Lo system, these are the same groups used.  Now let's do some easy math:

5/13 = 38.46% or 0.3846

Now, multiply the number of cards per hand, 2.75 times 0.3846 and you get 1.06 ten's and Aces per hand on average.

That's all the math. Pretty E-Z so far.

The purpose of card counting is to determine who has the advantage, you or the house, and bet accordingly.  If there are an excess of ten value cards and Aces, the player has the advantage and should bet more than normal.  If there is an excess of small cards, the house (dealer) has the advantage, so the player should bet the minimum.  This gives the player the long term advantage because the player bets and wins more when having the advantage, and bets/loses less when the casino has the advantage. Back to E-Z Count:  

I know I should see one ten or Ace per hand, and I can count the number of hands played each round, including splits and the dealer's hand.  If I subtract the number of 10's and Aces from the number of hands dealt, I have a running count.  I count the first hand of a freshly shuffled deck(s), then add this number to the count from the second hand played, then the third etcetera.   If you were playing single deck Blackjack, this would be your true count.  If you are playing a game with more than one deck, it is called a running count.  You have to divide this count by the number of decks remaining to be played to derive the true count.

For example, in a six deck game, with five decks yet to be dealt, a running count of 5 will equate to a true count of 1  (5/5 = 1). Think of this number as the count per deck,  Whether you are playing two, four or six deck Blackjack, this allows you to find the count per deck to use to place your bet on the next hand.

Let's look at another example:  Your running count is +6 and there are three decks remaining in the shoe.  6/3 = 2, so the true count is +2.  You have a slight advantage, so your next bet should be increased, perhaps by 50%.  On the other hand, if an excess of tens and Aces have come out and the running count is -4 with two decks remaining.  Your true count is -4/2 = -2.  Your next bet should be the table minimum because you are at a disadvantage.

So, now you know how to count cards.  You need to know what to do with your count.  What follows is how I use E-Z Count.  You will find these ranges similar to how you would bet a Hi-Lo count.
            
                TRUE COUNT                                BET
                  Negative                           Table Minimum...say $5
                  Extremely Negative          Take a bathroom break
                  0 to +1                              One unit bet ...say $10
                  +2 to +4                            One and one half units...say $15
                  +5 and up                         Two units...say $20

Of course a unit can be any amount you choose.  It should be greater than the table minimum so you can drop down to the minimum to ride out those negative counts.

There you have it: a one page counting system you can learn to use in a matter of minutes.  I hope you find it works for you as well as it has for me.  Then you'll know why I call it E-Z Count.<