card counting 21

Card Counting 21

Are You Interested in Card Counting as Portrayed in the Movie 21?

21 was a movie released in the spring of 2008. 21 was a dramatic retelling of the story of the MIT card counting team. Kevin Spacey played the professor who recruited and trained MIT students for his card counting team. In the movie, the team used the high low card counting method. This method is used t determine when there are more high value cards in the shoe than low value cards. When this occurs, the odds favor the card counter over the house (because the house must hit below 17).

Card Counting 21 - The MIT Team

There a real MIT card counting team in the 1990s. It was comprised of MIT students who were naturally gifted at mathematics. This made them perfect card counters. Students who applied were screened, trained and tested before they could official join the team and gamble. The team would fly to Vegas for the weekend, gamble using card counting, and return with the winnings. The bankroll was provide by the team management and investors.

A key ingredient was the team play. Pit bosses spot card counting by tracking if a player increases his bet when the count goes positive. With a team, one member could count while playing the table minimum. This member would signal the big money member when the count went positive. The big money player would only bet big and was therefore difficult to spot.

Card Counting 21 - The High Low Method

The MIT Card Counting team used the High Low method. This is an older, balanced system popularized by Jim Thorpe. The basic idea is that due to the casino having to hit below 17, a card counter has a slight statistical edge when there are more high cards in the shoe to played than low cards. Card counting requires you to raise you bet five or ten fold when the odds are in your favor. If the count is not in your favor, you play the table minimum and continue counting.

In the High Low (or Hi Lo) system, you begin the count at zero when the decks are shuffled and placed in the shoe. For every card played, you add or subtract the cards value to the count. This is known as the running count. The running count lets you mentally record the history of the game, and thus you have some idea of what cards are remaining in the shoe.

The card values are as follows...
2 through 6 cards = +1
7 through 9 cards = 0
10 through King and the Ace cards = -1

When the running count goes positive, it means the card counter has the advantage.

Card Counting 21 - Balanced versus Unbalanced

A balanced system like the Hi Lo method means that if you start at a running count zero and count through one complete deck, you'll end at zero. Balanced system require a conversion of the running count into the true count. The true count is then used to determine who has the advantage.

Card counting converts the running count by dividing it by the number of decks left in the shoe. You find the number of decks n the shoe by taking the number of decks initially placed in the shoe an subtract the number of decks discarded. You estimate the number of decks discarded from watching the discard pile.

All balanced systems require this conversion and it can be cumbersome to estimate the discards and do the division all while keeping the running count and playing. Unbalanced system don't require this true count conversion.

Card Counting 21 - Red Seven or KO Count

The Red Seven is an unbalanced card counting system. That means there is no need to convert a running count to a true count. All you have to do is keep the running count. You sacrifice some statistical edge for the benefit of simplicity. The Red Seven card counting system is one of the easiest to learn.

The card values for the red seven system are...
2 through 6 cards = +1
red seven cards = +1
black seven cards = 0
8 and 9 cards = 0
ten through king plus ace cards = -1

The KO Count is another unbalanced system. It too is easy to learn. Beginning card counters may want to try these methods because of their ease of use.

Card Counting 21 - Learn While You Play

You've learned how the Hi Lo method was used the Card Counting 21 movie. You also saw other methods like the Red Seven or KO Count. Do you want to learn more about these cards counting systems? Better yet, would you like a free a game that can teach any of these methods and more while play? There is such a free game available on the internet.