Whenever people ask me about how to get started in casino card counting then one of the first things that I advise them to do after learning basic strategy is to learn a simple counting system. This is usually a system like the high-low because of its level one complexity. But all balanced counting systems require a true count conversion and it is this that adds a level of difficulty to card counting that beginners find hard.

So what I recommend here for many people is to learn an unbalanced card counting system. Firstly we need to know what the difference is between a balanced system and an unbalanced system. If you were to start the count at the beginning of the shoe using a balanced system like the high-low then the count would always return to zero after the last card is counted (impossible to do because multi-deck games do not deal down to the last card.

But if they did and you had counted correctly then the count at the start and end of the shoe would be zero. This is simply because there are the same number of cards in the high-low system that are counted -1 as there are cards that are counted +1. The neutral cards take care of themselves of course. But in unbalanced counting systems like the KO counting system then there is no need for a true count conversion after locating the running count.

I first became aware of the KO counting system some years ago when I first read the excellent book by Ken Fuchs and Olaf Vancura who designed the system. It is based on reaching key pivot points where the advantage shifts from the house to the player. It is called an unbalanced count because unlike a balanced counting system, if you were to start the count at zero at the start of the shoe, it would not return to zero at the end.

This may sound really complex but it isn’t once you understand what is going off. In my mind this system allows card counting to become an easier process but in no way does this mean that a player can forego basic strategy. This is a part of the game that basically underpins your counting system whatever it is that you want to use.

But the purpose of this article was to show to novice blackjack players that card counting is open to novice players who can reach a high state of proficiency in a far shorter time frame. I have used the KO counting system myself numerous times in casinos although it wasn’t my main system as that was the HI-LO due to its simplicity. But I can verify that the system is not only valid but that it is also a very powerful system for novice blackjack players.

At the end of the day, there are many ways to get the job done in blackjack but knowing the KO system alone will not do you justice if your other blackjack knowledge is seriously lacking.