KO - Rookie - Casino tomorrow

[aarono2690]

I've been practicing counting down a deck in hi-lo fashion for about a week now. I'll do about an hour a day so I'm getting comfortable with speed and 90% of the time end up with a count of zero.

I'm going to the casino tomorrow most likely and wish to use KO. Let me make sure I have a few basics down before I do:

6decks = -20 for starting count
-2 = Key count (so after this you start ramping your bets more?)
division of the deck is not necessary

I plan on using my basic strat sheet and just keeping general track of the card count so I can increase my bets by a couple dollars. Will this work?

 

[DocSkyHawk]

Do not take this in a bad way but if you have only been practicing for a week or so be careful on your bets. It takes a long time to be able to keep up with a live table. People I work with can count down a deck in under 20 seconds. I have been doing it for months and have yet to come under 30. Bet in relation to your bankroll and keep in mind that if you loose table games are just another form of high excitement entertainment.

 

[EasyRhino]

Four warnings:

1) It's awfully tough the first time out, don't expect miracles
2) The short-term fluctuations are gigantic
3) You'll need to keep an actual count of the cards, not a general one.
4) Did you even read KO rookie? For a 6D shoe, the official IRC is -20 and the key count is -4.

http://www.koblackjack.com/K-O_Rookie_System.html (Archive copy)

(To be fair, simulations have shown that in most shoe game, you want to hold off any bet-raising until a running count of -3 or higher)

5) Any "small" increases in your bets (2x-5x) are likely still going to leave you with a negative-value game if a shoe game. You'd really just be practicing. (Nothing wrong with that).

 

[ChefJJ]

ER made a great point with the last sentence...just take your outing as "practice". If you are using BS, you're still playing a decent game that you may walk out as a winner anyways. But the bottom line is that you've gotta get your feet wet. Figure out what helps you to keep the count in the casino environment and grow as a player.

good luck & have fun

 

[aarono2690]

Report:

Up $30.

I used KO system to count the cards. First two or three shoes I couldn't keep up with the count if my life depended on it, mainly because I was antsy about not taking too long on my hands. Eventually I settled down and cared less, and the count came to me.

I played minimum bet ($3) until I hit -4 key count, which I might add was very rare. It seemed like the count always stayed -10 or so. When I hit -4 and above, I'd adjust my bets accordingly. If I was positive I'd bet $5-$6 since I only had $70 to begin with.

Overall, I'm pleased with my performance.

 

[Mimosine]

Report:

Up $30.

I used KO system to count the cards. First two or three shoes I couldn't keep up with the count if my life depended on it, mainly because I was antsy about not taking too long on my hands. Eventually I settled down and cared less, and the count came to me.

I played minimum bet ($3) until I hit -4 key count, which I might add was very rare. It seemed like the count always stayed -10 or so. When I hit -4 and above, I'd adjust my bets accordingly. If I was positive I'd bet $5-$6 since I only had $70 to begin with.

Overall, I'm pleased with my performance.

sounds like you learned a lot and did well.

penetration is a big issue for seeing the count rise out of the negative territory. though, maybe 1 in every 7-8 6D shoes i sit through it breaks above +10 with at least 1D before the shuffle. that's where the magic starts to happen. only something like 1 in 3 shoes will ever become really worthwhile, so at the very least read up on the "wonging out" section of KO.

for 6D:
1 deck down wong out at -22 (count should be on average -16)
2 decks -17 (on avg should be -12)
3 decks -12 (-8)

usually with these wong out points, the count will not ever get positive, or it will take the entire shoe to turn around, so maybe you should go find better pickings at another table