Knock Out BJ
March 8th, 2017 at 2:33:11 PM
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I make it to Vegas maybe once a year. I started counting in the early 1970s first using Thorp and then Revere. Then I had kids and didn't return for another 30 years. And yeah, I'm now in my early 70s but have a nimble mind and am comfortable with numbers. I've settled on Vincura/Fuchs Knock-Out BJ for what I consider a simple counting system. My two questions are (1) does Knock-Out's simplicity come with a cost in efficiency and (2) are there online training tools that monitor your counting when using different counting systems, specifically KO?
March 10th, 2017 at 7:51:46 AM
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Hey gratianus,
KO can certainly perform as well as Hi/Low. Counting debates about which is better are "mostly" a moot point so long as the counts are main stream enough... Thus, Ace/5, speed count, other super simplistic counts are NOT recommended. Check out a list of counts from the very first link in my first of 3 articles:
https://www.qfit.com/card-counting.htm
One thing that I mention in my A-Z counting cards in blackjack articles (on this site) is that using a system other than Hi/Low has another odd effect people don't intend on. Since the mass majority of players do use Hi/Low (which you most certainly do not have to) that will inevitably lean most of the information you find online to be geared towards Hi/Low though. Thus, it will be more difficult to get information specific to your counting system online. I'm not personally familiar with online counting applications for KO, so I can't help you there unfortunately. However, you can most certainly check yourself out (test yourself). Get 6 decks, and every other deck stop, mention the count, and then count down the discards to make sure you're right. This is a bit more work since it's not an app and you have to count down the discards, but this will tell you if you're accurate or not =).
KO can certainly perform as well as Hi/Low. Counting debates about which is better are "mostly" a moot point so long as the counts are main stream enough... Thus, Ace/5, speed count, other super simplistic counts are NOT recommended. Check out a list of counts from the very first link in my first of 3 articles:
https://www.qfit.com/card-counting.htm
One thing that I mention in my A-Z counting cards in blackjack articles (on this site) is that using a system other than Hi/Low has another odd effect people don't intend on. Since the mass majority of players do use Hi/Low (which you most certainly do not have to) that will inevitably lean most of the information you find online to be geared towards Hi/Low though. Thus, it will be more difficult to get information specific to your counting system online. I'm not personally familiar with online counting applications for KO, so I can't help you there unfortunately. However, you can most certainly check yourself out (test yourself). Get 6 decks, and every other deck stop, mention the count, and then count down the discards to make sure you're right. This is a bit more work since it's not an app and you have to count down the discards, but this will tell you if you're accurate or not =).
Playing it correctly means you've already won.
March 10th, 2017 at 8:09:24 AM
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If you are going to use KO, you might want to pick up a book called The Color of Blackjack. It breaks down KO to even simpler methods. It basically breaks the game into zones. If you are proficient in KO, it will improve your game. If just learning it, it simplifies it. Best of luck.
I used it for a while but switched to a form of KISS.
I used it for a while but switched to a form of KISS.
The older I get, the better I recall things that never happened
