Counting Aces and Fives and Delaying Bet Doubling Until More Favorable Count

The Aces and Fives counting strategy that the Wizard recommends on his site says to double the bet when the count is 2 or greater. How does the return change if you don't double your bet until the count is 3 or 4. And more specifically, what are the overall odds when the count is 3, 4, etc.

If I am at a casino with a friend who is playing and I ask him to add a bet for me to his bet, at what count does my expectation turn profitable?

I'm new here, but quite aware of Ace-Five. Basically, when the count is +2 you have an even game IF the dealer Stands on Soft 17 AND you can Double Down after splitting a pair AND you can Surrender.

By delaying the increase to +3 or +4, even though your advantage is more certain, you will have fewer (much fewer) opportunities. Therefore the small advantage you have shrinks further.

What I recommend is this: when the score is +2 don't raise the bet until you get a winning hand. Then bet 2. When the score reaches +4, do the same, wait until you get a winner, then go from 2 to 4. Anytime the score drops below +4 immediately reduce your bet to 2. If it drops below +2 immediately reduce the bet to 1. If you ever see a -4 score you should consider moving to a new table. I heartily recommend NOT PLAYING at -5 or worse. One small edge here... STAND on all 3-card or more 16's when the dealer shows a 10,J,Q,K.

N&B

If you wait until 3-5 to double your bet, your advantage will be less, but also the variance. Use your best judgment on how you want to balance risk and reward. It seems my ace-five count is more popular than I predicted it would be. I've been meaning to write more about it, but there always seems to be something more urgent or interesting to do.

I uhhh beat you to it in 2003. There is a chart I created with 6 changes to Basic, and a wong-out point. Spread 1-4 with NoRSA is about +0.17%. Adding RSA is +0.25%. This based on 6d S17 DA2 DAS RS4 and LS. My recommendations above are taken from it. Original on 6-7-8 (ahem) then onto Qfit 3.0. Back in the Win98 days. PM me for a modern write-up pdf.

PS: an afterthought... try looking up Million Dollar Blackjack by Ken Uston... turn to page 70.

N&B

NandB, the PM feature isn't working yet. Please write to me directly.

My name is Lucky13....and I'm....I'm....I'm a.....I'm a....I'm a recovering A/5 counter.....

For the past two years I've switched to KO (at the Wizard's suggestion), but I played A5 for years with very good results. My game was Double Deck, DAS, No Surrender, H17. I spread 2, 4, 8, 10 on counts of 1, 2, 3, 4+, and wonged out at -3. Later in my A5 years, I added a second bet at +3, when I could. I do not know the math behind the game I was playing, but anecdotally I estimate a PA of ~0.5%. Not a huge edge, but made for more wins than losses, and a ton of comps generated.

Wiz, regarding your curiosity as to why it generates so many questions, I believe the popularity is its ease of use. It's sort of the Gateway Count. At least that was the reason for me picking it up initially. Only tracking two cards allowed for much more chatting with dealers/pit personnel/waitresses, and allowed for casual alcohol consumption. When playing the DD game, I do suggest finding an empty table and at least 65-70% penetration. That way you'll get about 13-15 hands per shoe, and many opportunities to raise your bet. A5 DD also requires a lower bankroll as the variance is lower due to fewer deals/shoe.

I've taught many friends who've joined me on trips, and they all love it. And to Anongambler, I will often bet behind a friend's hand at +3 as N&B indicated. A5 is a great starter strategy, but I'm now a strong advocate of KO.

Best of luck....