Blackjack Counting Betting Spreads and Bankroll Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Why do most professional card counters use a 'fractional Kelly' strategy rather than full Kelly?
- Full Kelly creates too much bankroll volatility (Correct answer)
- Fractional Kelly is required by casinos
- Full Kelly requires true count above +5
- Fractional Kelly is easier to calculate
Correct answer: Full Kelly creates too much bankroll volatility
Full Kelly betting leads to extreme bankroll swings; most pros use half-Kelly or quarter-Kelly to smooth variance at the cost of slightly slower growth.
Question 2: In a 6-deck game, a player with a true count of +4 has approximately what player edge?
- About 2% (Correct answer)
- About 0.5%
- About 5%
- About 10%
Correct answer: About 2%
At true count +4, the player edge is roughly 4 × 0.5% = 2% over the house in standard 6-deck conditions.
Question 3: What is the typical hourly expected value (EV) for a card counter with a 1% edge playing 100 hands per hour at $50 average bet?
- $50 per hour (Correct answer)
- $100 per hour
- $5 per hour
- $500 per hour
Correct answer: $50 per hour
EV = edge × average bet × hands per hour = 0.01 × $50 × 100 = $50/hour.
Question 4: A 'unit' in blackjack bankroll management refers to:
- The size of the minimum bet used for count-based wagering (Correct answer)
- A single deck of cards
- One full shoe dealt
- A casino chip denomination
Correct answer: The size of the minimum bet used for count-based wagering
A betting unit is the base amount of the minimum bet, used to express bankroll and bet sizes in a normalized way across different stake levels.
Question 5: Which approach best describes 'spreading to two hands' as a betting tactic?
- Playing two hands at high counts to extract more value per round (Correct answer)
- Splitting every hand to double exposure
- Playing minimum on both hands always
- Alternating hands to confuse surveillance
Correct answer: Playing two hands at high counts to extract more value per round
Spreading to two hands at high true counts allows a counter to get more money into play during favorable conditions within a single round.
Question 6: What is the primary danger of using a very wide betting spread (e.g., 1-to-20) in a casino?
- Increased scrutiny and potential backoff by casino staff (Correct answer)
- Lower expected value per hour
- Reduced bankroll variance
- Smaller maximum wins
Correct answer: Increased scrutiny and potential backoff by casino staff
Extreme bet jumps between low and high counts are a reliable tell for surveillance, making backoff or barring significantly more likely.
Blackjack Counting Betting Spreads and Bankroll Management 2
Why do most professional card counters use a 'fractional Kelly' strategy rather than full Kelly?