Blackjack Counting Blackjack Counting 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the 'Kelly Criterion' used for in blackjack card counting?
- Determining when to take insurance
- Calculating optimal bet sizing based on edge and bankroll (Correct answer)
- Deciding when to split pairs
- Evaluating whether a casino is beatable
Correct answer: Calculating optimal bet sizing based on edge and bankroll
The Kelly Criterion is a formula that tells counters how much of their bankroll to bet to maximize long-term growth while minimizing ruin risk.
Question 2: Which of the following hands should a card counter always insure at a very high true count, per index plays?
- Hard 12 vs dealer 2
- Any hand when the true count is +3 or higher (Correct answer)
- Soft 18 vs dealer ace
- Hard 16 vs dealer 10
Correct answer: Any hand when the true count is +3 or higher
Insurance becomes profitable when the true count reaches approximately +3, regardless of the player's hand total.
Question 3: What is 'cover play' in card counting?
- Playing basic strategy incorrectly on purpose to appear as a non-counter (Correct answer)
- Covering your cards to prevent others from seeing them
- Using a cover story to explain large wins to the IRS
- A system for tracking which cards are covered by other cards
Correct answer: Playing basic strategy incorrectly on purpose to appear as a non-counter
Cover play means intentionally making suboptimal strategy decisions occasionally to mimic how a regular gambler plays.
Question 4: When the true count rises significantly, how should a card counter adjust their strategy for 16 vs. a dealer's 10?
- Always stand regardless of count
- Stand when the true count is +0 or higher (Correct answer)
- Hit more aggressively as the count rises
- Double down on 16
Correct answer: Stand when the true count is +0 or higher
At a true count of 0 or higher, standing on 16 vs. dealer 10 becomes the correct index play (I18 deviation).
Question 5: What is the concept of 'risk of ruin' in the context of card counting bankroll management?
- The chance that the casino will catch you counting
- The probability of losing your entire bankroll before achieving a winning session (Correct answer)
- The risk of making a mental counting error during play
- The likelihood a shoe will be shuffled early
Correct answer: The probability of losing your entire bankroll before achieving a winning session
Risk of ruin is the statistical probability that variance will deplete a counter's entire bankroll before the long-term edge kicks in.
Question 6: How does a continuous shuffle machine (CSM) affect a card counter's ability to gain an edge?
- It makes counting easier by slowing the game down
- It eliminates the counter's edge by preventing a true count from building (Correct answer)
- It slightly reduces the counter's edge but remains beatable
- It only affects the house edge, not the counter's edge
Correct answer: It eliminates the counter's edge by preventing a true count from building
CSMs continuously reinsert played cards, preventing any meaningful count from developing and making card counting ineffective.
Question 7: In the Hi-Lo system, what is the starting running count at the beginning of a fresh shoe?
- -1
- 0 (Correct answer)
- +1
- It depends on the number of decks
Correct answer: 0
All balanced counting systems, including Hi-Lo, begin with a running count of 0 at the start of a fresh shoe.
Blackjack Counting Blackjack Counting 4
What is the 'Kelly Criterion' used for in blackjack card counting?