Your Guide to Card Counting Terminology

Betting correlation

A measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the player’s favorability when the cards are seen by the player and removed from the deck. This gives an estimate of the accuracy of the card counting system.

Back counting

Counting cards and waiting for the count to become favourable before sitting down to play. Usually done standing in back of the players.

Balanced count

Any counting system that has a count starting at zero when the cards are shuffled, and ending at zero when all cards in the deck(s) have been exposed. Most counting systems use a balanced count.

Bet spread

The ratio between maximum and minimum bet size. A player who uses $20 maximum bets and $5 minimum bets is using a 4:1 bet spread.

Card weight

The ‘value’ assigned to each card face. This weight is added to the ‘count’ as each new card is exposed. Weights are usually small integer values like -1, +1, or +2.

Count

(noun) — a number that represents the player’s estimate of how favourable or unfavourable.

Cover bet

A bet (usually large) placed at the ‘wrong’ time, in order to fool the pit critters into thinking that the player is not counting cards.

Insurance correlation

A measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the player’s favorability for placing insurance bets. This gives an estimate of the accuracy of the card counting system for predicting when to take insurance.

Penetration

The number of cards that are dealt before the cards are shuffled. Penetration is usually expressed as a percentage of the cards, as in ‘75% penetration’. Good penetration is extremely important to card counters.

Playing efficiency

The effectiveness of strategy variations in tracking the optimal playing strategy as the deck composition changes. Efficiency is given by E = AG / PG, where AG is the actual gain from making the strategy changes, and PG is the possible gain that could be made by using a playing strategy that is ‘computer perfect’.

Running count

The total of the weights of all cards that have been exposed since the cards were shuffled.

Shuffle tracking

A system to predict which sections of the deck/shoe will be favourable to the player, based on the locations of favourable sections of the previous deck/shoe, and on studying the method used to shuffle the cards.

Side count

A count in addition to the ‘main’ count, usually involving a single card face, as in ‘ace side count’.

Strategy variations

Varying from basic strategy when the count indicates that it is profitable to do so.

Ten poor

A deck that has a lower than average density of tens and face cards.

Ten rich

A deck that has a higher than average density of tens and face cards.

True count

A count that is adjusted according to the number of undealt cards, usually by dividing the running count by the number of undealt *decks* (or half-decks).

Unbalanced count

Any counting system that has a count that starts or ends on a non-zero value (see ‘balanced count’). Red 7 is an example of an unbalanced count.

Wonging

Improving the player’s edge by placing bets only when the count is favourable for the player, and ‘sitting out’ when the count is unfavourable.

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