The Archer Point-count Method

Something must be added to the basic strategy to provide the player a positive advantage.

In many efforts to master a winning system of playing Twenty-One without settling for a system that offered only a minor advantage, there is a shorthand method of counting 10s and non-10s by a point-count technique.

The Archer Point-Count Method provides a way of constantly having an index to the approximate ratio of 10s to non-10s without complicated mental gymnastics.

Often it provides the exact ratio. And it never requires any calculations beyond the mental ability to add of one and to subtract units of two. It is an easy point-count method of playing 10-count strategy--- a strategy that achieves excellent results against the casinos.

The principle of the 10-count strategy is the following. The 52-card deck contains 16 10s (10, J, Q, K) and 36 non-10s (Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).

In a full deck the ratio of 10s to non-10s is thus 16/36, or 0.444. On the average, if a greater number of 10s remain in the deck than normal, the player using basic strategy has an advantage.

With an exactly normal ratio of 0.44, his chances of winning or losing are about even. With an abnormally high number of non-10s remaining, he is more likely to lose than to win on a given hand.

For example, suppose four hands have been dealt, including the dealer's, and the cards consisted of: First hand--- 8, 7, 5; Second hand--- 10, 8; Third hand--- 6, 6, 3, 2; Dealer's hand--- 7, 6, 4.

Of these 12 cards, only one was a 10, and 11 were non-10s. Thus the undealt deck would contain 15 10s (16-1= 15) and 25 non-10s (36-11= 25), and the ratio would be 0.6 (15/25= 0.6).

In this circumstance the player would have been dealt: First hand--- 10, 3, 10 (bust); Second hand--- 10, 10 (bust); Third Hand--- 10, Ace ( blackjack!); Dealer's hand--- 10, 3, 6.

Of these ten cards, six were 10s and four were xs (non-10s). Thus the undealt deck would contain ten 10s (16-6= 10) and 32 non-10s (36-4= 32), and the ratio would be about 0.3 (10/32- 0.31). In this circumstance the player would be at a disadvantage on the next hand.

Obviously the player should make a large bet when he has an advantage (when the 10/x ratio is significantly more than 0.44), and a small one otherwise (when the ratio is below 0.44). The problem is to know when the ratio is favorable (when the deck is '10 rich') and when it is unfavorable ('10 poor').

It is not easy to perform the preceding type of calculations mentally during the midst of play. However, in the examples just given, our hypothetical hands were the first ones dealt from a freshly shuffled deck.

But in play, as subsequent hands are dealt from the partially depleted deck, it would be necessary not only to count the cards played at that time but to remember those played in previous hands and to add the figures together.