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Blackjack: The Running Count
For purposes of drawing, standing, doubling down, and splitting pairs, you should adjust the point count to the current situation in which your decision must be made.
This counting adjustment has often been called the running count.
In this method, however, the term running count is more applicable to the point count between the completed rounds of deals from a partially depleted deck. Considering this method now, which we obtain during the play of a round, is more suitably called the temporizing count.
Before each deal, you must implant point count at that moment (the running count) and retain it until you other cards as they are retired to the discards.
During the play of a hand, let us say you are dealt a 12 and the dealer's up-card is a 2. Your proper play, whether to draw or stand, will be based not so much upon the count before the cards were dealt but upon the count at the moment, based upon every card that can be seen.
Thus, it is expedient to remember firmly one count and temporarily to consider the effect upon his count of other visible cards, purely to decide how to play the particular hand under consideration.
The following example of two rounds of hands should be enough to illustrate the use of the changing count in the midst of play. Assume further that you were unable to see the card that the dealer burned.
Thus the point count before the deal is zero. Then assume the dealer's up-card is a 2, you are dealt with a 7, 5 and the other players, who are on your right, draw a 6 and an 8, respectively. Both stand. Now it is your turn to draw.
In neutral strategy you would draw to your 12 against the dealer's 2. But now you can see 5 xs. Since you cannot yet see the dealer's hole card or the other players' hole cards, they are ignored for the moment.
Counting plus 1 for each of the cards you do see, the temporizing count is plus 5, and with plus 4 or above, you should stand with 12 vs. 2.
To continue the example, assume the dealer makes his draw and the showdown reveals the following (hole cards underlined): First player--- 5, 3, 6; Second player--- 6, 3, 8; Your hand--- 7, 5; Dealer--- 10, 2, 10 (bust).
Examination will show that the count at the beginning of the next round is plus 5 (2 10s for minus 4 and 9 xs plus 9, to give a total of plus 5).
On the next hand, you are dealt Ace 7, and the dealer's up-card is 2. At plus 4 and above you know how to double down with soft 18 vs. 2. But you delay the decision until you see what the players do who must draw ahead of you.
Suppose things proceed like this: the first player draws a 10 and turns up his hole cards, 10, 2, showing a bust (remember that a good card counter would not have drawn, but he was playing correct basic strategy). The second player draws a 10 and turns up his hole cards, 10, 6 (a stupid draw under the circumstances).
Now, you take rapid account. At the beginning the count was plus 5. Your Ace, 7 and the dealer's 2 brought it temporarily to plus 8. But the four 10s and the two xs reduced this count to plus 2. Thus, you do no double but simply stand with your 18.
