At last we’ve reached the meat-and-potatoes of the entire process. Think about this for a moment: What’s the difference between a running count of +26 early on in a six-deck shoe when, let’s say, five decks remain, versus a running count of +26 much further along in a six-deck shoe when perhaps only about two decks remain? The most important difference is that there are a lot fewer cards to draw from when only two or so decks are remaining. Which, consequently, means the concentration of high cards is a lot greater. That’s a very advantageous situation for the player. Think of the “true count” as a function that takes the running count and provides a more precise picture of what’s really about to occur.
The true count is determined by dividing the running count by the number of decks remaining. As far as precision is concerned, estimate to the nearest half deck. For instance, in a six-deck game a running count of +24 with four decks remaining equates to a true count of +6 (24:4 = 6), whereas a running count of +24 with only two-and-a-half decks remaining equates to a true count of a little under +10 (24:2.5 = 9.6). So, you see, running counts convert to different true counts depending on how many decks remain.
At this point it might be worthwhile mentioning that learning the High-Low does not entail keeping a side count of aces, as is the case with many other professional level point counts. Another user-friendly facet that applies to all level one systems is that you’re never adding or sub-tracting an amount greater than one. Which means keeping a running count is almost intuitive. Whereas for a higher-level count you actually have to add and subtract quantities other than one. But you will have to divide by numbers like 1 1/2, 2 1/2, 3 1/2 and so on. That might take a little getting used to at first, but in time shouldn’t pose too much difficulty as you begin getting more and more used to doing that type of division.
To be continued…
