‘KO’ stands for ‘Knock Out,’ which refers to what will happen to the casino you use it on successfully. You’ll knock them out and take home more money than you walked in with! The creators of this very simple card counting system are Ken Fuchs and Olaf Vancura, whose first initials also form ‘KO.’ Initially, when they published their book on the strategy, Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised, they were met with scathing criticisms because their new system seemed much too easy to be effective. The critics turned out to be very wrong! KO works very well, especially when applied in conjunction with perfect play on each hand (according to the Basic Strategy Card).
KO is what’s known as an “unbalanced” card counting system. This means that, unlike most other simple counting strategies, KO does not assign values to the various card amounts such that they add up to zero. For example, a “balanced” card counting system that is very popular is called ‘Hi/Lo.’ In it, cards 2-6 are each assigned a value of +1. Cards 7-9 are assigned a value of zero. Cards 10-A are each given a value of –1. Add all 52 cards up (one full deck), and the total is zero. So Hi/Lo is a balanced card counting system.
In KO, the values run as follows: 2-7 count as +1 each; 8-9 count as zero each; 10-A count as –1 each. This slight difference means that when you tally the values for all 52 cards in a full deck, the positive values (cards 2-7) outweigh the negative values (cards 10-A). Hence, KO is known as an unbalanced system.
So, how does KO work in a real game? It’s amazingly simple, yet also amazingly effective! As a player, you simply keep a running total in your head after each hand is played to completion. Start at zero, and add or subtract the value of every card played. The key is to adjust your wagers up or down based on where the count stands before the next hand. When the dealer stops to shuffle, zero out your count total and begin again.
How do you determine when to raise or lower your bets? KO strategy sets a value of +2 as the ‘key count,’ meaning that is the tally at which you make raising or lowering decisions on your wagers. The more the count goes above +2, the more aggressive your wagers become. When the count falls below +2, you lower your bets to correspond.
It’s important to remember that you must only use a card counting system (KO or any other) when you’ve mastered the Basic Strategy for playing each blackjack hand perfectly. It may surprise you to learn that almost all casinos will let you use a Basic Strategy card that you may take out at the playing tables. As long as you do not slow down the speed of play too much, dealers and their bosses are perfectly content to let you use the cards. Until you’re an expert and don’t need to use a strategy card, you should use one every time you play!
One aspect of playing blackjack with the KO card counting system deviates from the strategy noted on the official Basic Strategy Card: insurance. Basic Strategy suggests never taking insurance when the dealer is showing an Ace as his up card. When using the KO system, you should always take insurance when your running count is +3 or higher, and never take it when the count is +2 or lower.
All in all, the KO system for counting cards in blackjack has all the elements that make up a winning strategy. It’s incredibly easy to learn, easy to apply in real game situations, and it works well over the long run. You won’t win every time you go to the casino, but you’ll win often enough to stay consistently ahead of the house.
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