In his 1981 book Million Dollar Blackjack, legendary blackjack player Ken Uston detailed several card counting techniques he had perfected after many years of advantage play.
After discussing the Uston Advanced Plus-Minus card counting system in a previous article, we now intend to dwell broadly on its much more complex and efficient sister, the Uston Advanced Point Count (APC) blackjack system.
Uston Advanced Point Count is a balanced, level 3 card counting system. It is one of the most powerful counts out there, but it is also quite tricky to grasp and master. This card counting strategy is not recommended for recreational players, so if you are one, we suggest that you explore easier systems such as the Hi-Lo or the Knockout counts.
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However, if you are an experienced player who is confident enough in their blackjack skills and are scouting for a more efficient system, you’ve landed on the right page as Uston APC is exactly what you are looking for.
Card Values with Uston Advanced Point Count
As its name suggests, Uston APC is an advanced (a very advanced) and multi-level card counting method. The system requires players to keep a running count, convert the running count into a true count, and keep a side count of aces in order to be able swing the house edge in their favor and adjust their bets properly.
The running count is the first most important action that players need to be able to do correctly and quickly in order to be able to use Uston APC. Keeping a running count involves assigning value to each and every card that is dealt during a blackjack game.
The following values are assigned to cards as they are used in play:
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K |
| +1 | +2 | +2 | +3 | +2 | +2 | +1 | -1 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 |
As you’ve probably noticed fives and 10-value cards (10s, Js, Qs, Ks) are assigned the highest value. That is because it is believed fives are one of the most valuable cards to the dealer (dealers must always hit until they make at least 17 and fives always fit) and the removal of 10-value cards always hurts they player.
So, as cards are dealt by the dealer, the player must add or subtract from their running count based on the point value assigned to each individual card. As mentioned above, Uston APC is a balanced card counting technique, which means that the running card always starts at zero and after all cards in a deck have been dealt, the running count should always return to zero. Shuffle tracking is a good skill to use with Uston APC to keep track of the deck.
If, for example, the first card dealt is a nine, the player must subtract -1 from the running count. If the next card is a 3, the player must add +2. The running count should be +1 at this point.
True Count and Side Count of Aces
Aside from constantly keeping a running count, the player must also know how to convert their running count into a true count. The true count is actually the piece of information that helps players determine how much to wager.
To calculate the true count, players need to divide their running count by the number of decks still in play. So if the running count is +3 and there is about a deck and a half left in play, the true count is +2. This means that the player can raise their wager.
Running Count Keeping Hints
True Count Drills
Approaches Utilized by a Card Counter
Appropriate Games
Zen Count Card Counting System in Blackjack
The Uston Advanced Plus-Minus Blackjack Card Counting System
With the Uston APC card counting system, it is a good idea to divide the running count by the half-decks remaining in play. So, if the player plays six-deck blackjack, this means there are 12 half-decks. If there are 11 half-decks left and the running count is +7, for example, this gives a true count of +0.64.
An important thing to take into account is the fact that Uston APC does not track aces. Players will need to keep a side count of these cards as they are assigned a 0 value. There are four aces in each deck of cards and two in each half-deck. Players need to multiply the number of decks they play with by four to determine how many aces there are in play when a new game kicks off.
The purpose of keeping a side count of aces is to determine when the deck or decks is rich or poor in these important cards.
Players need to subtract 3 for every ace used in each half-deck. If a player plays six-deck blackjack and has played half of the decks and their running count is +18, this means they should have seen 12 aces. If they have seen only 10 aces, this means they are two aces reach and should add 6 to their running count.
Their running count is 24. They now need to divide their running count by the number of half-decks remaining to calculate their true count. If there are there six half-decks left, this means the true count is +4.
However, without the side count of aces, the true count would be +3 (the running count of +18 divided by 6 half-decks). The play does not change that much, but the size of the bet changes. With a true count of +3, players would place a smaller wager. But with the knowledge that there is a significant number of aces yet to be dealt, they would want to raise their bet.
When the true count is 0 or negative, the player should bet one unit. If the count is positive, matching the wager with the true count is not a bad idea. So, if the true count is +1, the player can bet 1 unit. If the true count is +3, the player can bet 3 units, and so on.
We will say it once again, the Uston Advanced Point Count system is an extremely complex card counting technique that should best be avoided by beginner card counters. Yet, when used properly, it can be truly rewarding.
