Speed Count

Card Counting Systems > Speed Count

Dan Pronovost, gambling teacher and creator of several gambling tactics, came up with Speed Count as an answer to a friendly question. When asked if there was an easier way for the average gambler to count cards and gain an edge over the casino, Dan came up with Speed Count.

Dan and his friend noticed that most gamblers needed as much as 80 hours of training before learning even the most basic High-Low counting system, and that in reality only a small percentage of gamblers could put a High-Low count into practice effectively. The Speed Count method was Dan’s answer to this problem.

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The Basics of the Speed Count

Blackjack writers tell us that the average hand of blackjack is 2.7 cards, meaning more people take three cards than two. Since there are just 5 “small” cards for every 13 “big” cards in a 52-card deck, we get an average of 1.03 “small” cards for every hand of blackjack played–about one card per hand, regardless of how many people are playing, how many decks are in play, etc.

Using this number, you have all you need to build the Speed Count method. Simply count all the “small” cards on the table as “+1” and at the end of each round, subtract the total number of hands dealt. This includes split hands. As your count gets higher, there are fewer “small” cards in the deck, giving you an advantage.

How Much of an Edge does the Speed Count Offer?

According to an independent audit by the University of Massachusetts, the Speed Count produced a player edge of just over 1% over the course of a billion rounds of blackjack. This is about three times better than the expectation afforded blackjack players who play according to perfect strategy, and the method is even easier to implement than basic blackjack strategy.

Speed Count requires an understanding of basic blackjack strategy so that you know how to properly play most gaming situations, but since casinos allow you to carry your strategy card with you to the blackjack table, the creators of the Speed Count method seem to put little emphasis on learning this strategy. Instead, they encourage people who want to learn Speed Count to shell out hundreds of bucks for a two-day seminar, and if red flags are going up for you, you’re not alone.

The fact that you have to take a seminar to learn the ins and outs of Speed Count mean that most people won’t both. If I have to buy a book or take a high-priced seminar to learn something, I’d rather not learn it at all.

The inventors of Speed Count have done a great job keeping the details of this method secret. But from the presentation of an independent audit and a few details of the counting system, it looks like it would work to some degree. The inventor of the Speed Count has admitted openly that more complex counting systems, like KO, offer a better advantage, but suggests that most people won’t ever be able to learn these more difficult systems, so a system like Speed Count is ideal for people without 80 or 120 hours to learn harder card counting methods.

Speed Count is one of many new card counting methods aimed at people who’ve had trouble memorizing card counting tactics in the past. If you want to learn more about Speed Count, you’ll have to contact the company that owns the license. Be careful paying for any card counting method that doesn’t reveal more details than a few cursory lessons and a mathematical audit–you may serve yourself better learning one of the higher level counting systems that take a little bit of time to perfect.