What about Ace-Neutral strategies and Ace side counts?
Some strategies count the ace as zero (ace-neutral) and some count the ace as negative (ace-reckoned). The ace is unusual as it is both a high card and a low card. When we look at playing efficiency, the ace is low because it does not bust hands. When we look at betting efficiency, the ace is high primarily because it is needed for a Blackjack. So we have to decide if we want to count it. Generally, ace-reckoned strategies (e.g., Hi-Lo, REKO, FELT) are better suited to shoes, because betting is more important in shoe games, and ace-neutral strategies (e.g., Hi-Opt I, AO II) are better suited to single-deck, since playing is more important in pitch games. For those that do not wish to compromise, you can use an ace-neutral strategy, keep a side count of aces, and count them for betting purposes but not for playing purposes. This is the ideal in efficiency — but substantially more difficult. Is it worth it?
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In this chart we see a shoe game with Hi-Lo, a level I strategy, in red using only 20 indexes. Green displays the gain from using full indexes. The blue area is the gain switching to Hi-Opt II, an ace-neutral strategy not advised for shoes. Some people believe that ace-neutral strategies are no good for shoes. As we can see, Hi-Opt II works well. But the gain over a level I strategy is minimal. In fact almost no gain is realized at normal penetrations. Now let’s add an ace side count. The cyan area shows a further increase due solely to the side count. The blue and cyan areas together are the gain from moving to a level II, ace-neutral strategy with a side count.
© 2009 Norman Wattenberger
