The Uston SS Card Counting System

Basics of the Uston SS System

In its basics, the Uston SS functions like all card counting methods – it assigns cards with different numerical values so that by keeping a running count, the player can track high against low cards in the deck. This is one of the few level-3 systems, however, and players should know that learning the structure and values in this system would probably take more than a few days. These are the numerical values used in the Uston SS:

• 2, 3, 4, 6 – +2
• 5 – +3
• 7 – +1
• 8 – 0
• 9 – -1
• 10, J, Q, K, A – -2

The disproportion here is easy to notice – there is no -3 assigned to any number to even out the value of the 5s in the deck. In addition, there are four cards worth +2 against five cards with the value of -2. As a result, the system becomes unbalanced. This can be tested very easily – when we count down all cards with a single deck, we end up with a final count of +4 rather than 0. The starting count will not be 0 and this lack of balance actually simplifies the system and you will see why in a while.

As with all unbalanced systems, we do not start counting at 0. In the Uston SS, the initial running count (IRC) depends on the number of decks used in the game and for a single-deck variation, the IRC is -4. It reaches -32 for a blackjack game played with 8 standard decks of cards.

This may sound too difficult for those who are encountering an unbalanced method for the first time but it makes the system more convenient to use in real-life games. There is no need to convert the running count into a true count – something that is necessary for balanced systems. The Uston SS is accurate enough with the IRC values listed above.

How to Use the Uston SS Count?

Despite its name, this is not the easiest method to count cards in blackjack. The most difficult aspect of it is to memorize the numerical values of all cards in the deck and be able to quickly make calculations in your mind. The system begins with a freshly shuffled shoe and players initially make 1-unit bets or their minimum bets ($1, $5, $25, etc.). Let’s take a 6-deck game as an example – the count starts at -24 and as cards are dealt on the table, their respective value is added to the count.

If the following cards appear – 7, Ace, 3, 3, 10, 5, 2, Jack, and 6, the -24 IRC drops down to -18. As this is still a negative count, players should keep betting the minimum. Once the running count goes above 0, it is time to increase the bets. The pivot point here is +1 and it signals that the shoe is rich in high cards (A, 10) and that the odds are in favor of the player. Bets should be raised as the running count gets higher (+1, +2, +3, etc.). When the count falls within the negative territory, players should reduce their bets and wager the minimum.

The exact betting spread will depend on the player’s experience and bankroll. Of course, the large betting spreads (when a gambler suddenly bets 32 times the original stake, for instance) are clear telltale signs for card counting. So, counters who prefer making such bets should learn how to disguise their style of play and pretend to be recreational blackjack players.

Here is an example for a more conservative betting spread of 1-5, where the maximum wager is 5 times the original bet or 5 units. In this case, the player would start increasing the bet size on a running count of +2 and try to maintain a safer betting pattern to camouflage his true intentions.