Red 7 Card Counting System
The Red 7 count is Hi-Lo with one addition: red 7s (hearts and diamonds) count +1, while black 7s stay at 0. That makes it unbalanced by +2 per deck. You start at -2 × decks, and the running count does the job of the true count for betting.
- Level
- 1
- Balanced
- No (+2/deck)
- True count
- No
- Difficulty
- Easy
Red 7 Card Values
| Cards | Tag | Per deck |
|---|---|---|
| 2-6, red 7 | +1 | 22 cards |
| black 7, 8-9 | 0 | 10 cards |
| 10-A | -1 | 20 cards |
"10" means every ten-value card: 10, J, Q and K. A full deck adds up to +2, which is what makes the count unbalanced.
How to Count Red 7
- Set the starting count. Before the first card, start the running count at -2 × decks. Counted from there, a full shoe always ends at 0, whatever the number of decks.
- Keep a running count. Add each card's tag as it is dealt. Count in pairs where you can: a card tagged +1 and a card tagged -1 cancel to 0.
- Bet off the running count. No division needed. Compare the running count to the pivot below.
| Decks | Starting count | Pivot |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -2 | 0 |
| 2 | -4 | 0 |
| 6 | -12 | 0 |
| 8 | -16 | 0 |
The pivot is the running count that means the same thing at every shoe size: about +2 per remaining deck. Away from the pivot, the running count is an approximation of your edge, which is the price of skipping the true count.
Published Efficiency
| Measure | Red 7 | Hi-Lo |
|---|---|---|
| Betting correlation | 0.98 | 0.97 |
| Playing efficiency | 0.54 | 0.51 |
| Insurance correlation | 0.78 | 0.76 |
Widely published values from standard comparison tables, such as those by Arnold Snyder, Stanford Wong and the Wizard of Odds, not results from our own simulations. See the full comparison.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Hi-Lo tags plus one extra rule, so it is quick to learn.
- No true count conversion for betting.
- A published betting correlation of 0.98.
- The pivot is 0 at every shoe size, the easiest reference point to remember.
Cons
- You have to notice the suit color of every 7.
- Designed mainly for betting; its playing efficiency (0.54) is modest.
- Like KO, the running count maps exactly to your edge only at the pivot.
Who Red 7 Suits
Beginners and recreational players who want a simple unbalanced count, particularly for betting in shoe games.
Usually credited to Arnold Snyder, Blackbelt in Blackjack.
Practice Red 7
Count a real shoe with Red 7 tags, starting from the Red 7 initial count, at the dealing speed you choose.
Start the Red 7 DrillFrequently Asked Questions
Start at -2 × decks: -2 for a single deck, -4 for two decks, -12 for six and -16 for eight. Counting a full shoe from there ends at 0, because each deck adds +2.
Counting half the 7s as +1 splits the difference between Hi-Lo, where the 7 is 0, and KO, where every 7 is +1. The result is an unbalanced count with a smaller drift of +2 per deck.
With the -2 × decks starting count, the pivot is 0: a running count of 0 always means about +2 per remaining deck, whatever the shoe size. Betting off the running count is most precise near that point.
The Red 7 count is credited to Arnold Snyder, who published it in Blackbelt in Blackjack.