There's a large variety of card counting techniques employed by professional players all over the world. And while some are very easy and can be learned within a few minutes, other strategies may take weeks or even months of real game practice to be mastered. For those of you who just want to beat the casino's house edge while playing blackjack there's no better strategy than the KO card counting technique. 'KO' as you probably know stands for 'Knock Out,' which is exactly what will happen to the dealer and the casino if you imply the technique successfully. You walk in, knock them out and get back home with more money you've left with. The name of the strategy, KO, also refers to the initials of its creators - Ken Fuchs and Olaf Vancura. When they have first revealed this strategy in their book, Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised, the system has faced high criticism from professional players, because it seemed way too simple to be effective. The fact is, the strategy really works! It is even more effective when used together with perfect play on each hand strategy. When compared to other card counting techniques, KO is regarded as an "unbalanced" system. This means that KO doesn't involve assigning values to different card amounts that are added up to zero. In KO card strategy, the values are distributed as follows: 2-7 count as +1 each; 8-9 count as zero each; 10-A count as -1 each. This difference from conventional card counting systems means that the total value of all 52 cads in the deck is outweighed by positive values (cards 2-7) outweigh the negative. Thus, the system is unbalanced. In a real game setting KO works very easy yet effectively. When playing, all you have to do is keep the count in your head, starting with zero and adding/subtracting each played cards value. When the dealer stops shuffling, the count should be zeroed and started all over. The betting strategy in KO counting system is based around the count of +2. When you reach this count it is time to raise or lower your bets. The higher is the count over+2 the more aggressive your betting should be. Correspondingly, the lower your count is below +2 the less you should bet. An important aspect of any card counting system like KO is that you master the Basic Strategy Card technique. It may come as surprise but casinos actually allow players to use this technique and are fully aware of it. So as long as you keep up the phase and continue playing, casinos won't restrict you from using this strategy. The KO counting system has a derivative form the official Basic Strategy Card in what concerns the aspect of insurance. Basic Strategy notes that you should never take insurance if the dealer has an Ace face up. When applying the KO system, you should always take insurance when your count is +3 or higher, and never - if you have a count of +2 or lower. As a conclusion, we can note that the KO card counting system is a potentially successful strategy. It's quite easy to learn, gives you an advantage in the long run and can be applied in real life situations. Don't expect to win every time you use it, but it will still give you a good advantage over the house.

Mistake: The most common mistake beginners make is to stand too often on their stiff hands (12,13,14,15, and 16). Players are naturally afraid to hit these hands because every one of them could bust (make a total of 22 or more) with a single hit. But when the dealer has a high card (7, 8, 9,10, or ace) showing, your best odds of winning come from hitting and giving yourself a chance of making a better total.

Some beginners think the best way to play is to play the same way the dealer plays: Hit all sixteens and stand on all seventeens. This is not true. The object of the game is not to make a hand as close to 21 as possible, but to beat the dealer. Often the best way to do this is to stand with a low total, sometimes as low as 12.

Tip: Here's how many players think: If I hit this 14, I risk busting my hand right here and now. But maybe the dealer has a 6 in the hole. If I don't take a hit, my hand still has a chance. Maybe the dealer's hand will bust.

Every player is afraid that he will be responsible for his own loss. But that 14 you are holding is already in dire jeopardy when the dealer shows a 10 up. You must fight for the hand's survival by taking the hit, giving it a chance of becoming a stronger hand against that 10. With a 14 against a 10, you must fight to the death.

On the other hand, if the dealer's upcard is 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, and you are holding a stiff hand, you should stand. Since the dealer must hit his stiff hands, and chance busting even when you are stiff, hitting your weak hands is not advantageous against these weak upcards.

Mistake: Some beginners think the best way to play is to play the same way the dealer plays: Hit all sixteens and stand on all seventeens. This is not true. The object of the game is not to make a hand as close to 21 as possible, but to beat the dealer. Often the best way to do this is to stand with a low total, sometimes as low as 12.

Tip: This is the basic logic of casino blackjack. There are exceptions to these guidelines, as the actual basic strategy decision for any given hand is determined by working out all of the mathematical probabilities. But if you just consider this logic when studying the basic strategy charts, the pattern will become clear to you and it should not be too difficult to memorize.