The RPC has been widely regarded as the best out of the four counts credited to Revere and an overall benchmark counting strategy for shoe games or multiple-deck games, but we will talk about this in a greater detail later on.
It is an advanced, level 2, balanced system. This means that novice card counters should probably avoid it and go for a simpler, level 1 count. However, if card counting is something you have been doing for a while and you feel that the time has come for you to up your game, mastering the RPC is a really good idea.
Being a level 2 technique means that it is a bit tricky to learn. But with good knowledge of what card counting actually involves and experience with previous systems, you will probably be just fine in becoming proficient enough in the RPC.
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But before we get to the bits and bobs of this strategy, we would like to provide our readers with a little bit of information about the mastermind behind it.
Who Was Lawrence Revere?
Born in 1915, Lawrence Revere, whose real name was Griffith K. Owens, was a casino pit boss, a professional blackjack player, and an author. He majored in mathematics in the University of Nebraska.
His degree no doubt helped him in understanding how card counting systems work and eventually in developing them.
Revere built a lucrative career in blackjack…
… but it all started in the back of a barber shop in Iowa where, at just 13, he dealt his first game. He worked on both sides of the blackjack table – as a professional player, a pit boss, and a dealer.
As a player, Revere was considered a very controversial figure and a master of camouflage. He played under different aliases, Leonard “Speck” Parsons and Paul Mann being the most popular ones, and legend has it that he never got caught counting cards at any casino.
He co-developed all his four counting systems with Julian Braun, an esteemed blackjack mathematician. They were both inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2005 for their many contributions to the field.
As mentioned above, Revere popularized his techniques in best-seller book Playing Blackjack as a Business. All four, as published in the book, were only truly effective for single-deck games. Anyone interested in how to use the systems with multiple-deck games had to purchase their proprietary versions.
Revere passed away in 1997 after battling cancer, but his book is still being sold. You can also still purchase the multiple-deck (particularly good for six- and eight-deck) versions of his counts from his relatives.
One of the Best
Moving onto the Revere Point Count, seasoned blackjack people say it ranks among the best strategies for counting cards due to its 99% betting correlation, among other advantages. But what is betting correlation and why is it so important?
Betting correlation or betting efficiency refers to the mutual connection between card point values and the effect the removal of cards has on the edge. It is used to determine how well a card counting system works, that is to say how well it can predict betting situations that benefit the player. Correlation of 100% is the best-case scenario. This concept is particularly important in multiple-deck games.
Playing efficiency is another important measurement indicating how good a counting technique is. This one tells how well a system handles changes in the player’s strategy. It is of extreme importance in single- and double-deck games. The best count for playing purposes is 70% accurate.
The betting correlation for the Revere Point Count is 99%, which is pretty much as accurate as you can get. Experts say that the Zen Count, which, too, is a level two system, is just slightly superior to Revere’s method in terms of betting correlation.
The RPC’s playing efficiency is slightly lower at 55%, but still pretty alright.
Without further ado, it is now time to move onto how to count cards with this system.
Counting Cards with Revere Point Count
The first thing any card counting system gives players is a way for them to calculate their advantage/disadvantage as cards are removed from play.
Different card counters use different systems to estimate the proportion of low cards versus high ones left in the deck. This is done by assigning specific values to each and every card turned by the dealer. Low cards are given positive values, which means that their removal from the deck benefits the player. Following this logic, high cards are given negative values.
Cards are assigned the following values in the RPC:
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K | A |
| +1 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +1 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 |
Counting systems require players to keep a running count throughout the game based on the values they have to assign to the cards. As mentioned above, the RPC is a balanced count which means that your counting always starts at 0 and when you go through an entire deck, the count should again be 0. This makes balanced techniques a bit easier as winding up at 0 at the end means you did things right.
However, being a level 2 counting method, the RPC is more complex than many other systems, although not extraordinarily so. The tricky part is that with level 2 techniques the player needs to keep with a wider range of values (-2 through +2).
So here’s how to count cards with the Revere Point Count based on the chart above. If the first card dealt is a J, you need to subtract 2 from your count to bring it to -2. If a 4 comes next, you add 2 to your running count to bring it back to 0. A 2 is dealt then and you add 1 for a running count of +1, and so on.
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With the RPC, players should also convert the running count into a true count, if they play multiple-deck games. To calculate the true count, the player needs to divide the running count by the estimated number of half-decks left in play.
So, if there are two decks left in the shoe and your running count is +4, you will have to divide +4 by 4 (as two decks equate to four half-decks. Your true count will thus be +1.
Now as you have calculated your true count, you will know whether there are more high cards left or the low ones comprise the majority of cards in the deck. This knowledge will help you adjust your bets.
A positive count indicates there are more good cards left undealt. A high positive count means that you can raise your bet. Conversely, when the count is around zero and negative, you might want to reduce your bet. A negative count suggests that the house edge has increased. If the count remains negative for a while, it is probably a good idea to just leave the table.
You should remember that while the RPC is a powerful and efficient system that helps a lot in estimating your advantage at any given point in play, no count is 100% accurate, so being smart about how you play the game is always a must.
Pros and Cons of the Revere Point Count
The RPC was developed in the 1960s as one of the earlier card counting techniques. It was hugely popular in the past and many long-time players still use it. Its biggest advantage is, of course, the edge it offers players over the house.
It is true that accurate card counting always helps players swing the odds in their favor, but the RPC in particular offers a slightly greater advantage than many of the other counting techniques out there. And for an experienced counter, it would not be that much of a challenge to master that particular system.
Another good thing about the RPC is that players do not necessarily need to keep a side-count of the aces in play. We’ve heard about players who do use an ace side count when playing hand games, but this really makes things much more difficult and is very much unnecessary.
A major downside to this system is that it is a bid more complex than others and is not recommended for beginner counters. With easier techniques, you will only have to assign -1, 0, +1 values to your cards, while with the RPC the range expands significantly.
It doesn’t sound that difficult, but in a fast-paced game at the casino with a lot of people around and different other distractions, keeping up with action is not an easy task. And when you use the RPC, you will have to quickly calculate your running count as cards are dealt and then just as quickly convert it into a true count. You will further need to consider the number of half-decks left, which complicates things additionally.
