This side bet was invented by the same man who invented the over/ under bet; essentially, you place a one-dollar side-bet that you will be dealt one, two, or three sevens, with various payouts depending on whether the sevens are suited or unsuited. Technically, card counters can beat this option if they learn to keep a count of the sevens, and the perfect counting system for this option is to count all sevens as -12, and everything else as +1.
The house edge on the Super Sevens option is about 10.8%. This qualifies it as a true sucker bet, one of the worst bets available on a table game, similar to the house edge on the hardways bets at craps, or the tie bet at baccarat.

I no longer remember the true count at which it makes sense to place a Super Sevens bet, but it does occur occasionally. Even so, I wouldn't waste my time trying to figure it out. The problem is that the option is not worth more than a few cents per hour to a seven-counter, due to that $1 maximum bet restriction. And since the counting system has virtually no value whatsoever to your regular blackjack hand, why spend even a moment learning it? Without the seven-count, the house has about an 11 % advantage over you on this bet, so it's yet another side-bet with no value to anyone. (Well, actually, it has some value to the casinos that offer it, since they keep eleven cents for every buck wagered!)

NOTE:
Some casinos offer special bonus payouts for player hands that contain three 7s, most commonly a 3 to 2 payout if the hand wins. This is not the same thing as the Super Sevens option, which requires the player to make a separate side-bet. The values of bonus hands, such as 777 pays 3 to 2, or 678 suited pays 2 to 1, are listed in the chart of rule effects in Chapter Eleven.

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This side bet offered in some single-deck games allows you to wager on whether you will be dealt two cards of the same suit. If so, you will be paid 3 to 1; if you are dealt a king and queen of the same suit, you will be paid 10 to 1.

A card counter developed a system for beating this rule a few years ago, which he sold privately for a few months, then took off the market. I examined the system, and also had the theory tested via computer simulation, and it worked! Unfortunately, it was not an easy card counting system, as you had to keep four separate counts of the cards remaining in each suit. Most casinos that offer the Royal Match option restrict the maximum bet, usually to $25. This limitation makes it difficult to make much money with this option, except for camouflage as player advantages do not occur very frequently. Since any Royal Match counting system would prove worthless for all normal playing and betting decisions, it will rarely be worth a player's time or effort to attempt to exploit it. And do not bet on this option, except for camouflage, unless you are using a valid suit-counting system, as the house edge is 3.8%.

Some casinos also offer a multiple-deck version of the Royal Match bet where any first two suited cards pay 2 1/2 to 1, and a suited K-Q pays 25 to 1. This is far worse for the player than the single-deck version—with these multi-deck payouts, the house edge goes up to 6.7%, and no suit-counting system will beat it.

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One of the more popular options (unfortunately not popular enough!) is the over/under bet. This is an optional side bet (actually two separate bets) that your first two cards will total either over or under 13. There is a special area on the table for you to make these bets. Aces always count as 1 for this bet, and a total of 13 always loses. If you win on an over/under bet, you are paid 2 to 1.

This rule is most often offered on 6 and 8-deck games, and it has little value with a traditional card counting system. Using the Hi-Lo Lite, you would need a true edge of +2 1/2 to just break even on the over bet, or -3 on the under. These advantages will not occur very often in shoe games, unless the penetration is quite deep.

Abetter counting system for this option is to count the ten-valued cards as -1 and Aces, 2s, 3s, and 4s as +1. Using this counting system, you would make an over bet at a true edge of+1 1/2 or greater, and an under bet at -2 or lower. This greatly increases the value of the option. If you know the Hi-Lo Lite indices, you may use the Hi-Lo strategy changes with the over/ under count for strategy plays on your blackjack hand. In a 6-deck game, with 75% penetration, you could get close to a 1% advantage by using a 1 to 4 spread with proper over/under bets. With deeper penetration, the value skyrockets.

In some European casinos, there is an over/under variation in which a pair of aces pays a 7 to 1 bonus on under bets. This payout almost doubles the value of the over/under option. Unfortunately, there are very few over/ under games anymore, and the casinos know that card counters attack them.

Most casinos that offer the over/under bet limit the amount that can be bet on this option. In many cases, this bet limitation, in conjunction with generally poor penetration, makes the over/under bet pretty worthless.

By the way, do not place over/under bets without using a card counting system. The house advantage is 6 1/2% on the over bet, and more than 10% on the under, if you're just guessing.

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Let's assume that you have a fixed bankroll, which is not replenishable because you either have no income, or every penny of your income goes to paying bills and supporting your lifestyle, with no regular expendable funds. Unless you've got a bunch of money at your disposal, engaging in a high-risk pursuit like card counting may not be a great idea. You could lose quite a bit, or even see all your cash disappear. But only you can decide how much risk you want to assume with your own money, so let me spell out the facts as best I can so that you're able to decide for yourself.

There is one concept in place in every betting strategy for card counters: bet more when you have the edge, and less when the house has it. However, a number of factors complicate this point. First, you must know how much more to bet when you have the edge, and second, you must raise your bet in a way that does not attract unwanted attention. Third, you have to have a big enough bankroll to withstand the fluctuations.

Players who use the simple Red Seven Count, or for that matter any unbalanced card counting system that does not include a true edge adjustment, must bet more conservatively than players who use an accurate method of estimating their advantage as they play.

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Let's say you are planning an extended session of blackjack during a 3- or 4-week trip, and you expect to play for a total of about 100 hours, or roughly 10,000 hands. After playing this many hands, you would not usually be ahead or behind by more than 250 units, but on rare occasions, you might find yourself off by as many as 400 units, due to normal fluctuation.

So, if your total bankroll is only a few thousand dollars or less, you could conceivably lose it all, even if you become an expert card counter. You could also ultimately be a victim of the table minimum bets, if, as your losing streak continued, you were not allowed to cut back to smaller bets to keep you from losing all your money. Frankly, if your bankroll is insufficient, you should not be making any bets at all.

Most players, of course, will not immediately have to fight through inordinate losing streaks, and some will even have the pleasure of improbable winning streaks. But fluctuation remains the leading deterrent to card counting: Most beginning counters overbet their bankrolls; those with negative fluctuations give up; those with positive fluctuations usually increase the size of their bets proportionately, continuing to over-bet their bankrolls, until their first big negative swing wipes them out.

Bet-sizing for a 3- or 4-week period (10,000 hands), works exactly the same as bet-sizing for a weekend. The only difference is that you should start by dividing your bankroll by 250, instead of 100, in order to determine your betting unit. In other words, to make $10 bets, you should have a bankroll of $2,500. Cut back to an $8 betting unit if your bankroll goes down to $2,000; $6 units if it falls to $1,500, and so on.

As you can see, the more hands you will play, the larger your bankroll must be to ensure your continuance in the game—even when the game is a break even proposition. In fact, the only way to get around this is to get the edge in your favor. If you can get the edge, via card counting, then your long run edge assures that your expected winnings will be greater than the possible negative fluctuations (assuming you also have the fortitude to continue hammering away at the tables through all the ups and downs).

To last in this game, you must have the money, you must size your bets in proportion to your bankroll, and you must reassess your bankroll frequently. You must never chase losses by increasing your bets to win back the money you've lost. If you follow these guidelines, you will have staying power at the tables. If you persevere and acquire skill as a counter, you're on your way to winning.

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First, divide your total bankroll into one hundred units. Let's assume you have $1,000, so you have one hundred $10 units. Here's how to handle a losing streak:

If you lose twenty units, or $200, quit play and reassess your bankroll. Since you now have only $800, divide that into one hundred units, and your new unit becomes $8. Play at this level until your bankroll either goes back up to $ 1,000, or spirals downward to $600. Whichever direction it goes, continue to reassess the size of your bankroll, and resize your bets accordingly so that you never bet much more than 1 % of your total bankroll on any given hand.

None of this will have any effect on the fact that over the long run, your expectation will be to break even, assuming you're playing in an even game. In a slightly negative expectation game, the house will slowly grind you down the longer you play. The purpose of this betting method, then, is primarily to train you to constantly monitor your bankroll size, and to keep you in the game longer when you hit a losing streak. It will not give you any long run advantage—in fact, if you are not playing with an advantage, as we assume here, you may expect that you may eventually lose your entire $1,000 bankroll to normal fluctuations. This is especially true if you practice in casinos where the table minimums are $5, so that you cannot reduce your bet any more if your bankroll dips below $500.

On the other hand, you may occasionally double your $1,000 starting bank in a weekend's play. Every gambler who plays in games where the house has only a small edge, such as blackjack, baccarat, or craps (pass or don't pass), will on occasion win or lose 100 betting units. Most players call this "luck;" mathematicians call it normal fluctuation.

If you practice in a casino where you must place $5 minimum bets, and your starting bankroll is $1,000, you would be wise to start out with a $5 betting unit and never waver, unless you came ahead a few hundred dollars. If your starting bankroll is less than $ 1,000, or if $ 1,000 represents a significant amount of money to you, play only table minimum bets when practicing. Be aware that you must view the cash as "play money," as you could conceivably lose it all due to normal fluctuation.

If the house has a slight edge (1/2% is typical in most traditional blackjack games), you may still use these guidelines for sizing your bets, but be aware that when the house has an edge, your bankroll will inevitably be depleted over the long run. Nevertheless, in the short run, anything can happen.

For card counters, and especially for high-stakes card counters, bet-sizing is more complex than the simple guidelines presented here, which are meant for beginners to use when practicing at low stakes. If you have a $50,000 bankroll, you would be ill-advised to follow the guidelines in this chapter, dividing your bankroll into 100 units of $500 each, in a breakeven (or negative-edge) game, just so you could practice basic strategy. Why chance losing twenty-thousand-dollars in a short period of play just for practice?

Practice at low stakes, and then use your big money to bankroll your play when you know what you're doing.

My bet-sizing advice here is pretty conservative. If you're purely a recreational player who typically goes to Las Vegas with $1,000, and can easily live with a total loss on your trips, then feel free to bet at whatever level of risk you feel comfortable with—my advice is primarily for players who want to learn to manage their money the way the pros do, minimizing the possibility of ruin.

If you have a computer, then by all means acquire one of the excellent software programs on the market that allow you to practice counting cards. Save your casino practice until you are an accomplished card counter, as practicing in a casino will always be more expensive than practicing at home. Get your basic skills down with as little expense as possible.

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So, how big should your playing bankroll be? If you are a recreational player, playing a few times a year, ask yourself, "How much can I afford to lose this weekend, painlessly?" That's the size of your bankroll for the weekend. How big of a unit can you afford to play with? Divide your weekend bankroll by 120—that's your safe betting unit. If you intend to play longer than one weekend, and especially if you are serious about card counting for profit, you must use more sophisticated methods of bet-sizing. But even if you do not go on to become a serious card counter, you should understand the basics of normal fluctuation if you ever gamble in casino games, even for fun.

When you first start to play blackjack in a casino, regardless of whether you are playing basic strategy only or attempting to count cards, your first sessions must be viewed as practice. There are a number of betting guidelines you can follow when initially practicing in casinos that will prepare you for the more difficult techniques of bet-sizing once you start counting cards and playing seriously. These guidelines do not comprise a winning system, but merely amount to a practice exercise that will train you to size your bets in proportion to your bankroll. Later, when you count cards, you will use these same techniques in conjunction with other methods.

Your bankroll, in units, must be able to withstand the short run fluctuations. If you have a total of about $500 "play money," you would be courting disaster if you started making $25 bets. $500 would represent only 20 units of $25 each, and you could easily lose your whole stake in less than an hour. Making $10 bets would be safer, since you would have 50 units to play with, but this could also be lost in a relatively short run of hands just due to fluctuation. With $5 bets, or 100 units, you'd be unlikely to lose your whole bankroll in a single weekend of play, although it's certainly not unheard of.

The first step to proportional bet-sizing is to constantly reassess the size of your bankroll and to systematically change the size of your betting unit. Here's how to do it:

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