---
title: 'Techniques for Mastering True Count Conversion'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=1ClRkNxinB8'
video_id: '1ClRkNxinB8'
date: 2026-07-07
duration_sec: 0
---

# Techniques for Mastering True Count Conversion

> Source: [Techniques for Mastering True Count Conversion](https://youtube.com/watch?v=1ClRkNxinB8)

## Summary

True count conversion is essential for beating blackjack with card counting. It involves dividing the running count by the number of decks remaining to get the count per deck, which informs betting and strategy deviations. This video teaches deck estimation and quick division skills through practical drills.

### Key Points

- **True Count Conversion Explained** [00:02] — True count is the running count divided by the number of decks remaining, giving the count per deck. This is crucial for betting and strategy deviations.
- **Example of True Count Calculation** [00:54] — In a six-deck game, one deck played leaves five decks remaining. With a running count of 10, true count = 10/5 = 2, meaning on average two extra high cards per deck.
- **Two Skills Needed for True Count Conversion** [02:10] — Deck estimation (accurately judging decks remaining) and quick division (dividing running count by decks remaining) are the two key skills.
- **Deck Estimation Practice** [02:50] — Start with an empty discard tray and add one deck, visualizing its height. Practice with one, two, and three decks, then use the empty space to estimate decks remaining.
- **Division Practice** [05:47] — Practice dividing numbers 1-40 by divisors up to 8 (or 6 for six-deck games). Use paper slips or a training app to simulate random running counts and deck amounts.
- **Half Deck Divisors** [08:33] — For advanced play, learn half-deck divisors (e.g., 5.5, 4.5). For half-deck remaining, multiply running count by 2. Full-deck divisors cover most EV.

### Conclusion

Mastering true count conversion through deck estimation and division drills is key to successful card counting. Consistent practice (e.g., 15 minutes daily) builds speed and accuracy, enabling profitable play.

## Transcript

essential to beating blackjack with card counting but it's our true count that tells us how to bet and when to deviate from basic strategy I'm going to show practice your true count conversion at home so that you can implement it
flawlessly in the casino to beat the casinos with card counting as partners the running count tells us our ratio of low cards to high cards but we need to
take one more step and divide the number of decks remaining into this running count to give us our true count or our count per deck right it's a huge difference if there's 25 extra high cards in the next seven decks or if
one or two decks our troop count conversion tells us how rich the shoe is per deck let me give an example real quick let's say that we are exactly one
quick let's say that we are exactly one deck into play we've been counting and deck into play we've been counting and we get a decade and we've got a running by the number of decks remaining this is a six deck game or six decks shoe so
are five decks remaining if our running count is 10 we're gonna say ten divided by five five decks remaining gives us a true count of two what that means is in played on average there's going to be two extra high cards per deck now it's
not going to be exactly two extra high cards for every deck we play but the counting is about playing the averages playing the odds on average there's two extra high cards predict that would be the same thing as if we were five decks
in and there's exactly one deck left to be played with a running - because 2/1 deck left gives us a true - now it's not exactly the same but on average it is about the same thing without troop count conversion we cannot know exactly how to
BET or how to deviate because the math of the game is based on this count per deck it was fine back in the early days when there was single-deck blackjack you in casino said hey we're gonna throw at you by doing two decks or four decks or
we'll just use some simple vision to get there but there are two skills you're going to need to convert to the true count one you're going to need deck estimation what that means is that you can look at the discard tray at
any point you could glance at it and have a very accurate estimation of how importantly how many decks remain to be played secondly we need to be able to do very quick division so we take our
we're going to take our run count and divide it by the number of decks that remain to be dealt so that's like the example earlier of a running ten with five decks left would give us a true to so what I want to do is walk you through
how to master these two skills and some drills you can do to work on these from home let's start with that estimation what you can do is start with an empty what you can do is start with an empty discard tray and put one deck into the
discard tray I'm gonna say this is a deck of cards let's find out real quick deck of cards let's find out real quick I was off by three cards that would be little embarrassed that was off by three
cards here's 52 cards put that in the discard tray and honestly just spend some time looking at it be able to from different spots on on a table or you know at your dining-room table put this and just practice looking
at what one deck looks like in a discard tray and then do two decks I'm gonna say this is another deck you know count it out and do the same thing I recommend for the first three decks just be able
for the first three decks just be able to visualize what one two and three decks looks like in the discard tray from this point what I'm gonna do is look at the empty space is that two decks of empty space or less all right
we've got one deck of empty space that's how you want visualize and you just need to spend time count through a deck two three four and five decks and just visualize what that looks like the second thing you can do is when you're
actually practicing playing at home with your own setup you actually do this on our iPhone app you can click on the decks and it'll expand and you can see you know it's actual images of cards or in our train drills on our website but
practicing this then you can look at this and you say I and then pause it you know you can write down your rent count if you need to but better yet just practice lodging that running count in your brains 17 okay I
have a running 17 and I will not forget I've ranked 17 then pause it and you easy because you take the other three decks you stack them up next to each other say oh look it was actually a few cards over three decks so that means you
know that that there are three decks left to be played or just under three decks you want to check and you want to see if you're accurate and you want to are you doing wrong and what I found is really common is people overestimate a
there and I look at I say no there's definitely not a deck in the discard cards shy and you can count through it and see if you find that you're consistently overestimating your divisor then you need to recalibrate your eye
and you maybe even need to tell yourself hey I really want it to be you know five bets but I need to account for the fact that I overestimate this so that is handling your deck estimation you want to be within a quarter deck margin of
error consistently I personally want to be within a few cards of it if I say count through and say oh yeah there's a few cards less than four decks left or a few cards over four decks left so that's that skill take the time to get accurate
I the second skill is our division and guys gals you might have to swallow some pride here and just humble yourself and say hey I haven't done a lot of division
in my day-to-day life since elementary school and you might just need some practice the good news is there's nothing more complicated in this than third grade division so you can master it you might be rusty but if you have to
pull out print off some division worksheets like I have my kids do do it your pride and all you need to do the most index you're gonna play in a casino would be eight decks so the most you'd be dividing by is eight so you wanna be
four three two and one you're not really gonna get any running you really need to be able to do is divide the number forty and less by divisors of eight and lower or if you're only going to play six decades
then be able to divide 40 and less by divisors of six and lower so one way we can do this is just on scraps of paper write the numbers 1 through 40 on 40
different pieces of paper put them in a bowl or hat or you know whatever and bowl or hat or you know whatever and then start with an empty discard tray just like this and or you can put a few cards in there if you want pull out a
number let's say you pull out the number 33 you're gonna say 33 divided by well we've got six decks left 33 divided by 6 gives us a true 5 you pull out the next number and it's 17 17 divided by 6 gives us a true count of 2 it's almost a true
and then you know keep doing that for every number and then put a full deck in the discard tray that's a little over a deck in there and we're gonna do the exact but all the numbers back in the bowl and now we're dividing by 5 so we
bowl and now we're dividing by 5 so we pull out the number 24 divided by 5 gives us a true 4 and pull out the number 8 8 divided by 5 gives us a true one and do that for every number do the same thing for 4 decks left and you know
3 decks left two decks left one deck left is really easy because any number know you don't really need to practice dividing by one another way you can practice your division is we actually
have a true count drill in the membership area of our black checker friendship membership and it's going to give you random amounts of decks with images of an actual discard tray index and random numbers and so it'll
virtually do that same thing of really quickly and accurately having to say discard tray then what's my true count going to be if you spent 15 minutes a day on this drill either manually or with with our training suite you will
very quickly be able to get your true count conversion down and the faster and conversion the faster everything else will be some of you are thinking amounts what about half deck amounts like dividing by five and a half decks
left or four and a half deck left I have an entire video dedicated to using full deck divisor or half deck divisor but the main point is my advice
is get really fast and accurate by dividing by full deck amounts and so that you are always on point with a full deck divisor at that point when it's bit bored I strongly recommend that you learned at least for the last few decks
amounts for six decks you get really fast at six five four three and then get good at dividing by two and a half decks left two decks left one-and-a-half deck deck left and you might say well I'm never gonna have half a deck in a shoe
game probably not but in double deck you do get half a deck left four for your if you're dividing by a half you just multiply the writing count by two and there you go but I recommend learning the half deck amounts for the second
you the biggest bang for your buck and if at that point you want to press yourself to be able to divide the entire shoe by half deck amounts go for it I've always done but you know the majority of the evie is full decks for
decks for the rest if you want to break down of the math of the divisor that you even a quarter deck divisor I have that video right here you can check out the math behind it otherwise keep training and start generating that positive Evi