> What's the best way to count the cards using
> KO? I am learning using Casino Verite and I
> just want to make sure I do it the
> easiest/best way.

I'm assuming that you mean, while sitting at the table, what is the most expeditious procedure for actually keeping the running count. Is that correct? If so, for a shoe game, most people do the following:

Wait until all the players' first cards have been dealt. As the dealer lays the second card on each player's hand, count the pairs of cards, in order, around the table, including your own (there is an alternative to this approach, which I'll get to in a minute). Then, count the dealer's upcard (or, count it right away, before the pairs -- your choice).

Next, count all the hit cards of all the players. Then, count the dealer's hole card, which he flips to his left and your right. Then, count the dealer's hit cards, which are placed on his right and your left. Finally, should any double-down cards be dealt face down (as happens on occasion), coun them as the dealer exposes them.

Many players, once they get more proficient, do not count each pair of cards, in turn, around the table. Rather, they wait until ALL the cards have been dealt and then "scan" the table, cancelling out high and low pairs, or clusters of cards, wherever they may lie. Once you get the knack, it's the fastest possible way to count the whole layout in literally just a couple of seconds.

> Also, I'm thinking it might be easier to
> minimize negative numbers by making my IRC
> say +5. Assuming a 6 deck shoe, what would
> be my new pivot point, key count, and matrix
> value?

If you were using -20 (for 6 decks) as your IRC, and you propose +5, then you're adding 25 to the recommended way. So, the +4 pivot would become +29, and the key counts (if you use different ones at different levels of penetration) would all increase by 25, as would all the indices.

Hope this helps.

Don