I like the KO system because of its simplicity and accuracy without having to account or do a conversion of how many decks have been played. But, I have been using the system for about 6 months and have started realizing some issues/patterns that negatively effect my play. So, I have a few questions about the KO system... Some basic, some more advanced. Every question assumes 6 deck, S17, DOA, no DAS, 75% penetration.

1. I begin with an IRC of +6, in order to stay away from negative numbers (explained on page 173). This makes my key count +22. Does this mean that my pivot point is +30? I came to +30 because +6 (IRC) plus 24 (amount of 7s in a 6 deck game), gets me to a true count of 0. (leads to next two question).

2. When employing the preferred strategy, do I only deviate when the RC reaches +30 for the category A and +22 for category B (e.g. Hard 16 v. 9 = hit, unless +30 then stand)? I ask because I find it a rare occurrence that I have an RC of +30 or greater (and it is usually at then end of a shoe).

3. I understand that the beauty of the KO system is in its simplicity, but that simplicity seems to be costing me money towards the end of a shoe. This is
because the count naturally raises due to the unbalanced counting method (i.e. more 7s have been played). This causes me to play weaker, deeper in the
shoe. The only way I can combat this (without arbitrarily changing my betting strategy late in the shoe) is to create a KO-Hi/Lo key count. This means that I only raise my bet when the RC reaches +30 or better (true count of 0) for the entire shoe. But this takes me back to the issue in question one, where I
only reach +30 late in the shoe and therefore would rarely vary my bets. Any ideas? The only thing I have read that could possibly work is simply being
more conservative with bets late in the shoe, based on nothing except that the count is naturally higher due to the penetration (my issue with this is that
the idea alone takes away from the strategy employed by a counter, that is, not playing based on "feel" or "gut instincts").

Thanks for your help ladies and gentleman!