Reading Zen Grifter Interview and came upon this 'system'. In short, play three hands at minimum bet until count goes up and then drop to one hand with a large bet. What's the thoughts of this? Has anyone tried it? What's your thoughts?

You’ve pioneered an unusual betting scheme called the “Grifter’s Gambit.” Can you describe this method?Actually I didn’t pioneer the method, I revived it. It was first revealed as “Consolidation Betting” in Mason Malmuth’s Blackjack Essays, in 1985, with little fanfare. Malmuth advocated it as a form of apparent flat-betting for good single deck games. In 1998, George C. took a look at it after I requested he run a simulation. Initially he said it looked like “a stupid idea.” Then he simmed and refined it for quality 2-deck games and discovered it to be a powerful ploy, unknown to pit staffs and surveillance people. Malmuth deserves the credit but George C refined it and respectfully dubbed it “Grifter’s Gambit,” presumably because I rescued it from obscurity and had him run the sims.

How does it work? Can you give an example?

Ok, let’s say I’m playing a quality two-deck game, heads-up: In minus and neutral counts I bet three hands of one unit each. This eats cards fast in order to speed things along and get to the plus-deck situations quicker. At modest plus-counts I bet three units on one spot. I increase to five units on one spot in moderate plus-counts. In higher counts I bet one spot of seven units. Playing one spot in plus-counts helps preserve the rich portions longer. Per 100 rounds - not hands - the sim showed a gain of four units - with an apparent spread of three to seven units - just barely more than a 1-2 spread!

For a good single deck game there can be a virtual flat-bet: in minus counts bet three spots of one unit, and in plus counts bet one spot of three or four units - this will yield a similar gain to a traditional 1-4 spread BUT with higher variance. However, because the minimum bet is 3 x 1 unit, the comps are much better. One other thing: you must be playing alone at the table if it’s single deck or with no more than one other at a double decker.