Blackjack Card Counting

Blackjack strategy rules are the most basic rules that you need to be aware of to play the game of blackjack. To win a game however, you'll need to apply more than the basic strategy - you'll need to count cards. Blackjack Card Counting can be attempted only after a person is thoroughly familiar with the basic blackjack strategy. If you haven't memorized your strategy chart and haven't applied it, don't attempt to tackle card counting.

Card counting is a strategy that deals with the ratio of high cards to low cards in the deck. High cards are 10's and Aces and Low cards are all others. The main idea is that a deck full of high cards is to advantage of the player, while a deck which has more small cards is to advantage of the dealer. When you have a deck full of cards which puts you at an advantage, you can raise the bet, considerably increasing the possibility of your winning.

A dealer is more likely to bust in a situation where the player has the higher cards: player can always choose to stand while the dealer must hit until he reaches soft 17. And if the deck is full with low cards - the probability of dealer busting is much less.

Another reason why a hand that's full of aces is such a great hand, is because it increases the possibility of winning a blackjack. Unlike a dealer who only wins your bet if he gets a blackjack, a player's blackjack pays out at a ratio of 3:2.

When you have a lot of high cards in your decks, you're able to make a better profit when you double down, which is another advantage of having a deck of high cards.

Card counting certainly seems as if it can make the game of blackjack child's play, but isn't easy to learn. You'll need several months of practice if not years, to master the art. Many land based casinos actually don't allow card counters to play at their tables, because card counting so dramatically reduces the house advantage.

If you're card counting at a casino, not looking as though you are not counting is the more difficult than the actual counting itself! While you don't have this problem in an online casino, you're still required to be quick on your feet. Card counting in an online casino is easier than in a land based casino - there are no bright lights and loud noise to distract you, and you don't have the added stress of hiding the fact that you're counting the cards.

You don't need increased smarts to be an efficient professional card counter. But you do need to have razor sharp focus and be able to concentrate on counting your cards in a diligent manner. This takes a lot of practice. The good news is that you don't necessarily have to be playing a game of blackjack to practice your card counting skills. You can practice these card counting skills just about anywhere.

Card counting does not mean that you have to count every card that's played. There are a number of systems for card counting and most of these assign numbers to cards like +1, - 1 or 0. Based on these values, you'll need to play your cards accordingly.



Hi-Lo system

The easiest card counting strategy for a beginner is the Hi-Lo system.

In Hi/Lo strategy every card gets the following values:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 --> +1
7, 8, 9 --> 0
10, J, Q, K, ACE --> -1

In Hi/Lo count there are an equal number of +1 and -1 cards in the deck. In this way if you start counting from the beginning of 52 cards deck - you should get 0 count at the end.
If you are playing with single deck, as your count increases you have more odds that high cards are left in the deck.
Practice by dealing yourself a deck and counting them as you do. You should reach a total of 0 when you finish.
Once you've been able to master the first part, go ahead and deal two cards at a time. Proceed to more advanced 3 and 4 hand combinations. To begin applying your new card counting techniques in a game, you'll have to be able to count a deck of cards in 30 seconds or less.
Counting should not only be quick, but also accurate. Begin practicing, and take it one step at a time. Time your counting. You should then be able to quickly count cards fanned out on the game screen.

Card counting systems can be single or multi level systems. In simpler systems, a high card is given a value of -1. Lower cards are assigned a value of +1. These are called single level systems. As the counts increased, the player finds himself at an advantage, because there are more high cards in his hand. In a multi level system, cards are assigned different values. These are obviously harder to play because they have values like +2, -2, +3, -3 etc. However, this card counting systems is more efficient in terms of helping the player estimate his advantage and make his decision.

Besides, single and multi level card counting systems, you can also have balanced and unbalanced systems. In a balanced system, a deck of 52 cards will add up to a total point count of 0, while it's just the opposite in an unbalanced card counting system. The total of the points does not end up to 0.

Of cause the above information is only an introduction to card counting. More information can found at wikipedia.

More Card Counting Systems:

Hi Opt 1 Card Count
Blackjack Hi Opt 2 Card Count
Blackjack KO Card Count