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GAMBLING
BLACKJACK: COUNTING CARDS
Increase your winnings
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fter you’ve mastered the basic strategy, you’re ready to start learning how to count cards. If you haven’t yet mastered the basic strategy, please review our article Blackjack Basic Strategy. Counting cards is more advanced than the basic strategy. Consequently, it will take a few hours longer to master.
Only after you’ve thoroughly mastered both the basic strategy and the count strategy are you ready to head for the casinos and begin making money. If you truly master the counting strategy, you have the potential to make a tidy sum. However, if you make even a small deviation from either the basic strategy or the counting strategy, you’ll surrender any slight advantage you had over the house.
THE STRATEGY OF COUNTING CARDS
Counting cards is not a system, but a strategy based upon the mathematical theory of probabilities. The theory behind counting cards is actually very simple. When small cards are removed from the deck, you’re more likely to get a solid hand. When large cards are removed from the deck, you’re more likely to get a "stiff", or a poor hand. The idea is that when the deck has more 10s and Aces in it, the player has a better chance of getting Blackjack.
Using this strategy you can actually have a small advantage over the house. Your advantage can go as high as 2% depending on how rich the deck is with 10s and Aces.
What follows is one of many card counting strategies. This is a simple counting strategy. There are many others, including some very advanced strategies. Here’s how this strategy works.
When you see the cards 2 through 6, count plus 1. For example, you’re dealt a 5 and a 6; the "count" is plus 2.
When you see 7, 8, or 9, count zero. For example, you’re dealt a 5 and a 9; the count is plus 1, since the 9 counts as zero.
When you see 10s or Aces, count minus 1. For example, you are dealt a King and a 10; the count is minus 2.
Here’s how the strategy works in an actual round of play. There are two players at the table besides the dealer. The dealer deals to you first, then the other player. You have a 10 and a King. The next player takes a hit and gets a 2, then a 5, then a 4, then a 9, and busts. He turns his cards over and has a 2 and a 3. You count the cards. The 2, 5, and 4, and the 2 and 3 count plus one each. The 9 counts zero. So the count is plus five.
Next, the dealer has a Jack showing. He turns over his card to reveal a 3. He hits and gets another 3. He hits again and gets an 8 and busts. So he used a Jack, 3, 3, and 8. Jacks are minus one, 3s are plus one, and 8s are zero. This adds up to plus 1, which you add to the previous count of plus 5, to get a ‘running count’ of plus 6.
The dealer turns your cards over to reveal a 10 and a King. This totals minus 2. You add that to the count of plus 6 and get plus 4. So the count is plus 4 going into the next hand. This means that there are many 10s left in the deck to be dealt. The higher the positive count, the better for you.
You can also make the counting easier by combining cards. For example, when you see a King and a 2, ignore them because they cancel each other out. After awhile, you’ll see sets of cards and immediately know the count. It just takes practice.
On a single deck, increase your bet by 1 unit for every 2 positives. If you’re betting $2, and the count is plus 2, increase your bet to $3. When the count gets to plus 4, increase your bet to $4, and so on. It's that simple.
CONCLUSION
If it's so easy why isn't everyone doing it? People are doing it. Many great card counters have been barred from playing in the casinos because they consistently win big money. They have resorted to writing books and teaching others how to beat the game of Blackjack.
The reason more people are not doing it is simple. People don’t know or use the correct strategy. Many people hear about books on the subject, but few people take the time to read them, much less study them. There are others who have read a book, but have not taken the time to study it.
Casinos love players who try to play the basic strategy, but use it incorrectly. They also love players who try to count the cards, but do it incorrectly. Those players continue to give the house a large advantage. That’s the reason I’ve stressed to you throughout this book that you must play each hand perfectly. Otherwise you’re giving away your odds in favor of the house.
At the very least, study and use the basic strategy. This will enable you to have hours of gambling entertainment and not lose your money – or lose very little at a slow rate. You can go home with the money you started with instead of that empty feeling of going home broke. If you learn the count strategy perfectly, you can have many years of very profitable entertainment. Good luck.
