Playing the game of blackjack using basic strategy is beneficial to the player but it still gives the casino a small house advantage. The house edge is small and less than 1%, but by counting cards this aims to give the small edge to the player.
The counting cards strategy in blackjack is based on probabilities and accountability of all cards in the deck(s). Cards that are still left in the shoe could be the cards that give an advantage to the player.
By counting cards and keeping track of the count, you can make more informed decisions about how much to bet because you will know when the shoe has more “good” or “bad” cards. Unlike plenty of other casino games, the cards dealt from the deck(s) for previous hands will influence the decisions you make in the future hands of blackjack you play before the next shuffle takes place.
How does card counting work exactly? An advantage blackjack player is assigning point values to cards based on their number value. This is done to keep track of the number of high cards and low cards.
A deck rich in ten point cards and aces is good for the player because it’s easier to make blackjack. With more tens, jacks, queens, kings and aces left in the deck it’s also better for doubling down and splitting pairs. This is because if the dealer has a low card and you’re doubling down on 9, 10 and 11, with more high cards in the deck, there’s a good chance you will get a high hand value like 20 and the dealer will bust. And the same principle applies for splitting pairs.
The most general and simple counting system, gives the cards some define values:
All cards from twos to sixes have a value of +1.
All cards from tens to aces have a value of -1.
Sevens, eights and nines have a value of 0.
As the player sees the played (consequently thrown away) cards, he counts the values of these cards. The starting point is 0; this “running count” can fluctuate between negative and positive values. If the first card from the deck has a two (+1), a nine (0), a king (-1), an ace (-1), a ten (-1), and a jack (-1), the present count will be -3 (minus three).
The higher the present count is, the lower cards were played, which means a higher number of high cards in the deck.
Basic blackjack strategy, which is based on the player’s total as well as the dealer’s visible card, is used in conjunction with this card counting system and tilts the odds more in favor of the player.
If you know that the percentage of higher cards is going to be bigger than usual (when the running count is +2 and above), you can take advantage of this by betting more since it’s more likely that “blackjack” will occur.
While card counting is not illegal it’s frowned upon because the casino no longer has its expected small edge. So they may refuse entry or ask you to leave if they suspect you to be an advantage blackjack player.
Another popular type of card counting system for blackjack is using the True Count. In this system, the player has to divide the Running Count by the number of decks present in the shoe. This type of count is relatively straightforward; however, the most complex part of this system is the estimation of the number of remaining decks. If you can figure out how many decks are in the discard tray, you’ll be able to know how many decks are still in the shoe.
Movies like “21” give the impression that you have to be a mathematical genius to be able to count cards. Although few people can do it well, the skills you need is to be able to add and subtract by one, memorize the count, and divide when necessary.
