Counting Cards in Blackjack

This site aims to serve as a source of information about counting cards and blackjack for the beginner to intermediate player. We aim to provide all necessary information for the player to begin to effectively count cards at the casino and make money playing blackjack.

  
Card Counting

Blackjack Training Software

Card Counting in Blackjack

What is card counting?

Card Counting is a method of tracking the ratio of high-value cards (which are good for the player), and low-value cards (good for the dealer) that are dealt in the game of blackjack. By counting cards, we can determine when we have a mathematical advantage over the dealer, and adjust our bets and blackjack playing strategy appropriately. Counting cards does not entail memorizing every card that comes out of the deck, it is only a system for determing the ratio of high cards that remain undealt in the chute at any given time and a strategy for making bets based on the players odds of winning based on this ratio.

A deck rich in high cards give the player an advantage for several reasons. The dealer does not have a choice on whether or not she should hit, any hand less than 17 means they must take another card. If you figure the probability of going over 21 when you have a 14, 15, 16, it is much higher when the deck is rich in high cards. A player can adjust his betting strategy and sit on lower hands rather than face a high card and bust. The dealer does not have this option. Secondly, when there are more high cards in the deck there are more blackjacks dealt. (21 on initial 2 cards) The probability of getting a blackjack is the same for the dealer and player, but the player gets 1.5 times his bet for a blackjack while the dealer only takes the players original bet.

Contrary to popular belief counting cards will not ensure that you win every hand at the blackjack tables. Counting cards with a solid strategy will sometimes give you upward of a 5% advantage over the house, but more typically will give you an advantage of 1% over the long run. While this may not seem like a huge advantage keep in mind that by counting cards, you will be adjusting bets as well so you will have more money on the table when you win and less on the table when you lose because you will know when you have the advantage as determined by mathematical probability.

Becoming a Card Counter

STEP 1: Master Basic Strategy

Mastering basic strategy is without questions the first task for anyone who holds any hopes for winning money at blackjack and is an absolute prerequisite for anyone hoping to learn to count cards. There are a nearly infinite pool of websites and books detailing basic strategy charts and what you play should be on any combination of cards the player and dealer face. The first step to learning basic strategy is the rote memorization of a basic strategy chart. After the player thinks he/she can react to any player / dealer hand combination with the proper move, the next step is to go through a deck with a basic strategy chart in front of you, walking through the proper moves of basic strategy. An alternative to going through deck after deck is to purchase one of several high quality simulators on the web which will correct you when making a move which conflicts with proper basic strategy. One such simulator which comes highly recommended from several sources can be found at http://www.realdealblackjack.com. The average person should be able to master basic strategy with 15-25 hours of practice.

STEP 2: Learn to Count Cards

After mastering basic strategy, it is time for the player to begin learning to count cards. There are many systems available and most can be classified as being either balanced and unbalanced. "Unbalanced" counts, like the KO (Knock Out) system were designed to simplify card counting and make it more accessible to the last mathematically gifted. These systems eliminate what is called 'true count' (to be discussed) Unbalanced counting methods are generally less effective and so for the sake of focus we will generally ignore this type of card counting method. The "Hi-Low" card counting method is a highly effective "balanced" card counting method which is used by most pros because of it's relative simplicity and effectiveness. In High-Low card counting we start our "running count" at 0. When 2-6 are dealt we add +1 to our "running count", and when 10s and Aces are dealt we add -1 to our "running count". Note that there are the same amount of cards in the deck with a value of 1 as their are with a value of -1: 2,3,4,5,6 and 10,J,Q,K,A. The 7,8,9 are neutral in this count and should be ignored by the counter. As low cards leave the deck the "running count" will get higher and higher, which tells the player that there is a high ratio of high cards in the deck and that the player has an advantage over the dealer. To practice.. take a deck of cards and flip over each card one by one, keeping a running count as you go. If the cards come out 8,Q,2,4,5,2,7,A we would count 0,-1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +3, +2. If at the end of the deck you have a count of "0" you will know that you have likely counted correctly. You should keep with this approach until your running count consistantly ends at 0 after going through the entire deck. After you can quickly move through a deck with no errors, try flipping two cards at a time and go through the deck. You will find that often cards cancel each other out (when you have one card worth +1 and one worth -1). When you are playing at a table in the casino you will find that it is often easiest to count in pairs this way. The player should aim to count down a deck in 24 seconds to ensure that they will be quick enough for any casino situation. Try and spend at least 30 minutes per day mastering this. Eventually you will find that counting is so ingrained in your head that counting cards will be as unconscious as riding a bike. You will not even need to think about the math, your head will automatically process the cards like a machine.

STEP 3: Learn True Count

STEP THREE: Converting to True Count The "running count" mentioned throughout the last section must be converted to what is called a "true count" in order to be effective in dictating proper betting strategy and to properly determine the players advantage. To calculate the "true count" we divide the running count by the amount of undealt decks. For instance, in a 6 deck game imagine that after the first hand we have a running count of +4. Since there are virtually two full decks remaining we divide the count by 2, yielding a true of +2. When playing at a table with 6-8 decks we will have to find a way to estimate how many decks are remaining. one effective way is to keep an eye on the discard tray and estimate how many cards have been played. From this you can deduce how many cards are left to be dealt when you know how many decks are being played at the table. While this sounds like a lot of innacurate guesswork, after spending a few hours practicing with a few decks you will be surprised to find how accurate you can be at determining how many cards (or decks) are in a chute. Ihe 3 (=5.33). One thing about single deck: the true is always more than the running count, both positive and negative, as we always have less than a full deck remaining. While we can get lazy for betting purposes and use the running count as the true count here in single deck, when it comes to Basic Strategy deviations (playing decisions) we need to have an accurate true count. This is fully covered in the recommended reading.

STEP 4: Learn Incremental Betting

Once you have mastered the science of card counting and have the ability to easily calculate a true count, you will need to learn how to actually use the true count to gain an advantage! The primary method of using the true count to your advantage is with you bet spread. Let's say the smallest bet you want to make is $5, this will mean that $5 is your betting increment. You will need to learn a system to change your bet according to the true count. In other words, if the true count is high we will know that we have an advantage over the casino and will want to change our bet accordingly. http://www.realdealblackjack.com offers Hi-Low card counting training software which will teach a betting spread based on the "true count" in a Hi-Low strategy. This software will correct the player if he/she doesn't change bets at appropriate times and this is a great investment for the cost.

STEP 5: Make some money

If you have reached step four and are capable of comfortably converting to a true count, then you are ready to hit the casinos and make some money. If you have truly mastered the card counting techniques listed above you have likely invested greater than 150 hours on the process and you deserve some return. Make sure you have sufficient funds to survive any unlucky streaks as they happen to the best card counters, and best of luck at the tables!

Card counting Blogs

There is a cool blog located at http://www.realdealblackjack.com/challenge.html. The blogger is a counter who is trying to take $10,000 and turn it into $100,000 by counting cards at various casinos across the country. Of course the counter does not give his name, but he does give names of casinos which makes for some interesting reading.

Card Counting References

There are many approaches to counting cards and developing a style of blackjack play that will allow you to be an effective player. We suggest that you get your hands on as many card counting resources as possible and see which style of play and blackjack strategy suits you best. Below you will find a list of quality card counting resources...

About Us

This site is run by a group of Blackjack players from Massachusetts. You can contact us at admin@realdealblackjack.com