Let’s take a closer look at each of these 7 common pitfalls that a beginner card counter might fall into:

#1. Not practicing

Practicing hi lo card counting is the most important thing that you can do. Without practicing, it will be impossible to go into a casino and keep your concentration to count the cards and keep a running count and then converting it to a true count. You need to practice just flipping through the deck and keeping a running count. Then you need to practice converting that running count to a true count. Lastly you need to practice both of these with many distractions of people, music, loud noises, movement, etc. If you have been to a casino before, you know how many things are going on at once. There’s music playing, lights on low, people talking all around you and behind you, people watching you play, etc. It’s just a lot going on.

#2. Bidding Too High

If you bid high even if you know your true count is more than +8 consistently, then the dealer might get suspicious that you are counting cards. You want to win the money, but you don’t want to draw attention to yourself by winning so much cash that the casino thinks you are counting cards. Therefore, try to keep your bids moderately cautious and enjoy the cash that you win by not drawing attention to yourself. While card counting isn’t illegal, many casinos take it very seriously and can keep you from coming back if you are thought to be counting cards.

#3. Trying to Count Cards Online

When playing Black Jack online, counting cards isn’t possible, so don’t even try. This is because many of the online casinos will shuffle the deck at the beginning of each round. This helps ensure that the house always keeps the advantage. Counting cards online isn’t useful but practicing the basics of Black Jack online is helpful to learn the strategies of hitting, staying and splitting cards. Therefore, it might be wise to play some Black Jack online just for that purpose.

#4. Setting a Stop-Loss

Setting a stop-loss means that you go into the game knowing where you are going to stop when you are down at a certain point. While it is a good money management technique, it’s not the greatest technique for Black Jack. Black Jack is a game of ups and downs, so you are going to lose some, especially when you first start counting cards. Black Jack also is a game that pays out over time. While you might be on a small losing streak, it tends to balance out and then you will start winning for awhile. Setting a stop-loss will keep you from winning the big bucks when you finally get on a roll and figure out the card counting method.

#5. Jumping in the Game Too Soon

A common mistake that beginners make is jumping into the game too soon. The best example of jumping in too soon is when the dealer is still in the middle of the Black Jack shoe. Wait until the dealer starts a new Black Jack shoe prior to starting your game. If you jump in the game too early, then you will not know how many cards have been dealt and can’t count those missed values.

#6. Not Counting Correctly

This is unfortunately a common error and often called a competence error. Miscounting cards and not converting to the true count correctly are errors that fall under this category. To fix this error, you need to do some serious practicing. It is a hard error to notice when you’re playing though as you might not realize you are doing it incorrectly. You can think you continually counting correctly but it always turns out wrong. Keep practicing and reading to find out tips and tricks on counting and doing it correctly.

#7. Playing While Tired

After playing for awhile, or just playing when you’re tired is a big mistake as you will count cards wrong and add your cards incorrectly. You might count 16 and hit hard because you thought it was 16 but it was actually 17. If you do it once, it’s not too major of a problem but if you do it continually, then you know it’s time for a break. Get up for awhile from the table and take a break of an hour or so. Or just quit while you’re ahead and come back the following day.

Each of these common pitfalls; not practicing, bidding too high, trying to count cards online, setting a stop-loss, jumping into the game too soon, not counting correctly and playing while tired, are something that you can fix with practice. Take a close look at each of these common pitfalls that a beginner card counter makes and learn how to fix them. The first key is to practice, practice and practice some more. It may seem redundant but it’s the best way and only way to become the best card counter you can be. It can take up to 20-30 hours of practice before you’re even ready to try to play in a real casino. Even then, you will have to adjust to the environment. The environment is very different than what you have at home. You can even practice with some distractions at home to try and get use to the environment. Then read some books and articles online to learn tips and tricks to make your Black Jack game even better.

#1. Learn the Basics of Hi Lo Card Counting

One of the first things you have to do is learn the counting values of the cards. This is one of the most important things in regards to hi lo card counting is learning the counts of each of the cards. The hi cards, or 10, J, Q, K, A, are counted as -1. The middle or neutral cards, 7, 8, 9, are counted as 0 and then the lo cards, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are counted as +1. Once you learn the values of each card you need to learn how to keep a running tally in your head. Here’s an example on how to count.

Continue practicing your running total, until you can do it for a whole deck. This is important as it will help you be able to keep the running total in your head quickly. Once you are able to keep the running total, quickly and accurately, then you can move onto the next step of converting to the true count. The true count is what you are going to base your bet on. It is based on the running total, the total number of decks and then looking at what is already discarded.

#2. Learning to Master Distractions

Another tip that you should learn to do is learn how to master any and all distractions that will come at you while trying to count cards. If you go to any casino, there will be lots of distractions – people, music, lights, etc. It will be hard to count cards in a busy place without some practice as you might quickly lose focus and lose count. Therefore once you master the rules and counting in the quiet, add lots of distraction to your own house and practice counting with everything going on. Play some loud music right behind you, have some friends come over and talk to you, have your wife and kids come up and ask you questions or just sit at the table and talk to you loudly. Try to include as many distractions as you can at once so you can practice your counting until you are able to do it all correctly with all the many distractions.

#3. Master the Betting Skills

Now that you can count with distractions, you will need to learn how to bet using your hi lo counting skills. If you can’t bet properly and win money, there’s not much use in learning how to count! Once you have learned to get the true count, you need to decide what your betting spread is. Your betting spread is based on your positive true counts and can be $5 each betting unit. Here’s a chart to help you out:

If you know your betting price is $5 per unit, then if your true count ends up being +4, you are going to bid $15 since that would be 3 betting units. While you can bid higher than 5 betting units, the higher you go, the more likely you will get caught for counting cards. So it is recommended to stick to just 5 betting units.

#4. Read, Read & Read Some More

While we have covered a lot in this article, we really have just covered the basics. There are a lot of great books out there that talk about hi lo card counting and how to bet, etc. The more you read, the more you will learn and become a better card counter. Reading and learning is almost as important as practicing. Read the customer reviews on the books first to make sure that they are going to be helpful.

#5. Visualize the count

Even though you have mastered counting cards with all the distractions, you still might mess up and lose count. Therefore, instead of keeping it in your head, try to keep the count on your fingers or something tangible that you can see so you don’t lose count. You obviously can’t write it down but try to figure out a way to visualize it. Put a picture of +1 in your head and then change it when you get a new number. Don’t visualize that number as a spot on the table though or people might think you are weird for staring at the table! But keep the running number in your mind or on your fingers and keep it there like it’s stuck like glue.

In Summary…

These are just five tips to help you master hi lo card counting. One theme that is repeated throughout all of them is PRACTICE. You can’t master any of these tips without practice and more practice. It’s very important so you can keep the count in your head with all the distractions and not draw attention to yourself by counting out loud or being slow, etc. It is said that you should have at least 20-30 hours of practicing the hi lo counting with and without distractions until you will be ready to try it out in an actual casino.

Word to the wise: the counting technique will not be helpful for online gambling, just in person. Continue practicing and then you will be ready to go to the casino and place some bets to win some cash!

Print these 5 tips to master your hi lo card counting technique

What is Card Counting?

You might think card counting is illegal but it’s not. It’s a strategy that black jack players have been using to win at cards. It’s a method of counting which cards have been played to use to their advantage and it assists them in making better bets. The easiest way to count cards is to use the hi-lo card counting that will be discussed. There are other methods to count cards but this one is the best way to start.

What is Hi-Lo Card Counting?

When it comes to hi-lo card counting, there are a few different things that you will have to learn. You will have to learn which are the high cards, low cards, neutral cards and how to do a running count and true count. Once you learn what these different things are, you will have to practice before you can put this into practice at the Casino. Let’s start.

High, Low and Neutral Cards

There are three different “types” of cards when counting. They are high cards, low cards and neutral cards. The high cards are face cards and Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. When card counting, these high cards are counted as “minus one”. High cards are good for you. The low cards are two, three, four, five, and six. When you count these low cards, they should be counted as “plus one”. Low cards are good for the dealer. Then the rest of the cards; seven, eight, and nine are neutral cards and shouldn’t be counted at all.

Here’s the breakdown:

In order to practice, sit down and flip through the cards and count each one out loud until you can flip through and count each card in less than 25 seconds. For example:

Flipped over a King – say -1
Flipped over a Five – say +1
Flipped over a Seven – say 0

And so on…

“Running Count”

Once you have that under control and can figure out the count in less than 25 seconds, you can move onto figuring out a running count. A running count will add the values of each card throughout the entire decks.

Here’s an example of a hand and how to count it:

A running count is important as it keeps count for the entire deck. Practice counting cards and doing a running count until you can keep count and do it in less than 25 seconds.

True Count

The next step is to keep a true count. A true count will help you when you place your bets and tell you whether you have an advantage. How do you keep a true count? A true count is when you take the running count and divide it by the number of remaining card that need to be dealt. You have to guessimate how many cards have already been used and should have paid attention to how many decks are being used. For example, keeping with the same example as above, there is a running total of +2. There are 6 decks being used, and you notice that 1 deck has already been played. Therefore, all you have to do is take your running total of +2 and divide it by 5, so your total count will be +0.40. Since it is positive number, it means that you do have an advantage but it’s a small advantage.

Placing a Bet

You decide how much you are going to bet based on this true count, the base bet and how many decks are being played. If you’re at a $5 table that means your base bet is $5 and then you will multiply that based on a certain number of units depending on your true count. If your true count is between 0 and +1, then just place the minimum bet of $5 or 1 unit. If it’s +1, then you can bid two units. Two units would be a $10/bet and so on. Here’s a chart to help you understand this concept better:

Practice

As with everything, hi-lo card counting will get easier with more practice. Practice each step and then build them on top of each other. When you are able to be able to count the decks and get the running count and true count in less than 25 seconds, then you can move on by adding distractions to your practice. Distractions such as, loud music, people talking, etc will allow you to pretend you are in a casino setting as there is always something going on. Once you master that technique, carry on a conversation while you are counting cards, so you can see that you can talk and be “normal” while you count and not just sit and stare at the decks counting.

Books to Read on Card Counting

There are a couple of recommended books, if you want to learn more about card counting. Here are ones that you should read:

109 Critical Blackjack Statistics and Strategies by Curt Dillon
The Ultimate Edge by Mark Billings
Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One by Edward O. Thorp
Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong
Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros’ Way by Don Schlesinger

Conclusion

Card counting is a way to win at blackjack. How you win at blackjack and how you count cards is up to you and how much you practice. High cards are good for you and low cards are good for the dealer. So it’s important to keep track of how many high and low cards have been played. This concept is called hi-lo card counting. You keep a running count by counting and adding the high/low number together and then you get a true count by taking that number and dividing it by how many cards are left to be dealt. The true count is then used to place your bet. All of this though, takes time to learn and you have to practice it so you can be consistent and accurate with your counting. It is recommended that you should practice at least 20 hours before using it in a casino.

This is how the basic idea goes: If you, the player has high cards such as aces or and tens, then this is a great things for you. If the dealer holds the low cards such as 4s, 5s, and 6s, these cards are great for the dealer.

If you have a high number of aces and tens, the idea is that this gives you a higher chances of blackjacks.

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Let’s continue.

There are a lot of ridiculous myths including that you need to be a savant or someone with a high memory capabilities to count cards. This is simply not true.

You are not memorizing each specific card; rather, each card is assigned a point and you will be adding or subtracting points to keep track of the sums of the values. In other words, you’re keeping track of the running count with a very manageable system.

Not only do you have the basic count but there are a lot of other card ranking systems to learn, each one slightly more complicated than the last BUT as you get more complex, the systems get better. You increase the chances of winning at blackjack.

Here are some of the card ranking systems:
-Wizard Ace/5
-KO
-Hi Lo
-Zen Count

… just to name a few.

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