BlackJack
Card Counting
Card counting is a strategy used to determine when a player has a probability advantage
in the game of blackjack. It's not hard to learn at all. In fact, the
system is rather simple. The hard part is to be able to get away with it
in a Casino. Learn all about card counting in this documentary: The Hot Shoe
How Card Counting Works
Card counting is based on the fact that high cards, and especially aces, are
good for the player while low cards are good for the dealer. High cards are good
for the player because they increase the chance of a player getting a
"blackjack", which usually pays 3 to 2. High cards also increase the player's
chance of success on his pair splits and double downs. Low cards are good for
the dealer because they decrease the chance that the dealer will bust.
Card counters raise their bets when the ratio of high cards to low cards in
the deck is skewed in their favor. They also make strategy adjustments based on
the ratio of high cards to low cards. These two adjustments to their betting and
playing strategy can give players a small mathematical advantage over the house.
Despite what is commonly believed, you don't have to be a genius to count cards, because
you are not tracking and memorizing specific
cards. Instead, card counters assign a
point score to each card they see and then track only the total score. (This
score is called the "count".)
The most common systems of card counting is the "hi-lo count" system. In this system, the cards numbered 2 through 6
are counted as +1 and all tens (which include 10s, jacks, queens and kings) and
aces are counted as -1. The cards 7, 8, and 9 are given a count of 0. The Hi-Lo
system exemplifies a "level one" counting system; other counting systems also
assign +2 and -2 counts to certain cards and are called "level two" systems.
Many card counting experts agree that the additional accuracy derived from a
"level two" system is offset by the increased difficulty of keeping count and
the greater likelihood of making a mistake.
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