Blackjack Strategies: Card Counting
Card Counting
Card counting is a math-based blackjack strategy. It is a method by which a player determines whether the cards are favorable or not. The player keeps a mental tally of the cards as they appear.
How It Works
When there is a large number of high-valued cards in the deck, it is good for the player because the dealer will bust more often on stiff hands. The player can bust too, but a player may choose to stand if they want. The dealer does not have this option.
When there are more low-valued cards, on the other hand, the dealer busts less often and the player also gets fewer blackjacks. Thus, the more low cards that are left to play with, the better for the dealer and the worse for the player.
Origins
Card counting was first demonstrated in a book called "Beat the Dealer" by math genius Edward O. Thorp. The book inspired generations of card counters and changed the face of blackjack forever. Many other blackjack advantage players and theorists have emerged since then, developing and using tactics to beat the casinos through blackjack. Strangely, Thorp himself never really made use of his card counting technique. As smart as he was, he could never tell when a dealer was cheating him.
How to Count Cards
A card counting system assigns a point value to each card. Say, good cards for you may be counted as -1. Bad cards will be +1. Neutral cards will be 0 (ignored).
An example point value system is as follows:
Card 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K A Count 0 +1 +1 +1 +1 0 0 0 -1 -1 -1 -1 0
As the cards are exposed, you count each card by the point value system. You will start with zero at each new shuffle, and the number will fluctuate as cards are dealt. Starting with 0, you may count +1, +2, +1, 0, +1, +2, +3 and so on. Every time you see a low card, you will count one point up. Each time you see a high card, you will count one point down. You need to have a high positive score. The higher the score, the happier for the player.
If you start with 0 and you see 2-5-4-Q-6 in that order, the count will then be: 0, +1, +2, +1, +2.
If you get a high positive count like +12, it means the surviving deck is plentiful in high cards. If you get a low or negative count like -7, it means the deck is starved of high cards. It has mostly low cards in it so it is bad for you.
Running Count and Penetration
When card counting, you must know how to convert a "running count" from a true count. This is simply dividing your mental count by the number of decks left to be played. If your count is +12 and 4 decks remain, your true count is +3.
Also, penetration is important. This is how much of a deck will be used prior to a new shuffle. High penetration means more cards are played before a shuffle. Penetration of 75% or higher is preferable.
Betting and Playing
To make the most of card counting, use basic strategy and a betting system. Multiply bets when the deck is favorable, and decrease bets when it is unfavorable. Just don't make it obvious to the casino staff that you are counting cards! This is how you make use of this technique.