Blackjack is one of the most popular casino card games in the world, played worldwide in almost every casino, for its pure excitement and the mix of chance with elements of skill. And one skill in particular is making big waves in the game, the card counting in particular, otherwise known as the keeping track of which cards have been played since the last shuffle. Why is it a big fuss? Just because card counting at a Blackjack table is the only way you can get a long term, statistical advantage over the casino.
Nice and easy, it just has one tiny problem. Although card counting as long as you are using only your brain and not a computerized device is legal, casinos have the authority to kick you out when caught in the act. If the casino kicks you out and then you return, they can arrest you for trespassing as they have the right to ask anyone to leave for any reason.
The fundamental principle in counting cards during Blackjack is that a deck of cards with a higher proportion of high cards (tens and aces) to low cards is good for the player, while the reverse is true for the dealer. A deck rich in tens and aces improves the player's odds because blackjacks become more common, the dealer is more likely to bust a stiff hand and double-downs are more successful. Counters raise their bets when the ratio of high cards to low cards in the deck is skewed in their favor. This may sound like a complex process, but it is in fact relatively simple and doesn’t require a photographic memory. Just be able to add and subtract by units of 1.
However, counting cards does not give you an automatic winning edge on every hand; even proficient card counters lose a certain percentage of the time. But you will win, on average, about 44% of all hands played in the long-run.
To become a successful card counter, the basic strategy must become second nature - and if you play enough hands it will. You also might pay attention around you as if not, it will be pretty obvious that you are focusing pretty hard on something and you’ll expose yourself. You must be able to talk to other players or the dealer, so while learning the strategy, listen to the TV or music on loud. This will simulate the casino atmosphere which has a lot of distracting sounds in the background, such as waitresses talking to you, slot machines going off, players talking or people constantly moving.
And last but not least, deepen the rules of the game and know the value of all cards, so let’s rehearse: aces and 10-value cards like kings, queens, jacks and tens are worth '1; twos, threes, fours, fives and sixes are worth +1; and sevens, eights and nines are worth 0.
Blackjack is one of the most popular casino card games in the world, played worldwide in almost every casino, for its pure excitement and the mix of chance with elements of skill. And one skill in particular is making big waves in the game, the card counting in particular, otherwise known as the keeping track of which cards have been played since the last shuffle. Why is it a big fuss? Just because card counting at a Blackjack table is the only way you can get a long term, statistical advantage over the casino.