advantage
Card counting in Blackjack
During the course of a blackjack game, the dealer progressively exposes cards which are dealt to his own and the players’ hands. Careful observation of the exposed cards allows a player to make inferences about the cards which remain to be dealt, and use these inferences in one of two ways:
- The player can make larger bets when he has the advantage. For example, the player can increase the starting bet if there are many aces and tens left in the deck, in the hope of hitting a blackjack.
- The player can deviate from basic strategy according to the composition of his or her undealt cards. For example, with many tens left in the deck, the player may double down in more situations since there is a better chance of getting a good hand.
A typical card-counting system applies a point score for each rank of card (e.g. 1 point for 2-6 , 0 points for 7-9 and -1 point for 10-A). Whenever a card is exposed, a counter adds the score of that card to his running total score, which is used to make betting and playing decisions according to a table which he has learned. The count starts at 0 for a freshly shuffled deck for “balanced” counting systems. Unbalanced counts are often started at a number which reflects the total number of decks.
Depending on the particular blackjack rules in a given casino, basic strategy reduces the house advantage to less than 1%. Card-counting, if done correctly, can give the player an advantage, typically ranging from 0 to 2% over the house.
Card-counting mentally is legal and is not considered cheating. However, most casinos have the right to ban players, with or without cause, and card-counting is frequently a reason for banning a player. Usually, the casino will inform the player that he is no longer welcome to play blackjack at that casino and he or she may be banned from the property. Players must be careful not to signal the fact that they are counting, and the use of electronic or other counting devices is usually illegal.
Card Counting in Blackjack
More Than Counting
Being a successful card counter takes more than just being able to keep track of the cards. Many players find that they can successfully count a deck in the privacy of the quiet home but then have difficulty in a noisy casino with all of the distractions. Successful card counters must also be able to camouflage their play so they can go undetected by the casino pit bosses. The easiest way to get caught counting cards is to make big jumps in your bets from one hand to the next. You have to learn play a cat and mouse game with the casino and if you can do that you can get the advantage over the house.
Be Realistic
There are many players counting cards and making money but you have to be realistic about your results. Card counting will only give you a one to two percent edge over the house and the advantage you gain by card counting is based on the long run and your given results during any single session can vary greatly. When the deck is positive they dealer has just as likely a chance of getting the high cards as you do. Still any edge you can gain over the casino is worth the effort that it takes to learn and winning is a lot more fun.