How to Count Cards
Posted on February 25th, 2009 by Paul
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Blackjack is known for having a low winning probability, given the cards’ sheer unpredictability. Many have exited the game room with either tears in their eyes or empty pockets and wallets. You can avoid such a pinning predicament, if you apply a little strategy used by some of the most successful blackjack players - card counting.
Card Counting
Card counting is the memorization and branding the cards in the deck. By observing the your cards and those thrown by the other players, you can predict your winning chances against the dealer. You don’t really need top count every card you see. You just have to brand them with assigned values to grasp the ratios of high and low cards.
Dealers, on the other hand, can apply the same method in his shuffling, so he or she can predict the cards dealt to the players. Mastering the technique requires much practice. You can write a chart for each method of card counting to get accustomed to the rules in a relatively short time.
The High - Low Method
The high low method involves the proper segregation of high and low cards.
- High cards are the those that are worth 10 points and above (King, Queen, Jack, Ace and 10). These cards have a designated value of -1.
- Fairly high cards, 8 and 9, have a value of 0.
- As for the remainder of the deck, they are worth +1.
Once you have memorized the values, grab a deck of cards and practice counting. Notice that the cards tend to pair up or cancel out. Use that knowledge to speed up your counting even further. Continue practicing until you can count the entire deck in less than 25 seconds. At that point, you can test your skills at the casino and see how your card counting skills fare against the dealer.
Remember to bet when the count is at least +2. The trick is to divide it by the remaining decks in play, which reflects the game’s real count. Card counting is easy by then.
The Balanced and Unbalanced Methods
The High-Low Method is well used among seasoned blackjack players, which in turn can be detected by some casinos. Others have resorted to other counting methods like Balanced and Unbalanced card counting. In the balanced method, the entire deck’s sum of values equates to zero while the unbalanced method doesn’t. You have the freedom to assign the specific card values, as long as you follow the general rule for each method.
Notice the logic of both methods. Balanced counting centers on single decks, as the Unbalanced method is for multiple decks. Much calculation is required to master both methods, so do practice, if you aim to become a true Blackjack ace.
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