Counting cards is easy!!! For me it was easier to pick up than learning those dang basic
strategy charts, as I have a pretty poor memory. You are not memorizing cards when counting, you are
simply adding and subtracting. If you can add and subtract than you can count cards. The purpose of card
counting is to have a better idea of what kinds of cards are likely to come out in the remaining hands left
in the deck or shoe. You want there to be a lot of high cards and aces left in the deck, for several reasons:
1. You are more likely to get a blackjack, which pays 1.5 times your bet.
2. What is “supposed” to happen according to basic strategy is more likely to happen. If the
dealer shows a bust card than he or she is more likely to bust.
3. Double downs are successful a much higher percentage of the time.
Here is the basic idea behind counting cards: you give low cards a value of +1 and high cards a value of -1. This way you can have an idea of how many high cards are in the deck compared to how many low cards. It’s a piece of cake!
The cards 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 all have a value of +1. 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace count as -1. 7, 8 and 9 are neutral (zero value). As each card gets dealt keep a running total of the count. Practice quickly counting through a deck (or decks) of cards before you hit the casino. You will need to get fast to keep up with the pace in a casino.
I use a slightly different counting strategy when I am playing single and double deck games as opposed to six or eight deck games. In single and double deck games I like to count aces out separately, which gives me an advantage. In this situation I will count 3, 4, 5 and 6 as +1 and 10, Jack, Queen and King as -1. I just keep my left hand underneath the table and count the number of aces that come out on my fingers. If a low number of aces have come out than I will know that the situation is more favorable.
The running total of all of the cards is called the “running count.” However, a running count of +10 with four decks remaining is a much different situation than a running count of +10 with one deck remaining. Why? Because the concentration of high value cards is much higher with a plus 10 when there’s only one deck left as opposed to four. Therefore, we need to figure out a way to account for this. The way that we do this is by utilizing what is called a “true count.” To find the true count all you have to do is divide the running count by the number of decks remaining. So if the running count is +12 and there are three decks remaining than the true count is +4 (12/3 = 4). I am telling you the math involved in card counting is a piece of cake.
If you think you are ready to try out your skills, you can try playing online casino blackjack before playing in a real casino. This will help you to get more comfortable with counting cards and making the correct play. I do not recommend playing with real money online, however, as there is no way for you to gain a statistical advantage.
Final Step - How To Modify Your Bets and Strategy When Counting CardsBack To Basic Strategy
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