Learn blackjack card counting techniques with our comprehensive guide and play like real movie professionals. What is the optimal card counting strategy in blackjack? How to count cards in blackjack? Switch to real account. Appropriate bet quantity. Professional card counting. Let’s start with what’s important about card counting. Is it illegal to count cards in blackjack? The answer is no. Counting cards in blackjack is completely legal unless you use a device to do it. Here is the limit. You can legally follow the cards in your mind, but you can’t film with a camera and analyze the results on a computer elsewhere. On the other hand, casinos really don’t like card counters and if you are identified as one, they will not let you play blackjack or will ask you to leave the casino and never come back. Card counting is a way of tracking the relationships between high cards (which are advantageous to the player) and low cards (which are advantageous to the dealer). So, if you want to know what card counting players do, we’ll give you a simple answer: statistical probability analysis. And why are low cards so advantageous for the dealer? Well, because the dealer has very strict rules about when to hit or not to hit. If he is under 17, he must still shoot. Therefore, for the dealer, cards with a value up to 5 are the most important in the game. This is because, starting from 16, he will never exceed with any of them. Card counting lets us know if there are more high cards left, so we can increase our bets because we have the advantage over the casino. How is this a big advantage? In some individual hands the edge can also be around 3% to 4%, but in the long run the edge is around 1%, depending on the type of game and its rules. However, card counting does not give an advantage in every game. Life is not a movie and we are not Rainman. On average we will win around 44% of all hands played. If high cards are dealt, the dealer has as much chance of getting a good hand as the player. However, the dealer cannot split or double and is paid for blackjack as for an even bet – this is our basic advantage. In cases where we have 20 points, we often counter a 20 or blackjack from the dealer. But even in these situations we have a 1% advantage over the casino in the long run. Long term is defined as the period from your first bet until around 400-500 hours of play. During this period we can do around 50,000 games, which is a good basis for creating statistics. Let’s take an example: If we flip a coin 10 times, it is not unusual for the heads to come up seven times.

Step 1: Basic Strategy for Blackjack – Table

First of all, we need to learn how to play blackjack correctly. In today’s computer age, this is no longer complicated. Not only are there many websites where you can learn this strategy, but there are also many e-books on the subject. You must master Basic Strategy. Every step of the game must be done automatically and without thinking. How to achieve this? First, read and study the Core Strategy materials carefully. Then you can grab a deck of cards, sit down with a book on strategy, and start counting cards. Repeat this until you no longer need instructions for the game. The first row represents the card shown by the dealer. The first column then represents your first two cards. 8 HHHDDHHHHH 9 DDDDDHHHHH 10 DDDDDDDDDHH 11 DDDDDDDDDD 12 HHSSSHHHHH 13 SSSSSHHHHH 14 SSSSSHHHHH 15 SSSSSHHH
H 16S sss shh hhr hhr 17 ssssss ssssa2 hhhd sasdsdshh A3hhddhha4hhddhha5hhddhha6dddddhh A7s dsdss sshhsa8ssssdsds 22 H/P P P P P PHHHH33HH/PPHHH444HHHDD/DD HH5DDD DDDDDDDD666PPPPPHHH777PPPPPPLL H8P PPPPPP999PPPPPSSSSSS1010SSSSS AA PPPPPP.

Step 2: Learn how to count cards in blackjack

Now we can start counting cards with confidence. There are several card counting systems in blackjack, divided into two categories: symmetrical and asymmetrical. Asymmetric systems, such as the Knock Out (KO) system, are designed to eliminate the true value of cards (more details in step 3). In general, simpler systems are less effective. This is why we will use the High-Low system (sometimes also called Hi-lo) for our example because it uses very easy calculations and is also one of the most used blackjack card counting systems. We recommend this method because it is very suitable for beginners, although it is considered moderately effective. You will then understand and master more complicated systems more easily. However, start by mastering the High-Low system. Hi-lo points: Cards 2 to 6 have a value of +1, Aces and 10s are worth -1, cards 7, 8 and 9 are neutral and we therefore do not count them in our system. As we already know, small cards are favorable to the dealer, so why do they have a value of +1? Because as soon as such a card arrives, the total number of cards decreases and our advantage increases. First, we start with a deck of cards, turn over one card after another and count them. Suppose we have turned over cards 8, K, 3, 3, 6, 2, 7 and A. So we can count: 0,-1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +3, +2. At the end of the card game we should get a total of 0. But not at the beginning. This is where we need to start working hard and training the speed of our calculations. Eventually, we should be able to count a deck of cards in 25 seconds. We insist that our calculations must be perfect. This will ensure that no dealer in the world will deal cards faster than you can count them. Try turning a card from the deck face down, then count all the cards in the deck and try to estimate the value of that turned over card. Say, “This card should be a 10 or an ace” and turn it over to see if you counted correctly. Then move on to the next step and try to turn two cards face down. We typically see this situation in pitch games, which are primarily hand-held one- or two-handed blackjack games. If the dealer exceeds the required number, he turns over the player’s first two cards. This is a very good way to learn unfavorable card combinations such as Q and 5. In actual play, however, you may encounter several different card counting styles. In shoe play, some players wait until each player is dealt two cards and then begin counting, as they view each hand as a separate set, which often ends immediately after the deal, such as 10-6. Or two consecutive hands such as 10, K – 3, 5. Other players, on the other hand, prefer a simpler version of card counting and count each card separately.

Step 3: Switching to the True Count

We need to actually enforce this counting. This is to be fully effective in betting and gaming decisions. To do this we need to subtract the number of games that have not yet been returned.

For example, in two-deck blackjack, we play the first game. Current counts show a value of +4, but because we still have two decks minus a few cards, we need to divide +4 by two. Therefore, the actual value is +2.

Remaining games
Counting in progress
True Counting
4
4
1
2
8
4
1
5
5
3
9
3
6
18
3

In a multi-deck game, we need to closely monitor how many are left. In this case, you need to accurately estimate the number of remaining games. So if we used 2 games, there are 4 left (in the six game variation).

At this point we can give you some advice. Try to estimate how many cards are left at the end of each game. This gives you better chances for the next game. You don’t need to concentrate on another thing, and you can quietly count the value of the cards on the table. It will be easier for you to count during the dealer’s winning spins.

In a single-deck game when a quarter of a deck is dealt, we still have three-quarters left. But such a count would take too long for normal people. Instead, we first multiply +4 by 4, which gives 16, then divide by 3 to get a score of 5.33. If you count with fractions, use this simple method. This will make the game easier for you.

One thing about single-deck games: In this variation of the game, always use an actual count, not just approximate numbers (positive or negative), when less than an entire deck remains. If we get lazy and use approximate counts instead of actual numbers in a single-play game, taking into account deviations from Basic Strategy, we will lose our advantage.

We will now start dealing a hand. Deal one to yourself and one to the dealer. Do this as slowly as necessary to get the most accurate numbers. Although you will never see it at the casino, deal at least six or eight cards. Once you have played the last hand, the rest of the game will help you verify your account.

When dealing, play all hands according to Basic Blackjack Strategy (correctly). Use the actual counts and winning hands and check the remaining games. In the single game variation, you should be able to count the entire game in about two minutes.

To achieve sufficient counting speed, replace the table with a book for quality gaming software like Norm Wattenberg’s Casino Verite. Programs like this automatically track every play, every move, and every card, and will greatly help you improve your game. This will probably be the longest training, taking you around 60 hours of gameplay on average.

Step 4: Range of bets

Be careful about the range of your bets. The math tells you to bet, say, $5 to $100. However, this is undesirable because you would immediately reveal what you are doing. If you want to survive in a casino, you need to severely limit your maximum bets. Don’t be stupid, a casino knows very well what card counting looks like and how it works.

In pitch mode games, a normal spread is between 1 and 5 units; Hot shoe games give us a much larger range – from 1 to 8 or even 6 units for each of the two hands. Generally, players increase their bets based on the value they have calculated. They bet 1 or 0 if the situation is unfavorable to them, then they gradually move up.

To learn more about betting, read books such as “Professional Blackjack” by Stanford Wong and “Blackjack Attack” by Don Schlesinger. Or you can read all the available books by these two men. Other books on blackjack are not useless either.

At this point, it is very reasonable to start with the lowest limits. Improve your game before getting into real action. Choose games where minimum bets go up to $1. Additionally, read available books on managing your capital.

For bets ranging from 1 to 5 units, you must have a capital of at least several hundred. Never gamble with someone else’s money. Blackjack is like a seesaw, you have to count on a losing streak. And always remember. A quality player who counts cards will win in the long run.

Professional counting in blackjack: numeric card values

Cards are counted in a much more precise and sophisticated way compared to simple counting. Here’s how :

As = -3
10 = -2.5
9 = -0.5
8 = 0
7 = +1.5
6 = +2
5 = +3.5
4 = +2.5
3, 2 = +2

A series of the first seven cards in order: ace, king, 4, ace, 9, 8 gives a sum (-3, -2.5, +2.5, -3, -0.5, 0, – 2.5) = -9. A series of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 gives a sum of +9.

However, card counting experts don’t stop there and allow you to accurately determine your chances at any point in the game. To determine your positioning, divide the total (+9 in the last example) by the number of cards remaining in the deck (here 52-7=45), which gives 9/45=1/5. This is a very simple and easy fraction to calculate. To simplify the calculation mentally, multiply the result by *100 to get 900/45=20. The result is called a professional sum. In a two deck game the sum in the example above is 900/97=approximately 9 and in a four deck game 900/21=approximately 4.5.

The higher the total, the higher the stakes for the next game, as shown in the following table:

Amount Bet
up to +3 minimum
+4 to 7 doubles
+8 to 11 triple
+12 to 15 quadruple
+16 to 19 quintuple
etc

The use of the professional method based on the basic strategy of blackjack is a system which allows you to obtain regular and significant profits. This doesn’t guarantee winning every session, but it will definitely be beneficial in the long run. Anyone who wants to go this far must of course be prepared to go through this whole process. This means working very diligently on the fundamental strategy. Please keep in mind that mastering calculus requires very detailed study!