What methods are there for counting cards in Blackjack?

Answer 1

Counting CardsSome players seem to think counting cards means memorizing every card as it is played. If card counting were that difficult, nobody would have thought it was practical, even in the days when the basic game was single-deck with all the cards dealt out. And that kind of system certainly would have disappeared with the advent of the four-, six-, and eight-deck games that are common today. Others think counting cards is a license to print money -- just memorize a counting system and go start winning. It's not that easy.

What counters do is take advantage of the constantly changing odds in blackjack. In roulette or craps, the odds are mathematically fixed to be the same on every spin of the wheel or roll of the dice. In blackjack, the odds turn in favor of the player when an unusually large number of 10-value cards remain to be played. When the deck is rich in 10s, the player gets more blackjacks. So does the dealer, but players collect 3-2 on blackjacks while the dealer does not. In double-down situations, the percentage of the desirable 10-value cards for the player to hit is greater, and when the dealer's faceup card is a "stiff," or 2 through 6, it's even more likely than usual that the dealer will bust.

Counters make no attempt to keep track of every card in the deck. They simply track the concentration of 10s and aces. When the deck is favorable to the player, they increase their bets. When the deck is favorable to the dealer, they decrease their bets.

The counting is done with a plus-and-minus system. Players who feel they are ready to tackle blackjack on an expert level might want to seek out the more complex variations suggested in the many blackjack books on the market. The most powerful systems track aces as well as 10s.

The most common counting system, known as hi-lo, simply assigns a value of plus-one to 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s and minus-one to 10s, jacks, queens, kings and aces. All other cards are treated as neutral. Every time a 2 through 6 is dealt, add one to the count. Every time a 10-value card or ace is dealt, subtract one. The total is called the running count. For example, if ten 2s through 6s have been played and only four 10s and aces, the running count is plus-six. This needs to be normalized to the number of decks in the game, which is done by dividing by the approximate number of decks remaining in the shoe or in the dealer's hand. In a six-deck game, if the running count is plus-six and about three decks are left in the shoe, divide plus-six by three to get a "true count" of plus-two.

The final step is to adjust the bet to the count. In this simple version, if your beginning bet is one unit of $5, when the true count reaches plus-2, bet $10; at plus-4, bet $15, and at plus-6, bet $20.

A few words of warning: Because you are increasing your bet whenever the deck is favorable, playing with a counting system requires a much larger bankroll than betting the same amount every hand -- flat betting. You may be perfectly comfortable buying 10 bets' worth of chips -- $10 at a $1 table or $50 at a $5 table -- when flat-betting, but figure on at least 30 bets' worth when counting cards.

Card counters, just like any basic strategy player, lose more hands than they win no matter how good they are. They hope to more than make it up by winning larger bets in favorable situations. But sometimes the favorable situations just don't come -- it's possible to count down six-deck shoe after six-deck shoe without ever coming across a really favorable situation. And even on positive counts, sometimes the cards just turn the wrong way. There are no guarantees, not even for those who know the count and know what to do.

Finally, if the casino thinks you're counting cards, it can take measures. Nowhere in the country is card-counting illegal, but in Nevada the courts have held that the casinos are private clubs entitled to enforce their own rules, and the casinos can bar counters from playing. In other states, players can't be barred, but the casinos can increase the percentage of cards cut out of play to render the count less accurate. They can also take measures to make the player uncomfortable -- such as having a supervisor behind the table stare directly at the player while another supervisor stands at the player's shoulder from behind. If you're going to attempt to count cards, learn at home first. Deal cards to yourself or practice on a computer. Keep practicing until you're accurate every time, without moving your lips, with no brow-furrowing concentration, and without giving any other telltale signs of counting. Limit the size of your bets to a one-to-eight-unit range. A larger range will spark the casino's suspicions. And limit the length of your sessions. Don't play more than one hour in one place when counting cards

Answer 2

Most card counting systems start with a count of 0. This means that when you first sit down at a blackjack table, the count is 0. Depending on which counting system you are using, this count will fluctuate with every card that is dealt. You must keep track of not only the cards that you are being dealt, but every single card dealt to every player and to the dealer.

With most card counting systems you are looking for a positive count. When the card count is positive, this generally means there have been more smaller cards played and the deck now has a higher percentage of larger cards. When the deck has a high percentage of larger cards, the player has several different advantages:

• Dealer Will Bust More Often
• Player Will Be Dealt More Blackjacks
• Player Will Be Dealt Stronger and Higher Starting Hands

When a card count is high, the player bets larger amounts of money because they have a higher mathematical advantage. The card counting doesn't stop here, though. Even when you are betting more and winning more, you still must focus and continue to count cards flawlessly. Once the high count starts to drop and gets either neutral or into the negative, you go back to betting smaller amounts because the casino now has the higher advantage.

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The goal of a card counting system is not to record how many of each card has been dealt, but rather to record the change in the house advantage as a result of those cards being removed from the game.

Card counting systems that start from 0 will require that the player take the exhisting house edge, known from prior study and add it to the "change in the house edge" as a result of the removal of cards to come up with the house advantage for the hand about to be dealt. 15-25% of hands dealt will at a player advantage and card counters who observe this will either begin playing, or dramatically increase their bet if they were playing previously.

While playing, card counters will play perfect playing strategy, often refferred to as basic playing strategy or playing by the book. In addition, they will also employ advanced playing strategy which modifys play actions based on the cards removed from the game. These play actions are known as index plays which contridict basic strategy but are actually the mathmatically correct move given the dishonest deck the cards are being dealt from at the time. Moves like doubling soft 19, standing on 15 and 16 doubling soft 20 and splitting tens and surrendering on 13/14 are somewhat common when counting cards.

Answer 3

Most casual player that play blackjack are looking for the comps that comes in playing the game. The easiest card counting is the Ace-Five count. It won't make you rich but it will keep you at the table longer to collect the comps. That means you can upgrade from the standard buffet meal to a really nice dinner, a show, or an upgrade your room to a suite. It is want I learn when I first played blackjack and I do use it now and then when I am bored. Lol.

To count with this method, you have to look for the five card and aces. Five card is important to the casino because it is the card that can't break the dealers hand. The five card can make a dealers hand very favorable. For example, if the total dealers hand is 15, it will make 20. If the dealer hands total 16, the five card will make 21. For the player, Aces benefit us for the obvious reason.

You count the five cards as one (1) and all aces minus one (-1). The starting count at the beginning of the shoe is zero. Start adding and subtracting any five and aces you see. If the count is about 2, then you bet 2 units of your standard bet. Meaning, if you initally bet the minimum (ie. $10 chip), then you would raise your bet to 2 x $10 chips. If the count goes above 3, you raise it to 3 units of your initial bet. I play conservative in order the dealer or pit boss does suspect you of counting. The betting spread is huge and it is important to be consistent so that the dealer don't catch on. If the count is below 2, bet the minimum.

If you notice, as the count goes positive, it mean you are counting more five from the shoe. Meaning, there are more aces left in the shoe. The same goes when the count goes negative. The more aces you count, there are more fives left in the shoe. Thus, as the count goes positive, it benefits for the player. A negative count favors the dealer. Simple! Easy!

There are many counting methods. I personally use 4 types. I have benn playing for decades and I can reassure you that this is the easiest method out there.

That's it. You should last at the blackjack table for couple hours to get that upgrade comp. Good luck.

Answer 4

The dealer has to get at least 17 and once the dealer has 17 or more he has to stop. You play your hand before the dealer. All face cards are worth ten. An ace is worth either 1 or 11, your choice. All other cards are worth face value. 21 is the highest score you can get, if you go over 21, you break and the dealer wins.

Answer 5

You don't count cards in Poker. Usually, poker is played with one deck, and the deck is shuffled every hand. Counting cards usually refers to counting cards in Blackjack. by keeping a running count of how many high and low cards have come off the shoe, a counter will have an accurate picture of how many high/med/low cards remain in the shoe. A counter uses this information to help decide whether to hit or stay, based on his cards and the card the dealer is showing.

Answer 6

Card counting is the practice of keeping a running tally of how many high and low cards have appeared so far, to approximate the proportions of high and low cards remaining and bet accordingly. One method of card counting works as follows:

• When an Ace, King, Queen, Jack or 10 appears, subtractone point.
• When a 2, 3, 4 or 5 appears, add one point.
• 6, 7, 8 and 9 do not affect the count.
• Divide the count by the number of decks remaining (even if it's a fractional amount).

A high count means there are lots of tens and aces left.

Since card counting can help you win money, most casinos don't allow it and can get you thrown out. Due to the number of cards used it probably doesn't work well anyway.

Answer 7

Depends on your skill.

The Uston Advanced Point Count System has the highest playing efficiency with 69%.

But its difficult to learn.

An easier one is the Hi-Opt II which has a pe of 67%.