Gambling 2009

If you have mastered basic strategy, you might eventually want to learn about card counting. Counting cards allows blackjack players to keep count of which cards have been dealt, so the player can make guesses about which cards are likely to be dealt next.

When card counting, a player keeps a running count of high cards (Ace, K, Q, J and 10) and low cards (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). Low cards leaving the deck are considered good for the player, while high cards are considered bad. That’s because a player wants more 10 or 11 cards remaining in the deck.

So in basic card counting, you will add +1 when a low card appears and a -1 when a high card appears. The higher into the positives the count gets, the better for the player. That’s when the player increases the initial bet. The further the numbers get into the negatives, the less the player should bet. So card counting allows a player to bet more when the odds are in his favor and less when the odds are against him.

The Hi-Lo card counting method is just one of many card counting techniques. Most are more complicated. Other blackjack counting methods are the wizard ace/five, the KO, the Hi-Opt I and the Hi-Opt II, the Zen Count an the Omega II.

Card counting is one of the most mysterious of the game of blackjack.

Counting cards does not mean the player has memorized every card they
have seen dealt out of the deck.

While a card counter will be able to predict the next card with a
high degree of accuracy if the dealer is down to his or her last few
cards, in the real world of the casino no dealer will ever deal the
deck down to the last few cards.

Card counting can be a very profitable pastime
for the blackjack players.

The idea of card counting is that the deck which contains a
high percentage of high value cards like Aces and face cards, favors
the player against the dealer.

Card counters use the strategy of betting the smallest wagers when
the deck is full of low value cards, and the most when the deck is rich
with face cards and Aces.

There are many different strategies for card counting in blackjack.