Counting Cards in Blackjack: A Close Preview
Card counting is used in the game of blackjack to get an edge over the casino. Although counting cards is not illegal, it’s highly frowned upon at casinos. In fact, you can be restricted to gamble at the casino if found engaging in the act. The bottom line is that if you fully understand the process involved in card counting, you can easily perceive when the odds are in your favor. All you need to do is learn some basic skills to get started and as you master them, you can start exploring advanced blackjack tactics to improve your chances of winning big at NJ online casinos.
What is card counting?
Card counting is a technique used by players to keep track of the number of high and low cards left in the dealer’s deck. If you are able to count cards successfully, you can raise your bets when you know the odds are stacked in your favor, meaning you have the opportunity to optimize your payouts. However, it’s important to note that card counting is not intended for learning how to consistently win or cheat at blackjack. Instead, it’s simply a skillset to give you a better idea of what’s in the deck.
How to count cards in four easy steps
As mentioned above, card counting gives you an advantage over the casino. However, you must first know how to effectively use the strategy in order to achieve this. There are basically four steps involved in card counting. Below we’ve explained them in detail:
Step 1: Assign value to every card
In the game of Hi-Lo, which is the most common card counting system, the values of the card are:
2 – 6 = +1
10 – Ace = -1
7 – 9 = 0
When each of the cards is dealt, the player either add one, subtract one, or do nothing based on the value of each card.
Step 2: Keep a running count
The players keep a running count simply by adding or subtracting every card that they come across in each shoe. When each card is dealt, you must update the ‘running count’ with the latest information available. The card counter general does this for each card until the dealer reshuffles the cards again. The edge begins to shift in the favor of the player when the running count rises, while the casino’s edge increases when the running count reduces.
Step 3: Calculate the True Count
In an attempt to thwart card counters, casinos have started using multiple decks. When playing blackjack games with multiple decks, you can also use the running count by translating the acquired information into count per deck or the true count.
Having a +5 running count and 6 decks remaining is a completely different situation from having a +5 running count and only deck remaining. In the first case, you have less than one extra high card per deck remaining, which means you don’t have an edge yet. It’s more about the proportion of high cards against low cards. Hence, if you have a running count of +5 with only one deck remaining, it means there are an additional five Aces and 10s in the remaining deck of 52 cards. This naturally gives you an edge over the house.
In addition, the true count is an indicator of the specific advantage that the player has at every point in a multiple deck live blackjack game. To calculate the true count, all you have to do is divide the running count by the exact number of decks that are left at the table. For example, in a 6-deck blackjack game, each true count moves the house advantage by half percent towards the player’s edge. Hence, a true One essentially eliminates the house edge and makes blackjack an even game. Also, a true Two gives the player an edge of about half to one percent, a true Three gives an advantage of about one percent to the player, and so on.
Step 4: Change bets based on the rise and fall of the true count
It’s very important to keep track of running and true count as it provides you with the ability to know when the house advantage flips to your side. Unfortunately, if you don’t alter your game according to the available information, you’ll only be playing a mentally draining blackjack game. To make the most of the information you obtain from counting, you must raise the bets when there’s an increase in the true count. In general, you should make big bets when the cards are in your favor and small bets when the cards are not in your favor.
At this point, ideal betting strategy and sound bankroll management can become more complex. Also, you can easily end up betting all your money if you don’t understand how to bet appropriately at every point in time. As such, you must learn everything about bankroll management before you delve into card counting and the game.
Advanced card counting strategies
Once you’ve mastered the basic Hi-Lo system, card counting will become as easy as pie. When you want to make progress and learn more complex techniques, you have various options to choose from.
Wong Halves
The Wong Halves system is famous for its high level of difficulty and complicated plan of assigned point values. However, if you manage to get a grasp on its main principles and apply them at the right time, your edge over the casino will be extremely high. In case if you’re a novice player, you shouldn’t use this strategy as keeping track of the cards according to their assigned values is a very challenging process. The assigned card values in this system are:
2 and 7 are valued as 0.5
3, 4 and 6 are valued as 1
5 is valued as 1.5
8 is valued as 0
9 is valued as -0.5
10, Ace and face cards are -1
Wong Halves is a balanced system, which means that your count should be 0 when the deck is completely dealt. Also, you can simplify this strategy by doubling all the values to avoid using fractions altogether.
Omega II
Created by Bryce Carlson, the Omega II is an advanced blackjack card counting system that was very popular in the 1990s. Like most of the other advanced card counting systems, the Omega II is a multi-level system that is most effective when used with an additional side count of aces. The difficulty of this system might be well worth it, as it’s one of the most effective card counting systems available. The betting correlation is 0.92 without the optional side bet, but it’s possible to achieve a betting correlation of 0.99 if you can keep up with the aces. Below are the assigned card values in Omega II:
2, 3 and 7 are valued as 1
4, 5 and 6 are valued as 2
9 is valued as -1
10 and all face cards are -2
8 and Ace cards are 0
A positive count indicates that more low cards are present in the cards being dealt, while a negative count means a large number of high cards are still in the deck.
Which strategy is the best?
When playing online blackjack games, the easiest strategy to use is the Hi-Lo approach. For novice players, it’s advisable to start here and see how you get on. As you master it, you can start using the advanced card counting systems if you want to. Of course, you need to be 100% sure that you’ve mastered the game before even thinking of attempting card counting.
Is card counting illegal?
There are certain things that you must consider before practicing card counting. For instance, many state laws prohibit card counting with the aid of mechanical or electronic devices. And you’ll be arrested if you’re found counting cards. However, using your own arithmetic skills to keep track of the cards is not illegal.
Although the casino cannot prosecute unless you are using a device, they can make the situation quite unpleasant in case you’re caught. Some law firms in the US has specific legal teams who deal with casino arrests.
As most casino operators are well aware of card counting, they undertake various preventive measures in an attempt to thwart card counters. Dealers are often switched whenever a table is considered ‘hot’ by the pit boss. At times, the pit boss will instruct the dealer to force a shuffle once the hand being dealt is over. Online casinos don’t have this problem, but some sites use software that forces random shuffle to counteract this practice.
Basic card counting tips
Below are the basic card counting tips that will ensure the fun stays fun and will also provide you the chance to optimize your payouts.
Be discreet
Keeping a track of the cards is not illegal as long as you do it on your own, but it’s still frowned upon at many land-based casino sites. If the casino staff catch you counting cards, you may be asked to leave the game or they can even restrict you from playing games in the future.
Keep an eye on your bankroll
While paying attention to the cards drawn is of utmost importance, keeping a track of your bankroll is also equally important. You don’t want to make any inappropriate moves and go bankrupt.
Practice is the key to success
Just like with any other newly acquired skill, practice is an integral part of the journey to success in card counting. So, dedicate time to practice your card counting skills in order to master them.
