With count cards at Blackjack the Odds increase: This is how you as a player can beat the croupier and make money in the casino win! Practice now !
The prerequisite is that you have Blackjack rules in perfection and in every situation exactly the right action out of the optimal Blackjack strategy at the ready. There are different systems for counting cards. We focus here on the Hi-Lo count.
- With how many Decks of cards is played? 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8?
- Count all cards from the shuffle = Running Count
- low cards (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) count +1
- high cards (10, J, Q, K and Ace) count -1
- 7, 8 and 9 are neutral and can be ignored
- Always know how many decks have not yet been played.
- Divide Running Count by remaining deck count = True Count
- The higher the True Count, the higher the stake
What is counting cards?
Card counting is a special strategy used in blackjack to identify when a player has an advantage. Card counting is based on mathematical probability (stochastic). Each card played changes the expected value of the cards to come. Based on the cards played, one can draw conclusions about the cards still to be expected in a continuous draw.
In a simple 52-card Blackjack deck, each card is Card value of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace are included in four colors. For example, if the Ace of Hearts is dealt, there are only three Aces left. The probability of another of the remaining three aces is considered to be lower than for other cards of which no card has yet been dealt and therefore there are still four pieces.
Mathematicians have developed various systems for blackjack according to this principle, as some cards have a greater influence on winning or losing than others. A single card played does not have much significance. The more cards are dealt, the more accurately you can calculate the chances of winning.
The best known counting system is called "Hi-Lo". The system offers the perfect mix of simplicity and accuracy. Thus, beginners have the greatest chances of winning. A number simpler, but also not quite as accurate (and therefore profitable) is the "Red 7 Count" by Blackjack author Arnold Snyder. There are also more complicated counts like the one by "Ken Uston".
How does card counting work in blackjack?
Most card counting systems have in common that you divide all card values into two groups. The following is an explanation of card counting with the Hi-Lo Count.
running count
The "running count" is the "running counter".
You start counting after the dealer has shuffled.
Each card is assigned a corresponding value depending on the counting system used.
The Hi-Lo Count, as the name suggests, distinguishes between high (high) and low (low) cards.
Low cards (2 - 6) are good cards and get +1
With low cards you are happy when they are played. You don't want to get these cards if you're betting big. Good cards include 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, which are the five low card values. Whenever one of these cards is played, you count +1.
High cards (10, J, Q, K, A) are bad card and get -1
The counterpart is the high cards. When these are played it is bad, as they give you high point values like a blackjack (ace & ten value card). If a high card of value 10, J, Q, K or Ace is played, you count -1 each time.
Tip: Always count cards in pairs
To avoid having to count each card individually, wait until each player has received two cards. Starting hands with one high and one low card result in 0, so you can ignore this hand. This saves a lot of time and concentration, because you don't have to count +1 and then -1 again, but simply do nothing at all.
True Count depending on the number of decks
Unfortunately, the running count is not yet of much use. With the Hi-Lo-Count you always convert the Running Count into the "True Count". To do this, you divide the running count by the number of remaining decks.
How are you supposed to know how many decks are left?
To do this, you first need to know how many decks of cards are played with at all. As a rule, 6 decks of cards from a card slide (shoe) are played with. That is 312 cards. The cards played are placed in a transparent collection box to the right of the dealer. From this you can see how many cards have already been played. A deck of cards is about as thick as a thumb. When two decks have been played, there are four decks left. So you divide the running count by 4.
When three decks have been dealt, there are only three more decks left and you divide by three.
With a Running Count of +8 and only two decks remaining, you get a True Count of +4. That would be a very good situation, for example.
ADAPTING THE SET: Bankroll & Money Management
The following is needed to calculate the deployment:
- A total bankroll (BR) as a basis (e.g. 1000 Euro / better 10,000 Euro)
- Kelly criterion: variable use depending on the Bankroll
- true count
The higher the True Count, the higher the stake.
The True Count tells you how high the bet should be.
With a negative true count, you always bet the minimum bet or don't play at all.
If more low cards (+1) are played, the True Count rises into the posivite range.
To maximize profit, you should use the Kelly criterion. With "Kelly" bets as much as you have a percentage advantage.
To calculate the advantage, subtract -1.5 from the True Count. The result is the advantage.
If the True Count is 5, the advantage in this case is +3.5, so you should bet 3.5% of your bankroll. With a bankroll of 1000, the bet would be $35.
Simplified deployment strategy
A rule of thumb formula for use might be:
TRUE COUNT - 1 * UNIT
This means that the stake is always one unit less than the True Count. If the True Count is +5, the bet is 4 units. A unit can be either the table minimum (5 dollars) or another amount corresponding to the bankroll (10 dollars / 15 dollars / 20 dollars / 25 dollars etc).
If you play with a 1000 Euro bankroll and 10 Dollar units, you could bet the following:
- TC +1 or less: Minimum bet
- TC +2: $10
- TC +3: $20
- TC +4: $30
- TC +5: $40
- TC +6: $50
- TC +7: $60
- TC +8: $70
- TC +9: $80
PRACTICE COUNTING CARDS
Before you risk money on blackjack in a real casino, you should practice counting cards. To do this, take a deck of cards and draw one card at a time. For each high card you count -1 and for each low card +1. Keep an eye on the time as well. Good "counters" will count through a deck of 52 cards in 10-20 seconds. When you reach that speed, deal two cards at a time. You will find that this is even faster, as pairs of a high and low number cancel each other out and you can move on to the next two cards immediately.
CARD COUNTING APP
There are some apps for the smartphone that you can use to practice counting cards. To do this, search for "Card Counting" or "Blackjack" in the iTunes store or the Google Play store.
Count cards online casino
Online casinos with their live blackjack tables with real dealers offer a perfect opportunity to practice card counting. However, here you should not hope for a big win. The online casinos use all eight decks of cards of which only 50% are dealt. Thus, you have too inaccurate information and rarely a real advantage with which you could justify a larger bet.
For practice is a online casino but the perfect place. With relatively low stakes and a realistic environment, you can count cards here as often and as long as you want.
If you:
- make all decisions of the Basic Strategy perfectly
- never lose the running count
- always convert to the correct True Count
- apply the correct deviations from the basic strategy depending on the index number
- Adapt the correct use to the situation
- are bored with the pace of the online casino
THEN you are ready for a real casino!
Is card counting illegal?
Card counting is NOT ILLEGAL!
Card counting is simply using all the visible information to gain an advantage. So it is nothing else than mental arithmetic and abstract "thinking". So in a democratic country it should be allowed to think and count cards accordingly.
However, since card counting is an advanced form of gambling, it is not welcomed in casinos. At least not if the players win a lot of money with it. Therefore, the casino can prohibit a player from counting cards.
Card counting alone is not enough. You also have to implement the information gained from this by changing the way you play. This works by increasing the bet in good situations. For the casinos, the easiest way to protect themselves against card counters is to ban betting increases. If the dealer or his pit boss catches wind that a player is gaining an advantage by counting cards and adjusting his bets accordingly, they can either ban the player from playing or forbid him to vary his bets. The player must then "flatbet". This means that every bet must be the same. Thus, one can no longer take advantage of higher stakes.
Card Counting Movie
The 2008 movie "21" is about a group of college students who win a lot of money by counting cards in Las Vegas. The film is based on a true incident and the book "Bringing Down the House" by Ben Mezrich.
A young mathematics student from MIT in Boston comes into contact with the game of chance "Blackjack" through his professor. The professor builds up a team of students who relieve the casinos of large sums of money during weekend trips to Las Vegas.
