Ever seen card counting in films and wondered how it works?
Do you want to use card counting in Blackjack to improve your game?
Perhaps you want to take your Blackjack play to the next level but aren’t sure how card counting will help.
Here we will explain what card counting is, how it works, and how it can benefit you when playing at online Slots Baby!
What is Card Counting?
Card counting is a casino strategy that involves working out the probability that certain cards will be drawn. Card counting in Blackjack is common amongst experienced players and helps give you an edge.
Gaining an edge is also achieved with more basic Blackjack strategy too. This is essential to overcoming the house advantage, which is prevalent when playing any casino game. Card counting requires the player to keep a running tally of how many high cards and low cards have been played in the game. There are numerous strategies for doing this which we will come onto.
Having a better idea of which cards will be drawn means that you can bet bigger and smaller stakes appropriately. If you determine you have a greater chance of winning, you can bet bigger and increase your earnings.
Isn’t Card Counting Illegal?
Card counting is completely legal so long as you do not use a card counting device. There are numerous card counting devices available, but you are not permitted to use these at casinos. Using your mind, however, is simply a skilful technique.
Casinos do reserve the right to eject players they suspect of card counting during a game, but this is quite rare. Casinos have lost lawsuits in the past against suspected card counters.
Other myths around card counting involve the idea that players must be geniuses or have photographic memories to use the method. On the contrary, some card counting systems are fairly simple and once practiced, can be utilised by anyone.
Card Counting in Blackjack
Card counting in Blackjack is the most common use of card counting strategies. Players can watch which cards are being drawn to other players and use this information to their advantage. Basic card counting involves giving positive, negative, or neutral values to certain cards as they appear in the game. The counter keeps a running count from what they have seen.
In the popular Hi-Lo card counting system, numbers are given the following values:
- +1 – 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- 0 – 7, 8, 9
- -1 – 10, J, Q, K, A
By keeping a count whilst the same deck is being used, players can ascertain from what has already been drawn what is likely to come next. If lots of high cards have already been drawn, then lower cards are likely to come up more in future.
So, how does this help for card counting in Blackjack? In Blackjack, the game is all about predicting whether you are going to draw a high or a low card. Furthermore, for the player, high cards are generally more favourable.
This means that as lower cards are removed from the deck, you have a better chance of winning. This is because players are often hoping for higher cards to be drawn to them to help reach 21.
To put this into context, think about when you are doubling down. Usually we will double down if we are on a hard 9, 10 or 11. In this scenario, we want to land a high card in order to reach 21 (or close to it).
Therefore, knowing that there is a good chance a high card will be dealt will help influence your decision of whether to double down in the first place. As doubling down involves doubling your bet and playing a riskier game, this demonstrates how card counting in Blackjack can directly affect your earnings.
Last Thoughts on Card Counting in Blackjack
Card counting involves a number of other strategies and methods. However, hopefully you will have gained a greater understanding of how it works and had some potential misconceptions debunked.
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