To find out if card counting works or not, you must first find out how it is calculated. Find out what your options are as a player and put them into practice. Do not be the last to know! For more pieces of information, check out bookmakers.bet, as well.
Card counting in blackjack
To know how the card counting system works in blackjack, the first thing you should do is be sure that you know well what this game consists of. If you think that you are not very clear, take a look at the article “Casino for newbies: games and tips” before reading on.
Card counting consists precisely of that, counting which cards come out of the deck to find out if you have more or fewer chances of winning. In other words, if you know what cards are left in the pack, you will know if there is more or less probability that the dealer will go over 21.
As for everything, there are many theories, but we are going to talk about the most common ones. Let’s go by steps:
High-Low
This card counting system is the best known and practiced, and probably the one that sounds the most to you.
High-Low is an easy system to understand and to carry out, so don’t worry if you weren’t the best in your math class.
We divide the cards into three groups: from 2 to 6, from 7 to 9 and from 10 to ace, and we give them values of +1, 0, and -1, respectively. With these values, if we added all the cards in the deck, the result would be 0.
You need to know if the cards that have not yet come out and remain in the deck are high or low. That is the main objective of this method.
Let’s imagine that the cards remaining in the deck are of great value. This situation will be favorable for the player since he will know that the dealer is more likely to go over 21. In the same way, the advantage will be for the dealer if the cards that have not yet come out have a low value.
Note that if you do this calculation with two or three rounds, it will not be very accurate. The fewer cards remaining in the deck, the closer you will be to the true result.
Ace-Five
That is the most accessible card counting system, and therefore least effective. Only the aces and fives are taken into account, that is, the cards that have the most and least value in the deck.
The fives add 1, and the aces subtract 1. The rest of the cards in the deck are omitted without giving it any importance.
The conclusion to be drawn from this method is that higher results will be better for the player. However, and as we had already anticipated, the advantage that the player can obtain using this system is very slight.
Uston SS
This method is similar to the previous ones, but the difficulty in carrying it out is more considerable. Instead of dividing the cards into three groups, we do it into six, as shown in the following card counting table.
The system is not overly complicated, but you have to remember the values and be able to memorize them.
Although these are the most common, there are other blackjack card counting systems that we are only going to mention. Below you can see the list from simple to more advanced methods.
- Speed Count
- Unbalanced Counting Systems
- The Knock-Out Count (and derived systems)
- Revere Counts
- The Zen Count
- Wong Halves
The count in online blackjack
When we play online, we will not be able to use the same systems that we have mentioned, since, at the beginning of each game, a new deck is used.
In brief, card counting generally doesn’t make much sense in online blackjack.
Card counting software
The Internet advances with everything else, which is why there are card counting softwares like “Flash.” Using this program is very easy. You only have to provide it with info on the cards that come out of the deck, and it will do the calculations for you.
Besides, there are card counting simulators, and their purpose is to help you practice both blackjack and texas hold ’em.
However, and as we had anticipated, we cannot trust these programs excessively. Whether we use a simulator or card counting software, we probably cannot apply it to the online casino we are playing at.
Is it legal to count cards?
In the same way that you organize specific calculations in your poker games, you cannot prohibit someone from doing theirs at 21.
Card counting in blackjack is legal, but that does not mean that it is well received, much less than this type of practice is well seen in casinos.
If you are going to use any method: hide. Casinos are private places, and although they cannot prohibit you from doing calculations, they can prevent you from entering, and if not, ask Ben Affleck.
In casinos, surveillance is paramount, so at the slightest suspicion that you carry out this practice, you are out. Our advice is that if you use any, keep it simple and do it carefully.
Final Word
Card counting will not make you rich, but if you know how to do it well, it can make things easier for you on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, in most cases, life is not like in the movies, so if you don’t control, don’t get involved.
Although we know that you always want to go further, our advice is to focus your efforts. For starters, use the High-Low method, and don’t change until you have it entirely under control.
Also, many casinos, just like online casinos, have continuous shuffling machines, which makes counting cards meaningless.
We hope you will find this guide very useful.
Enjoy it!
