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Blackjack Card Counting |
You don't have to be Superman to count cards in blackjack and you don't need a brain like a computer. Card counting is a good way for a serious blackjack player to win some serious money.
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Throughout the years, gamblers have always tried to find a way to "beat the house" or "beat the system," or, in other words, to win. Blackjack has long been a target for various schemes and systems whereby a player can consistently come out ahead. One of the most popular strategies for winning at blackjack is card counting — keeping track of the cards that have been dealt and thus determining the probability of the cards that have yet to come.
At some point in the late 1950s and early '60s it became apparent that because of the mathematical nature of the game, it could be possible to use computers to develop blackjack strategies that actually work. In 1962, Edward Thorpe's groundbreaking book, "Beat the Dealer," was published. This was a major landmark in blackjack history and it changed the face of the game of blackjack forever. Using computers, Thorpe came to the conclusion that depending on what cards have been dealt, it can be determined what cards are left to play. If a player could keep track of the dealt cards, he had a significant advantage in predicting the outcome of upcoming hands and he could bet accordingly. Thus, card counting could be a viable winning blackjack strategy.
Card counting's colorful history began around the time of Thorpe's book. Legendary teams of card-counting blackjack players were created and the game of blackjack has never been the same. An expert card counter can shift the odds in his favor; teams of cards counters can take casinos for millions. After a while, casinos started calculating the damage that card counters were doing and eventually began banning certain players from playing at their blackjack tables. Although card counting is not actually illegal (as long as the only tool you use is your brain), casinos exercised their right to ban players from what is essentially private property (the casino itself). Sore losers? Maybe. But casinos don't like to lose and they have the clout to protect themselves.
So what is blackjack card counting all about and — more importantly — how can it help you win at blackjack? Some people think that you can only count cards if you have a photographic memory, but that's not true. Card counting does require great attention skills and the ability to focus and concentrate but you don't need super-human powers in order to count cards. The idea behind blackjack card counting is that when more high cards (10s and pictures) remain in the deck, the odds favors the player, and keeping track of the remaining cards gives the player a distinct advantage.
Contrary to popular belief, blackjack card counters do not keep track of all the specific cards that have been dealt - that really would require a brain like a computer. Instead, card counters give points to the cards and keep a running "count." For instance, 10-valued cards are given a value of minus one; 2s through 6s are given a value of plus one; and 7s, 8s, and 9s have no value (they're not included in the count). Using these values, a blackjack card counter keeps a running tab of the cards on the table; when the count reaches a high number - meaning that a relatively high number of low cards have been dealt, thus leaving a nice number of high cards in the deck - the player ups his bet because the odds are now in his favor. This method is called the High-Low system and it is the most commonly used blackjack card-counting system and the easiest to learn. Truly brilliant and legendary blackjack players may use a more complex card-counting system, but for the average player these systems are too complicated, rendering quick and efficient play almost impossible.
As mentioned, blackjack card counting is popular because, when used successfully, it can actually put the odds in the player's favor; a card-counting blackjack player can have about a 1 percent edge over the house and that's not something to sneeze at. But even the simplest form of blackjack card counting requires hours and hours of practice; the trick is to keep a count and play in a flowing, natural way. Most recreational blackjack players prefer to use the blackjack basic strategy to play and win — it's easier and requires way less discipline and focus. But if you really take your blackjack game seriously, card counting should be a serious consideration. It's a lot of work along the way, but it can pay off in the end.
Card counting is not really a viable strategy when you play blackjack in an online casino. That is because the online blackjack software shuffles the cards before each hand. But if you play blackjack in a land-based casino — where it would be too time-consuming and inefficient to shuffle the cards so often — and if you have sufficient discipline and focus, card counting can be a winning blackjack strategy for you.
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