Does card counting work? Yes. In the 9 years that I worked as a blackjack dealer, I saw a lot of hopeful schemes and ideas, and while many failed, some of them really did work. Card counting, while uncommon, has a proven track-record of making money for those who are willing to do it right.
Card counting is a little too involved to teach in a short article, but that’s not what this article is about. Before you learn the specific skills, you need to know what it will involve to really do it right, before you decide if it is worth the venture. That is what this article is about.
Card Counting 101. In the game of blackjack, card counting is a technique for ″beating the house.″ Using this technique you make more money than you lose in the long run, but not necessarily on any given day. You beat the house by playing in such a way that the odds are in your favor. How do you determine when the odds in your favor? You watch and track the deck. When the deck is has a high number ″rich″ of high-value cards (10,J,Q,K,A), the odds are slightly in favor of the player. while statistically true, how much in favor of the players the odds shift is dependant on the “house rules” (number of decks, shuffle position to name just a few) of that particular online casino.
The basic idea is to monitor the cards as they come out, and when the deck has more high-value cards than low-value cards in it, you would bet more. When he deck contains more Low-Value cards than High value cards you would wager less. In other words, you should make money in the long run. The above is a simple explanation, and you will need to study a good counting book to make this work. First you need to know ″basic strategy,″ meaning you need to know when to take a ″hit″ and when to stand. Your play has to be precise to really have the edge. You also need to practice at home for hours.
It can be tough at first to track of all those cards flying out of that shoe, while the other players talk and waitresses interrupt you. The ″counting″ is essentially assigning a value to the cards and tracking that value. This is done most easily at tables where the cards are dealt face up (except the dealer’s ″hole card″). Aces and face cards are assigned a value of -1, two through six are valued at +1, and seven, eight and nine are considered neutral. Watching the cards, you add and subtract their values, wagering the table minimum all the while. When you arrive at a predetermined value, let’s say +7, you increase your wager. The higher count means that there is a higher percentage of high-value cards in the deck than normal. Which means that the odds are in your favor.
One counter used to sit and wager the table minimum and count by shifting chips between two stacks. When the stacks indicated that the count was in his favor he would place a large wager. Now this isn’t recommended as you are clearly indicating to the security personnel, who are always watching for card counters, that you are counting. Not only are you are even telling them, but you are letting them know what the count is. Even when you count well you are only getting a 1.5% edge over the house. Card counting is not a get rich scheme, you can expect to make about $9 an hour if your hands average $8. Certainly not enough to pay for your trip but knowing you beat the casino is, well like that commercial says… priceless. Find out more at 21 card game, 44 Bar or All Stars Strip Poker.