Using card counting to beat the casinos is a way to gain an edge over the casino. It has been made famous by the renowned MIT blackjack team who's story was roughly told in the film 21. Card counting has also appeared in other films such as Rain Man. The idea of counting cards was first documented in 1962 by Professor Edward O. Thorp who saw that there was a way to gain an edge.
What is Card Counting?
The basis of card counting is the act of tracking which cards have already been dealt from the shoe in order to determine whether the remaining deck is favorable to the dealer or the player.
Does Card Counting Work?
There is no doubt that as a player you can gain an edge on the blackjack table by keeping track of the cards. The problem is that casinos are well aware of the risk counters pose to them so you will find that you are never going to get an opportunity to make a lot of money before the casinos ban you forever. You can however if you only play occasionally and play lower stakes probably win without attracting too much attention.
Does Card Counting Work Online?
It would be too easy for players to count cards online as no one is watching what you are doing. For this reason all online casinos have eliminated their risk be shuffling the cards regularly. In fact most online casinos shuffle the decks after every hand so there is no way you can get an advantage.
Is Card Counting Legal?
While we cannot give you legal advice it stands to reason that using your brain cannot be illegal. Of course on the other hand casinos can ban whoever they like so if you are caught don't expect to be welcomed back. If however you walk into a casino with any device used to count cards you will be breaking the law.
The High - Low Counting Strategy
There are many different strategies when it comes to counting cards at the blackjack table. The easiest to learn is the High - Low strategy. This strategy gives a plus, minus or no value to the different cards. When a new shoe is started the count starts at 0 and you start from there.
The count value of the cards are as follows,
- 10, Jack, Queen, King or Ace (Count -1)
- 7, 8 and 9 (Count 0)
- 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Count +1)
To keep the count you need to take note of every card dealt not only to you but to other players and the dealer. When the count is positive you have a better chance of winning so increase your bets and when the count is negative you lower your bets as the house has a bigger chance of winning.
Other Counting Strategies
There are quite a few other strategies used for counting cards. They range from very simple to very complicated. One strategy that very few players will have the ability to use is memory. If you can remember every card that has been dealt you can also know which cards remain in the deck. Some names of the other popular strategies are listed below.
- Wizard A-5
- High Opt 1
- High Opt 2
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