Quick overview: How to count cards
- With how many Packs of cards is played? 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8?
- Count all cards from the shuffle = running count
- low cards (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) count +1
- high cards (10, J, Q, K and Ace) count -1
- 7, 8 and 9 are neutral and can be ignored
- Always know how many decks have not yet been played.
- Running count by remaining card deck number Share = true count
- The higher the true count, the higher the stake
What's the point of counting cards?
When you're in a casino and you want something win you should definitely be able to count cards, otherwise you'll have to rely on luck. And luck is always on the casino's side sooner or later.
However, successful card counting is only possible if the casino none Mixing machines used and the casino Player-friendly rules offers. This means: only play at blackjack tables where the payout for a Blackjack 6:5 is.
Ideally As few packs of cards as possible is used. The fewer packs of cards are used, the lower the House edge of the casino and the greater the player's chances of winning.
- Online casinos: 8 decks of cards
- many Vegas casinos & Czech Republic: 6 decks of cards
- Some casinos in Las Vegas Downtown or in the High-Roller area: 2 decks of cards
- El Cortez in Las Vegas Downtown: Single Deck
However, if you are good at counting cards and win a lot, the casino will either forbid you to place high bets or ask you to leave the casino.
However, you will have to practise a lot and play with high stakes from 100 dollars per hand.
What is card counting?
Counting cards is a special Strategywhich can be used in blackjack to recognise when a player has an advantage. Card counting is based on mathematical probability (stochastics). Each card played changes the expected value for the next cards. Based on the cards played, you can draw conclusions about the cards still to come in a continuous draw.
We will illustrate this with an example using the most important card: the Ace.
In a simple blackjack deck of 52 cards, each Card value of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace. There are four colours: hearts, clubs, spades and clubs. Each card value therefore exists four times.
The probability for each individual card is therefore 1/52, which corresponds to approx. 2%.
However, since the colour of the card is irrelevant, the probability for a particular card is 4/52 (around 8%).
For example, if two Aces is played right at the beginning, the probability of an ace is only 2/50, i.e. 4% instead of 8%.
Since you need aces for a blackjack, the probability of a blackjack also decreases. This generally reduces the player's chances of winning.
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Conversely, the fewer aces are played, the better the player's chances of winning.
Besides the aces, you also keep track of the number of ten-value cards and low cards.
Mathematicians have developed various systems for blackjack based on this principle, as some cards have a greater influence on winning or losing than others. A single card played is not yet very meaningful. The more cards that are dealt, the more accurately the chances of winning can be calculated.
The best-known counting system is called "Hi-Lo". The system offers the perfect mix of simplicity and accuracy. This gives beginners the best chance of winning. One size simpler, but also not quite as accurate (and therefore more profitable) is the "Red 7 Count" by Blackjack author Arnold Snyder. There are also more complicated counts like the one from "Ken Uston"
How does card counting work in blackjack?
Most card counting systems have in common that all card values are divided into two groups. In the following, card counting with the Hi-Lo Count explained.
running count
The "running count" is the "running counter".
You start counting after the dealer has shuffled.
Each card is assigned a corresponding value depending on the counting system used.
At Hi-Lo Count one distinguishes, as the name says, between high (High) and low (Low) cards.
Low cards (2 - 6) are good cards and get +1
With low cards, you are happy when they are played. You don't want to get these cards if you are placing a high bet. Good cards include the following values 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. In other words, the five low card values. Whenever one of these cards is played, you count +1.
High cards (10, J, Q, K, A) are bad card and get -1
The counterpart are the high cards. If these are played, this is bad, as they give you high point values like a blackjack (ace & ten-value card). If a high card with the value 10, J, Q, K or Ace is played, you count each time -1.
Tip: Always count cards in pairs
To avoid having to count each card individually, wait until each player has received two cards. Starting hands with one high and one low card add up to 0, so you can ignore this hand. This saves a lot of time and concentration, as you don't have to count +1 and then -1 again, but simply don't have to do anything.
True count depends on the number of card decks
Unfortunately, the running count is not very useful. With the Hi-Lo count, you always convert the running count into the "true count". To do this, divide the running count by the number of remaining card decks.
How do you know how many packs of cards are left?
To do this, you first need to know how many packs of cards you are playing with. As a rule, you play with 6 packs of cards from a card slide (shoe). That is 312 cards. The cards played are placed in a transparent collection box to the right of the dealer. This shows how many cards have already been played. A pack of cards is about as thick as a thumb. If two packs of cards have been played, there are still four packs of cards left. The running count is therefore divided by 4.
If three packs of cards have been dealt, there are only three more decks left and you divide by three.
With a running count of +8 and only two remaining decks, you get a true count of +4, which would be a very good situation, for example.
ADAPTING THE SET: Bankroll & Money Management
The following is required for the calculation of the application:
- An Total Bankroll (BR) as basis (e.g. 1000 Euro / better 10.000 Euro)
- Kelly Criterion: variable use depending on Bankroll.
- true count
The higher the true count, the higher the stake.
The true count provides information on how high the stake should be.
In the case of a negative True Count you only ever set the Minimum stake or does not play at all.
If more low cards (+1) are played, the True Count rises into the posivite range.
In order to maximize profit, one should use the Kelly Criterion use. With "Kelly" you bet as much as you have a percentage advantage.
To calculate the advantage, subtract -1.5 from the True Count. The result is the advantage.
If the true count is 5, the advantage in this case is +3.5, so you should have 3.5% of your Bankroll bet. With a bankroll of 1000, the stake would be 35 dollars.
Simplified deployment strategy
An Rule of thumb formula for the application could be:
TRUE COUNT - 1 * UNIT
This means that the stake is always one unit less than the true count. If the true count is +5, the bet is 4 units. A unit can either be the table minimum (5 dollars) or another amount corresponding to the bankroll (10 dollars / 15 dollars / 20 dollars / 25 dollars etc.)
Who with 1000 Euro Bankroll and 10 Dollar units could bring the following stakes:
- TC +1 or less: Minimum bet
- TC +2: $10
- TC +3: $20
- TC +4: $30
- TC +5: $40
- TC +6: $50
- TC +7: $60
- TC +8: $70
- TC +9: $80
The most important questions about card counting
Counting cards in the film
At Film "21" and other films often give the impression that you can count cards in the Always win blackjack can. But that's not true. You win almost as rarely as you would without counting cards.
The difference is that in the cases where you win, you will have bet more. Do you understand? By counting cards, you can recognise such good situations in advance. So you can then increase your bet.
This increases the risk of losing more. But you have to think of all the stakes in your life as one sum. You will always lose from time to time. But if you always make the same (right!) decisions in crucial situations, sooner or later you will win more than you lose by counting cards.
The prerequisite is that you have Blackjack rules in perfection and in every situation exactly the right action out of the optimal Blackjack strategy at hand. There are various systems for counting cards. We will concentrate here on the Hi-Lo count.
Can you always win by counting cards?
It is not possible to predict which card will come next.
Nor does it automatically make you a winner, as many movies or series suggest.
Card counters lose almost as many rounds as other players who cannot count cards.
The difference is that card counters bet more in favourable situations and therefore win more, whereas a normal blackjack player does not know when he has an advantage and when it is better not to play.
By counting cards, you can recognise advantageous situations in the low percentage or per mille range.
So you need high stakes to make a profit.
An advantage of 1% per spin means that you can expect a profit of around 10 cents on a stake of €10 per spin in the long term.
With approx. 100 rounds per hour, this would be an average profit of €10 with a total turnover of €1000.
Blackjack pros play with high stakes of €100 or more per round and thus increase their winnings.
As the chances of winning at blackjack depend on luck in the short term, there can be large fluctuations in the amount of winnings and losses.
You can compare this with the example of tossing a coin. You have a 501TP3 chance of coming up heads or tails with every toss.
If you toss a coin into the air ten times, it can also come up heads ten times in a row. In this short-term period, it would be 100% heads and 0% tails.
This is unusual, but not unlikely.
The more often you toss the coin, the closer the distribution approaches the expected value of 50%.
This is important to understand if you allow yourself to be dazzled by a short-term lucky streak when playing blackjack or any other game of chance.
The longer you play, the more certain the loss becomes.
After all, the bank always wins in the long run because every game has unfair rules that put the player at a disadvantage. Unless you can count cards.
Is counting cards illegal?
Counting cards is NOT ILLEGAL!
Ideally, counting cards should only take place in your head and is nothing more than mental arithmetic. Therefore, it is always possible and you may always count cards, of course. It is also definitely not forbidden and not a criminal offence!
However, the question will probably be whether you are allowed to use the knowledge you have gained from counting cards and whether it is even worth it!
When counting cards, you simply use all visible information to gain an advantage. It is therefore nothing more than mental arithmetic and abstract "thinking". In a democratic country, it should therefore be allowed to think and count cards accordingly.
However, as card counting is an advanced form of gambling, it is not welcomed in casinos. At least not if the players win a lot of money with it. The casino can therefore prohibit a player from counting cards.
Counting cards alone is not enough. You also have to implement the information gained by changing the way you play. This works by increasing the Use in good situations.
The easiest way for casinos to protect themselves against card counters is therefore to ban betting increases. If the dealer or his pit boss gets wind that a player is gaining an advantage by counting cards and adjusting his bets accordingly, they can either ban the player from playing or prohibit him from varying his bets.
The player must then "flat bet". This means that every stake must be the same. This means you can no longer take advantage of higher stakes.
Can you count cards in online blackjack?
Online casinos with their Live Blackjack Tables with real dealers offer a perfect opportunity to practise counting cards. However, you should not hope for a big win here. The online casinos all use eight packs of cards, of which only 50% are dealt. This means that you have inaccurate information and rarely a real advantage with which you could justify a larger bet.
However, an online casino is the perfect place to practise. With relatively low stakes and a realistic environment, you can count cards as often and for as long as you like.
If you:
- make all decisions of the Basic Strategy perfectly
- never lose the running count
- always convert to the correct True Count
- apply the correct deviations from the basic strategy depending on the index number
- Adapt the correct use to the situation
- are bored with the pace of the online casino
THEN you are ready for a real casino!
Practise counting cards
Before risking money on blackjack in a real casino, you should practise counting cards. To do this, take a pack of cards and draw one card at a time. Count -1 for each high card and +1 for each low card.
Also keep an eye on the time. Good counters count through a deck of 52 cards in 10-20 seconds. Once you have reached this speed, deal two cards at a time. You will find that this is even quicker, as pairs of a high and a low number cancel each other out and you can immediately can move on to the next two cards.
CARD COUNTING APP
There are some Apps for your smartphone that you can use to practise counting cards. To do this, search for "Card Counting" or "Blackjack" in the iTunes store or the Google Play shop.
