Contrary to popular belief, counting cards in a game of blackjack is not illegal nor is it cheating, as long as the counting is done mentally.
Before you try your hand at counting cards you should know the ins and outs of blackjack: the rules, the tricks and the etiquette. Until the basics of the game are second nature, attempting to count cards will hinder your skills rather than boosting them.
Consider this a crash course in counting cards — if you want to learn the basics of blackjack, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Most of all, remember to practise and perfect your skills before you breakout your card-counting routine on the casino floor.
The system of counting cards operates on the premise that when the “shoe” contains more high value cards (10s and aces), players have an advantage over the house. On the other hand, when the shoe contains more low value cards, the advantage goes to the house. When advantages or disadvantages are known, a player can systematically place better, more appropriate bets.
Counting cards is a mathematical system a player runs through in their head to calculate whether they are at an advantage or disadvantage, by maintaining a “running count” of the cards that have been dealt. The system works by assigning each card a numerical value:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 = +1
7, 8, 9 = 0
10, J, Q, K, A = -1
At the shuffle the count is 0, and then for each card dealt the corresponding numerical values are successively summed together.
For example:
At shuffle, running count = 0
Ace is dealt, running count = -1
7 is dealt, running count = -1
3 is dealt, running count = 0
2 is dealt, running count = +1
6 is dealt, running count = +2
3 is dealt, running count = +3
In the example above, the running count would be +3, but this is not the “true count.” The true count is derived from the running count, and it determines if there is an advantage or not.
Since casinos usually use multiple decks in the shoe, the true count is determined by dividing the running count by how many decks are left in the shoe.
Casinos customarily use six decks in a shoe, so if the discard stack looks like it contains three decks worth of cards, the shoe must also contain three decks worth of cards. Therefore, if the running count is +3, and 3 decks remain in the shoe, the true count would be +1 (+3 divided by 3 decks).
Similarly, if the running count was +4, and it looked like the discard stack contained four decks, the shoe must contain two decks. Therefore, the true count in this case would be +2 (+4 divided by two decks).
When the running count is +2 or higher, it is an appropriate time to place large bets (the higher the number, the higher the bet). When the count is less then +2, it is a sign to place the lowest bet possible.
This method of counting cards is known as the Hi-Lo method. It is a classic method that calculates advantages fairly accurately, but the Hi-Lo method isn’t the only way to count cards; it is probably the easiest though.
There are many more methods of varying degrees of difficulty that can predict advantages with more precision. There are different methods for different situations and styles of play. There are also betting systems that are coupled with counting cards, where bets are increased in certain units depending on the true count and total number of decks being used.
Counting cards is not easy; it takes tremendous studying and practising, and considerable confidence to pull off. Even though it is perfectly legal, in a casino you’d have better odds at getting away with murder — so don’t get caught counting.
