Blackjack Card Counting

Blackjack card counting is is an art that can be learned by all with a little effort.

If you were identified as a blackjack card counter at a casino in the bad old days, you were instantly shown the door and banned from that casino. Such was casino management's paranoia regarding card counting. In reality, the ability to accurately count cards can only give you a slight advantage because statistically you will always loose more hands than you win!

When you learn to count cards correctly, you know when the odds favor increasing your bet and when they warn you to reduce your bet or sit out a few hands. It is no magic formula to increase the number of hands you win. That is impossible.

The crux of the system is that the dealer has to hit if his hand is sixteen or less. You need to know the ratio of high cards (tens and aces ) to low cards (2's to 6's) that are left in the deck. The higher the ratio of high cards, the greater the likelihood that the dealer will bust. When the odds are against the dealer you increase your bet. When the odds are against you, you decrease your bet or sit out a few hands.

We've covered the easy part. The rest is a fair dinkum memory test. I was taught to count cards with a face value of 2 to 6 as one point for each card and tens (which includes the jack, queen and king) and aces as minus 1 and the remaining cards sevens to nines were ignored. Zero is your starting point for a new shoe. Like everything else, you will be slow when you first begin counting those blackjack cards. You will amaze yourself as to how quickly you will get up to speed.

At the end of each round you adjust your bet, on the basis of whether the number is positive or negative. This number is the starting point for the next round. If the number is positive, it means that the odds are against the dealer. The word of caution is that if it is only the first round or two with a six pack shoe, the odds against the dealer won't be that great unless the round hit a big clump of tens. The other word of caution is that card counting is only effective in the physical casino.

It is more important to learn basic playing strategies before trying to master the art of card counting. Without a sound playing strategy, card counting definitely will not help you. When you progress to counting cards, always sit at first base (the first seat on the left of the dealer) as you will have a few seconds longer to do your count.

In the online casino, every hand is played from a full deck (single pack game) or a full shoe. That is why in the online casino, card counting will not help you!

When you first begin to play online for real, sign up with Lasseters. With blackjack bets as low as 2 cents, you can't win much money and you can't loose much money unless you start betting big before you are ready to take off those training wheels.

Even at 2 cents a bet, if you start having a real loosing streak, Quit. Try again in a few days after doing a critical appraisal of your previous performance. The purpose of the game (for you) is to win. The challenge is to ensure that you are the winner and not the casino.

Good Luck at the blackjack tables!

May lady luck always ride upon your shoulder whenever you choose to play at an online gambling casino!

© All rights reserved.