Blackjack Card Counting

If you are looking for a site that will teach you how to deal with Blackjack card counting then you have it right in your screen. When you finish reading this article you will be able to know when is the best time to bet BIG in online blackjack. In any casino game it would be great to know how you can predict the outcome. In Blackjack, card counting is a major key in accomplishing this task and busting out the dealer at the end of the game.


I have chosen to focus on the Hi/Lo counting technique as it is best balance between power and simplicity and it has the greatest durability for extension to more powerful strategies. It is considered to be a balanced system because if you counted down every single card in a 52 card deck, having 20 low cards with +1 each, 12 neutral cards with 0 count and 20 high cards given the value of -1 each you would end up with a sum of 0.


Here are the basic steps that you should follow to deal with the card counting:


First, we assign positive, negative, or zero values to each card value available. Cards 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 are positive numbers and are good for the dealer if it does remain in the deck. High cards such as 10, J, Q, K, and Ace are of negative value in which the players wanted in his hands. Remaining cards 7, 8, & 9 has 0 values.


Second, always start counting at zero. When a card of that value is dealt, the count is adjusted by that card's counting value. From the initial 0 count, you will be adding 1, subtracting 1, or adding 0, for every single card that is dealt. The resulting number is called the Running Count (RC) and it indicates how many extra high or low cards have been dealt.


Third, it is important for you to keep track of each card in the table. If you miss one card you are in trouble. For example if the dealt card combination is as follows:


Player 1: A, J = -2


Player 2: 7, 8 = 0


Player 3: 2, 7 = +1


Player 4: 3, 6 = +2


Player 5: 4, 8 = +1


Dealer: 10 = -1


The RC starts at 0; player 1 has 2 high cards so the RC is now -2; player 2 has 2 neutral cards so the count does not change; player 3 has 1 low card and one neutral card, the RC is now - 1; player 4 has 2 low cards so the RC becomes +1; player 5 has 1 low card so the RC increases by 1 and now is +2; finally, the dealer is showing a high card so the RC is down by one, resulting in an overall RC of +1.If you obtain a positive value this a good sign and you can raise your bet. The dealer has a greater possibility to be busted as he "hits" because it shows that most of the remaining cards in the deck are high cards.
Last but not the least; bear the sum in your mind as you continue to the second deal and so on. Start again only in zero count when the dealer changes the deck you were using in the blackjack table. A deck of cards with a high proportion of high cards (ten-valued cards and aces) to low cards is good for the player, while the reverse (a deck with a high proportion of low cards to high cards) is good for the dealer. This will help you foresee the outcome of the game.


Now that you already learn how important card counting is in winning blackjack, it is then necessary for you master it; try having a deck of cards and as you reveal each card give their values and add it. Remember that practice makes perfect and in blackjack, it will help you beat the game altogether.


There are more strategies you can learn to master the art of blackjack card counting. As you move from the basics you need to be ready to a more complex one. For advanced players, to deal with situations where the best count for betting accuracy differs from the best count for playing accuracy you can also try the following: KO strategy, Hi-Opt I strategy, Hi-Opt II strategy, Zen Count Strategy and Omega II strategy.