Card counting is a long-term strategy, and keeping your 1 percent edge requires playing by the book game after game, while keeping count of what cards are rapidly being dealt and flipped on the. TC is the True Count counter and Decks displays how many decks (52 cards) are left into the shoe. IRC is the initial Running Count. For most counting systems, it’s 0. A, 7 display how many Aces and Sevens have been dealt so far. 2-9 displays how many cards ranging from 2 to 9 have been displayed (7 included!).

Card counting is a strategy used in card games for determining the advantage of the player in probable terms. Card counting is used mostly in blackjack by the tracking the ratio of high and low cards in the deck and in various other derivatives of the game like Spanish 21.

Card counting strategies had been widely used by the MIT team and over the years several different card counting techniques have been developed, some of which have been mentioned below.

Basic Techniques

1. A running count technique is the total of every card's given value. When a balanced count is used like a high low system, the running count is converted in a real count which would also take in consideration the number of decks which are being used. With a high low technique the real count means dividing the running count by the number of decks which haven't been used yet.

1. Another technique which is often used by players is the unbalanced system of card counting. In this type of technique conversion of the value to a real count is not required due to the nature of the system. The indices or the starting number is based on the number of decks which are being used. There are several different systems of unbalanced counting systems like the Red 7 and the K O system.

1. The back counting method is also known as Wong-ing. This technique requires an individual standing behind the table where the other players are playing and counting the cards when they are dealt. The method was first developed by Stanford Wong, hence the name.

The player would enter the game when the count indicates high advantage situation for him/her. The player can then take the advantage of the situation and place high bets to get maximum benefits if the count rises and not betting when their advantage decreases.

Many players prefer to place the same amount of bet on all types of hands rather than increasing or decreasing their bets. This type of method is generally applied in pitch games where one or two decks are used or even on the shoe games where more decks are being used. In shoe games the counts are usually quite stable so the player would be able to play consistently for many hands with a higher advantage.

Card Counting Betting Strategy

MIT Books

Bringing Down the House

by Ben Mezrich

Price on Amazon: $11.21

Busting Vegas

by Ben Mezrich

Price on Amazon: $11.21

Card Counting Strategies

Million Dollar Blackjack

by Ken Uston

Price on Amazon: $11.21

Basic blackjack strategy

The single most important thing that you need to understand about the game of blackjack is that it is a game of player decisions.

Unlike any other game in the casino, when playing blackjack your decisions can have an outcome on how the hand plays out and thus can contribute to the wins or losses of the players at the table. Because of this fact, there is a mathematically proven strategy that gives you the best advantage when playing, and this should be used every time you play if you want the best odds in the long run.

This strategy is known as basic strategy and is illustrated in the blackjack strategy chart shown below:

As you can see from the diagrams in the chart, basic strategy outlines exactly how you should optimally play when considering what you have been dealt in relation to the dealer’s hand. Many new blackjack players make the mistake of going with gut feeling and being afraid to bust when they play, but using basic strategy every time is the best way to give yourself favorable odds during play.

If you are familiar with casino games, you will know that the house has the advantage in every game in the casino, which is how they turn a profit. Blackjack is no exception, however is one of the lowest house edge games in the casino, which is why it’s such a great game for players to learn and play.

Card Counting Strategies For Blackjack

The house edge in a typical blackjack game is around 0.50 percent when a player uses perfect basic strategy during play. This means that for every $100 you bet, the casino expects to win $0.50 from you over an infinite number of hands. The reason why basic strategy is so important is because if you take this same example of a $100 average bet and apply it to an unskilled player, the house advantage can go as high as 2.5 percent or more, meaning that the house would expect to win $2.50 or more over time.

Card Counting Strategy Chart

Because of this, it’s easy to see why playing with basic strategy is the best choice for players each and every time.