What is Blackjack Card Counting?

Card Counting is a blackjack strategy wrapped in mystique but also in sound mathematical theory and practice. Many players can even the odds the house enjoys over the player in Blackjack by card counting, also known as "casing the deck", so that they know when to bet big. Thus, winnings are made over the short periods of play where cards favorable to the player are being dealt.

Definition of Blackjack Card Counting: A player who is counting cards keeps a running tally of the cards that have been dealt using addition and subtraction based on the following values: Aces and 10 value cards count -1, cards 7,8,9 count 0, and cards 2-6 count +1. Based on the tally number, the player can make certain assumptions about the remaing cards in the shoe. If the count is positive, more high cards remain, and this is advantageous to the player. If the count is negative, more small cards remain in the deck, and this is advantageous to the house. After cards have been dealt for a given hand of blackjack, the player almost always reverts to basic strategy for hitting, standing, splitting, surrendering, or doubling down.

Thoughts on Card Counting:

1. One of most well known card counters was Ken Uston, a brilliant mathematician, master of disguise, and overall general finance guru. Uston perfected a "blackjack team" play concept, where a couple players would scout out tables and count cards. When the table became favorable to the players, they would signal Uston to come over, who would casually place a series of big bets, in hopes of catching good cards. Uston practiced this method for over a decade, and he and his confederates made millions in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Europe. See this article on Ken Uston for further info: "He Made Millions" - Click Here

2. Although being math literate is helpful for general gambling skill development, one does not have to be a math genius to count cards. The most important skill in card counting is maintaining focus and concentration so that each and every card is counted. The mathematical part of card counting is trivial: most everyone can add and subtract, and this is nothing new. Card counters who win over the long haul can count cards in busy casinos, among a table of pros or amateurs, or even in disguise to avoid detection. Concentration and a calm and collected attitude is absolutely paramount.

3. A rule of thumb when counting cards is to revert to basic strategy after the cards have been dealt. Look at this Basic Strategy chart here: "Online Blackjack Basic Strategy Card" - Click Here. Essentially, once cards have been dealt to each player and the house, there is nothing more to count ( save hits and splits ), therefore using basic strategy is the best way to go. Some advanced card counters, who are extremely savvy and skilled, will deviated from basic strategy once in a while if they feel the count might be beneficial to them.

An example: The dealer's upcard is a 6, the worst card the house can have in its hand. The house is likely to bust with 6, because it must draw to make at least 17. Now suppose you've been dealt a hard 12. If the count is negative, this means more small cards remain in the deck than large cards. Therefore, this situation, which would normally dictate that the player stand with 12, could be played as a gutsy double down, where the card counter is looking for a 9 or less from the shoe ( because the count is negative and more small cards are due to be dealt). Note, the player could still very well get a 10 value card and bust, but a very negative count makes this outcome unlikely. Doing these "out of the ordinary" plays may attract heat from the casino pitbosses and rude remarks from other unknowledgeable players, so be thick skinned.

4. Card counters don't always win. In professional card counting forums, it is well known that even the best players will catch losing streaks, known in the blackjack community as "variance", where despite their best efforts, they still wind up losing part of their bank roll. Card counting is not an absolute strategy: it is a means of improving your odds. It doesn't make you invincible.

5. Card counting is legal under gaming law in most jurisdictions. Our friend Ken Uston, who was once kicked out of an Atlantic city casino for counting cards, took the casino to court, claiming that he was not cheating, but instead employing highly skilled play. The court ended up agreeing with him. The result: you can't be kicked out of a casino for card counting, but if the house thinks you're counting the deck, they may employ extra shuffling, additional decks, automatic shuffle machines, and shallow cuts prior to the beginning of a new shoe.

6. As mentioned in item 5, casinos are very savvy about deterring card counteres from playing in their establishments. As a result of big winners like Ken Uston, casinos slowly began to adopt strategies that make the task of card counting even more difficult. The first major change was adding additional decks to the shoe. Some casinos may use up to 6 - 8 decks nowadays. The next strategy is very methodical and thorough shuffling, meant to discourage "shuffle trackers" who watch where good cards get reshuffled into the shoe. Another strategy was the use of the dealer deck cut prior to the beginning of a new shoe. Dealers are told to cut a "shallow deck", meaning effectively putting as many as 1.5 to 2 decks out of play, so that the card counter must do extra calculations to estimate what cards remain in play. Finally, most casinos have now introduced constant shuffle machines, which all but obliterate the card counter's advantage. Thus, if one really wants to card count and win, you'll have to head over to the higher limit tables, where bet minimums start at $25, but the game is played with a shoe of cards instead of a machine of cards.