The most common variations of card counting are based on statistical evidence that high cards (especially aces and 10s) benefit the player more than the dealer, while the low cards, (especially 4s, 5s, and 6s) help the dealer while hurting the player. A high concentration of aces and 10s in the deck increase the player’s chances of hitting a natural Blackjack, which pays out 3:2 (unless the dealer also has blackjack). Also, when the shoe has a high concentration of 10s, players have a better chance of winning when doubling.^[1] Low cards benefit the dealer, since according to blackjack rules the dealer must hit stiff hands (12-16 total) while the player has the option to hit or stand. Thus a dealer holding (12-16) will bust every time if the next card drawn is a 10, making this card essential to track when card counting.^[2]

Contrary to the popular myth, card counters do not need unusual mental abilities in order to count cards, because they are not tracking and memorizing specific cards. Instead, card counters assign a point score to each card they see that estimates the value of that card, and then they track only the sum of these values. (This is called keeping a “running count.”)^[3] The myth that counters keep track of every card was portrayed in the movie Rain Man, in which the savant character Raymond Babbitt counts through six decks with ease and a casino employee erroneously comments that it is impossible to count six decks.

References

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Card counting is a casino card game strategy used primarily in the blackjack family of casino games to determine whether the next hand is likely to give a probable advantage to the player or to the dealer. Card counters, also known as advantage players, attempt to decrease the inherent casino house edge by keeping a running tally of all high and low valued cards seen by the player. Card counting allows players to bet more with less risk when the count gives an advantage as well as minimize losses during an unfavorable count. Card counting also provides the ability to alter playing decisions based on the composition of remaining cards. Card counting also refers to obtaining a count of the distribution or of the remaining high cards in trick-taking games such as contract bridge or spades.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Hand #	Player’s Hand	Dealer’s Up Card	Decision (H,S,D,P)
1.	7,2	6
2.	A,2	3
3.	10,2	2
4.	6,6	6
5.	9,7	10
6.	A,7	9
7.	8,2	10
8.	A,4	4
9.	7,2	7
10.	9,3	3
11.	5,5	6
12.	5,3	6
13.	A,6	2
14.	9,2	10
15.	3,3	2
16.	6,5	A
17.	A,8	6
18.	7,7	2
19.	8,8	10
20.	5,4	7
21.	A,2	5
22.	4,4	6
23.	10,3	7
24.	8,4	4
25.	9,9	7
26.	A,A	A
27.	7,5	4
28.	9,7	7
29.	5,5	9
30.	9,2	10
31.	A,6	7
32.	7,2	4
33.	9,9	9
34.	2,2	7
35.	3,3	2
36.	A,7	10
37.	8,8	4
38.	6,4	2
39.	A,9	6
40.	9,9	A

(Source: GameMaster)

I often use the analogy of a prize fighter when I discuss practicing your counting; a fighter trains for both speed and endurance. They use a “speed bag” for the short, fast jab and a big, heavy bag for the hard punches. A single-deck countdown is your “speed bag”; try to get through it as quickly as possible while maintaining your accuracy. To build your endurance, begin by counting down two decks shuffled together (don’t forget to remove 3 cards to check your accuracy). Once you’re doing two decks under 40 seconds, go to 6 decks. Shuffle all six together, then break them down to 5 or 6 separate piles on a table top and count them all down as quickly as possible. Your goal here is to do it under 2 minutes; under 1:30 is ideal. The reason why we do so many decks, whether we’re training for a single-deck or multi-deck game, is to not only get used to retaining the count for a long period of time, but also to get used to wide swings in the count. The running count for a single deck will seldom go above or below 10, but you’ll often get such counts in a six-deck countdown and you need to get used to that. Practicing like this with a lot of distractions around is good. Do it with the kids bugging you, with the TV on, or with Fido barking and you’ll develop your ability to keep track while you’re in a casino.

A Few More Tricks

Learn to count backward from an odd number by 2′s. We can all count “2, 4, 6,” etc., but few of us can count “11, 9, 7, 5, 3″ very quickly. This is a good exercise to do while you’re driving. Start at 25 and take it to M5, over and over again; it will “imprint” in your mind and serve you well at a full table when the count is high and all those 20′s and Blackjacks come out. When you get bored, do it backward from an even number just to keep yourself in shape.

When your counting is interrupted for any reason, recite the count to yourself over and over again. Let’s say you’re practicing at home and little Margaux or your son, Corky (isn’t every card counter also a wine fanatic?), has a “life or death” question. If the count at that point is M6, just keep repeating “M6, M6, M6″ in your mind as you listen to them. You’ll know you’re making real progress when you can then TALK to them and remember the count! Practice is what allows that to happen.

(Source: GameMaster)

Every serious counter should have a good knowledge of how to play single-deck Blackjack, even if you spend 90% of your time at multi-deck games, because when you are able to get to a single deck game, it can be very profitable. The primary lure of the game will become more evident as we get into betting strategies, but take my word for it now: any “big” money you’ll make at Blackjack will probably come from a single-deck game. Most of you — especially those who are close to Atlantic City — should spend your time practicing instead of playing, all with the idea of taking 5 or 6 trips a year to areas such as Reno or Laughlin. You’ll be much better off playing 60 or 70 hours a year at the single-deck games there than you would be playing several hundred hours at the dismal games A.C. is currently offering. Most of my students from the St. Louis area can fly to Reno on a 3 or 4 day trip for under $300, which includes round-trip airfare and hotel, and since they usually make that much in Blackjack profits per day, they often come home with a $1000 or more in net winnings. You “Eastcoasters” can find similar action in Tunica, MS. This entire lesson that you are studying is very visual. You might want to consider our DVD or dual CD product, to enhance the learning experience.

As you can see, this player had a hand totaling 7 and took a hit. The dealer has pulled the cards over the top and will now pay it as a winner. Count those two cards as they’re exposed, but DO NOT count the King again, since you would have counted it when the player “scratched” for a hit. This may still be a bit confusing, but once you fit the idea in your mind, you’ll quickly get into the scheme of things when you watch a real game in action. You should just stand behind and observe until you’re sure you’ve got the technique, but it won’t take long. The ideal way to practice is to have someone deal for you, but make sure they use the procedures shown above.

(Source: GameMaster)

(Source: GameMaster)

No, I’m not going to teach you card tricks here, but I am going to show you a few interesting ways to practice the count you’ve decided to learn and then teach you the methods we use to keep track of the cards as they’re played at the casino. Developing your speed at counting is an important part of your training, because if you can’t count quickly at home, you’ll never keep up with the dealer in a casino. Inaccurate counting can cause you to give up any edge you have over the house and it’s frustrating to constantly “drop” the count when a faster dealer comes along. At this point you should have the point values of each card memorized and you might be doing some single-card countdowns of a deck. I’m sure you’re slow at it, but that’s OK, since accuracy is the most important factor right now. Speed will come as you work your way through the exercises I’ll show you this week. This entire lesson that you are studying is very visual. You might want to consider our DVD or dual CD product, to enhance the learning experience.

Pairs Value Practice

Just as you learned the point value of each card according to the system you wish to use, here you will learn the point value of different PAIRS of cards. This is one of the real “tricks” of the card-counting business: the ability to count cards in pairs. With enough practice, you’ll see a hand of Queen, Jack as both a “20″ and an M-2. That capability will bring speed to your game. Here are the values of pairs using the Hi / Lo method of counting

Hand Net Point Value
-2
-2

Laying down a good foundation here will allow you to build your speed quickly later on, so this exercise is time well spent. For you “Type-A’s” out there, you might even push this to learning 3-card values. That is a very helpful skill to have, particularly if you intend to play one-on-one with a dealer, since you always see 3 cards at once; your initial pair and the dealer’s up card. Most of you will want to begin play at tables with other players since things move slower that way, but like I said — knowing the 3-card values won’t hurt.

Pairs Countdown

Once again, remove three random cards from a single deck and set them aside. (No peeking!) Now, turn over the cards two at a time, keep a running (cumulative) count of the deck and check your accuracy by adding the cards you set aside in at the end. This exercise will be your primary way of practicing card counting. Gradually, your speed will increase to a point where you will count as quickly as you can turn over the cards. To go even faster, hold the deck in your left hand, face up, and pull the cards — two at a time — off the deck with your right hand. (Opposite if you’re left-handed). Help the cards along with your thumb and you’ll start to build some speed. How fast is “fast”? I go through a deck in 10.5 seconds, but all you need to keep up at an average table with 2 or 3 other players is 20 seconds, though 15 is better (and easy attained if you practice).

By now you’ve chosen a counting system that you want to learn and even though it may be different than the Hi / Lo Count which I’m going to discuss here, the methods used to learn it are the same. Just make adjustments where appropriate and you’ll do fine. This entire lesson that you about to study is very visual. You might want to consider our DVD or dual CD product, to enhance the learning experience. The Hi / Lo counting system assigns a “point” value to each type of card in a deck. The first step in card counting is to memorize those values. Here they are

Card	Point Value
2	+1
3	+1
4	+1
5	+1
6	+1
7	0
8	0
9	0
10	-1
J	-1
Q	-1
K	-1
A	-1

A bit of simple math will show you that there are, in a complete deck, an equal number of “plus”-valued cards and “minus”-valued cards. This is called a “balanced” count and since all cards are valued either 1 or 0, this is also a “single-level” count.

The Power of Card Counting

The Hi / Lo count recognizes that the cards 2 through 6 are of greatest value to the dealer, since these cards turn the dealer’s “stiff” hands (12 – 16) which s/he must hit into good hands. For example, a 5 turns a dealer’s 12-16 into 17-21, consequently it is the most important card for a dealer. On the other hand, an Ace is most important to a player, since it’s the key component to a “blackjack” which pays 3 to 2. So, as “little” cards are played, they are no longer available to the dealer and since there are an equal number of plus- and minus-valued cards in the deck, a “plus” count tells us that there are a higher proportion of tens and aces left in the unplayed portion of the deck. This situation is favorable for the player since the chances for a blackjack have increased and doubling or splitting situations stand a better chance of receiving a high card. Of course, a dealer has the same chance of receiving high cards as you. But remember that the dealer does not receive 3 to 2 for a blackjack, may not double or split and must hit 16 or less. Also, as you will learn in a later lesson, knowing the proportion of 10-valued cards in the decks gives you the knowledge to make profitable insurance bets.

Learning The Point Values

This is the only exercise you will ever need to learn the point values of your counting system. It’s the one I use when I’m switching counts for a single-deck game or back again to the one I use for multi-deck games. Just take a deck of cards and begin turning them over one at a time and recite the point value of each card. If a card is a plus-value, I don’t say “Plus 1″; I just say “one”, because it implies “plus” anyway. If a card is a minus-value, I say “M 1″, not “minus 1″ because it saves a syllable. For the “neutral” or zero-value cards, I say nothing — they are completely ignored for counting purposes with the Hi / Lo system. So, how does this look? Here’s a quick example

Notice that I’m not keeping track of the cards, but merely stating the point value of each. You must practice this until you have the point values firmly implanted in your mind but don’t worry, it won’t take long.

Single-Card Countdown

If you feel you know the point values of each card in your system of choice by heart, you may now begin to count down a single deck. Simply remove any three cards without looking at them (to check your accuracy) and set them aside. Now turn over cards one at a time and keep a running total of their values. Remember your old algebra classes? If you add +1 to -1 the result is 0. That applies here, so keep it in mind as you go through the deck. Here’s an example:

Got it? Good. You’re not very fast yet, are you? Well, don’t worry about that; we’ll work on speed later. When you’ve completed the deck, the count should be off by the value of the three cards we set aside in the beginning. Look at those cards, check your accuracy, shuffle and begin again. Get into the habit of removing three cards every time you do any counting exercises since they will keep you from fooling yourself when you make a mistake. For now the key is accuracy; keep at this until you can go through a deck three or four times in a row without mistakes. What you have learned here is called the “running count”.

(Source: GameMaster)

The Hi/Lo counting system assigns a “point” value to each type of card in a deck. The first step in card counting is to memorize those values.
Here they are.

(Source: GameMaster)

With this lesson, I’m going to unwrap the veil of mystery which seems to surround the concept of card counting. Here you will discover that you don’t have to be a genius to keep track of all the cards in a six-deck shoe; you just have to know a few card-counter secrets. The first “secret” is that we don’t memorize the cards in a deck. Instead, each card is assigned a point-value and all we are really doing is adding those point values together and then converting that information into a usable form. Just what those point values are depends upon which counting system a player decides to use. In this school, I’ll be teaching the “High / Low” or “Plus / Minus” system but if you choose to learn another one, everything I’m going to teach still applies. The other big “secret” about card counting is how we do it at the Blackjack table. I think most people who have flirted with counting can get a good grasp of it at home but once they hit all the distractions of a casino their ability to keep track of the cards, play their hand properly and get a bet into the circle on time breaks down. Remember when I told you that it was a MUST for you to know basic strategy as well as you know your own name? Now you’ll begin to see why that’s necessary; you don’t need more things to think about when you’re “on the green”.

Pick a System

There are a lot of different card-counting systems available and — like most things in life — each has its advantages and its disadvantages. I’ll try to sort through the most popular and help you choose one which is right for you. Probably the most important factor in choosing a system is the type of game you’ll be playing most of the time. For example, if you play mostly in the Reno/Tahoe area, you should learn a system which performs well against single deck games. If you play in my old stomping grounds, Atlantic City, you’ll want to learn a system which is powerful in multi-deck games. Another important factor in selecting a system is the amount of time you spend playing Blackjack. This is going to surprise you, but a player who intends to spend a lot of time at the tables should learn a very simple system. I say that because, while this really is pretty easy, it does require some concentration and the simpler the system, the easier it is to concentrate for long periods of time. On the other hand, if you’re only going to play for 3 or 4 hours a week, a more difficult system may work well for you since a difficult system is usually more powerful and it will optimize the time you spend at the tables. Now, some of you “Type A’s” out there are thinking that you’ll spend a lot of time at the tables and use a very powerful (and complicated) system to get the most $$$ out of your play. The problem here is that under those circumstances, mistakes begin to creep in and that can cause you to lose your edge. The KISS principle applies: “Keep It Simple, Stupid”. If you really want to get the most out of the game, do what I did, learn two counting systems. I use one for multi-deck games and another one for single-decks. It’s not that hard and as we go through the lessons on learning how to count, you’ll see how the exercises I’ll teach you can implement such a strategy. Card-counting systems are rated by two primary factors: Betting Efficiency (BE) and Playing Efficiency (PE). The anomaly of counting systems is that if you increase the BE you are, for the most part, decreasing the PE at the same time. This happens because of the unusual role an Ace plays in the game. For betting purposes, the Ace is a very powerful card; it’s the primary component of a “natural” which pays 3 to 2. But for playing a hand, the Ace is of somewhat limited value. How many times have you doubled an 11 and got an Ace? Now you have a total of 12…exciting, huh? Hit a 14, get an Ace and you’ve got 15; nothing to shout about, is it? Sure, it’s great to double a 10 and get an Ace, but that’s one of the very few times when the Ace helps in the play of a hand. How a counting system treats the Ace determines a lot about the BE and PE of that system. If you need a high Betting Efficiency — like in a multi-deck game — then pick a system which counts the Ace as a “big” card; if your game of choice is single-deck, then choose a system which treats the Ace as a “neutral” card (and keep track of the Aces in a “side count”, a trick I’ll show you later.) Multi-deck games are beaten primarily by a large betting spread. Simply put, you bet small when the house has the edge and much bigger when you have the edge. A counting system with a high BE factor tells you when to bet big. In a single-deck game, where the house knows a big spread will win the $$$, a high PE lets you bet less and still win. Don’t forget; casinos know that their games are vulnerable and they are on the lookout for people who can beat them. A big betting spread is one tipoff they use to detect counters and, depending upon where you play, being detected as a counter may cause your expulsion (“barring”) from the casino. Let me stress that what I’m teaching you is entirely legal but not everyone in the casino business feels as I do. There are no laws against card-counting and you can be the best counter in the world, but if the casinos won’t let you play your skill is wasted. To help you decide on a count to use, visit the series of articles called “Counting Systems” on the Blackjack Page of GameMaster OnLine and look at the systems which are reviewed there. As mentioned earlier, I will be talking specifically about the “High / Low” count, but you can learn any count by the methods I’ll use. If you’re going to be at single-deck games, the Hi-Opt 1 count is probably the best to begin with; go with the High / Low if multi-decks are what you’ll be playing. Since I will be teaching “true count”, either of those systems will work well, regardless of where you play. Most “unbalanced” counts don’t require you to learn true count, but it’s not a big deal, so stick with one of the “balanced” counts. For those who really want to get into it, go with Arnold Snyder’s “Zen” count, but you should buy his book, “Blackbelt in Blackjack” to supplement what I’m teaching. In the next lesson I’ll show you how to learn a counting system with the following “point” values:

2, 3, 4, 5, 6 = +1
7, 8, 9 = 0
10, J, Q, K, A = -1

This system has a Betting Efficiency of .97% and a Playing Efficiency of .51%. The best system in the world would rate about .98% BE and .70% PE, so what you’ll be learning is easy to use for long periods of time, is good at estimating your edge for betting purposes and is just “OK” at playing the hand properly. (But don’t worry; it gets the $$$.) By the way, there’s a third rating for counting systems and that’s Insurance Efficiency. While basic strategy says to never take insurance, once the proportion of tens in the remaining deck(s) reaches a certain point, it becomes profitable to make the insurance bet. The High / Low counting system has an Insurance Efficiency of .76, which means that about 3/4 of the time you do take insurance (as determined by the “true count”), it will be the correct decision. But…we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, so copy your homework assignments and get outta here.

(Source: GameMaster)