For those looking blackjack enthusiasts, card counting is important to understand and practice to be a strategy master with blackjack. Card counting is beneficial especially because it can gain a huge advantage and greater any chances of winning when playing at a casino. Card counting, when practiced enough, can earn blackjack players millions of dollars.
Facts About Card Counting
Card counting is an important strategy to learn, however, card counting does not mean memorizing the cards. One does not need to keep track of all the high valued cards in each player’s hands. What is important is to keep track of the ratio between the high valued cards and the low valued cards. Counter to popular belief counting cards is a commonly used strategy that is not illegal, in the game of blackjack. The player, when counting cards, must do it in a stealth manner.
Here are a Couple Tips for Card Counting in Blackjack:
Tip #1.) Test Yourself
Grab a deck of cards and treat them like a deck of cards during a game. This means count the 52 cards and make sure that the jokers are absent. Now that your have counted the deck, start timing yourself. You should be able to count the entire deck in 25 seconds. If you are not able to on the first try, keep practicing. Once that has been mastered, take one card out of the deck and count the cards again. You should be able to tell which card is missing from the deck. This exercise should be completed numerous times to the point where it will feel natural.
Tip #2.) Focus is Key
When play this game, it is good to feel confident, however it is bad to be cocky. Being cocky can lead to big bets which can also lead to a loss. Keep an eye on the cards and keep your confidence in check.
Tip #3.) Add Quickly in Your Head
When it comes to the card game, you should not be playing addition in your head by adding up +1 with -1. If you see a high and low card that are paired together, your thought process should immediately register that the total is 0. The high and the low card cancel each other out. The trick to counting is remembering a tally with accuracy and speed. Counting in pairs makes your thought process so much faster.
Tip #4.) Practice with Distractions
Practicing at home is entirely different than the real game of blackjack at the casino. There will be so many distractions at the casino that one cannot even think of having at home. With thousands of people in the casino, it will be a huge distraction. With games play and people yelling, it is a good idea to practice the game with a few distractions. Practice with distractions by turning on the TV or turning on the radio. This will automatically train your mind to work with other distractions.
Tip #5.) Learn the Basics of the Game First
If you are to be an excellent and stealth card counter, you must first know and understand the game of blackjack. This includes learning the best strategies. This can only be learned through experience. The number one rule to learning the strategy is to learn how to be sneaky about counting cards. In a casino, there will be so many factors that do not happen while practicing on your dining room table.
Tip #6.) Practice so Much that the Game Comes Naturally
Learn the game so well that it will take no effort to play. By doing this,you can focus on the more important things such as how many cards are in the other players’ hand. If you are able to play the game effortlessly, this will be a great advantage during the game especially if all the other players are taking their time to decide their next move.
Tip #7.) Understand the Idea of Counting Cards
The best strategy to use while counting cards is the high-low strategy. High cards are given the value of -1 and low cards are given the value of +1. This method works due to the fact that the face cards amount to the value of 10. A high card will also improve a player’s chance of hitting the blackjack. Counting the cards with this strategy will also increase the dealer’s chances of “going bust”. Make sure to also keep track of the low cards. The low cards are bad for the players but they are good for the dealers.
Tip #8.) Understand the High-Low Method
The high card is good for the players because it will allow the player to make bigger bets that could end in a bigger amount of winnings. Be able to keep a number in your head that can be used as an indicator on when to bet and when to not bet at all. Keep in mind that positive numbers in the deck or good. If the number is higher, this means that bigger bets can be put in.
Tip #9.) Know the Values of the High and Low Cards
The point of using the high and low card method is to keep special track of the ratio between the cards. By doing this, you will know whether or not a deck is in your favor.
Here are a Few Examples of Card Values to Know:
- Card # 2-6=+1
- Card # 7-9=0
- Cards worth 10=-1
- Aces=-1
Tip #10.) Know When to Make the Bet
Makes sure to know that increasing the bet should only be done when the card numbers are positive. More specifically the card value should be above +2. Know that the high the positive number is, the more you can bet with a larger chance of winning. If your bets get larger, be sure to continue to proceed with caution. When the value of points increase, set a set amount that you are able to bet whenever the value of the cards increase.
Tip #11.) Understand the Concept of “Wonging”
The term “wonging” is used to refer to back-counting. This means that when playing blackjack, you stay away from a table until the table is considered hot enough to join. As soon as the table becomes cold or has no further value to you, you “wong out” or back out. The action of “wonging out” is normally done on larger decks. When practicing this method, understand that you will look suspicious. Some casinos have even band the action of joining mid-game.
Tip #12.) Blend in with the Tourist Crowd
If your plan is to come into the game with a counting card strategy it is best to look as though you do not know what you are doing. Act like a tourist coming in to play blackjack just to have a good time. When looking like a tourist, do not wear a suit. Instead, try and wear something that will pinpoint you as a tourist such as a button up shirt with cargo shorts.
Tip #13.) Appear to be Interest in Other things Besides the Game
Being one hundred percent focused on the blackjack game will look suspicious and you will look like a card counter. Try and look distracted while playing the game. Get a drink, make small talk with the person next to you, or even try and admire the casino around you. Card counters have a reputation of being completely focused on the game. See what everyone else is doing and try and replicate. Only a good card counter can carry-out a game without being suspiciously focused on the game.
Tip #14.) Tip the Dealer
Make conversation with the dealer. Ask the dealer how their day is going or their plans for the next day. If the you make a good impression on the dealer, the dealer may wait for you on a favorable deck. They may even shuffle sooner on a bad deck. The dealer is your key to a successful blackjack game. Get the workers at the casino on your side with light conversation or inquiries about their days.
Tip #15.) Know Who is Watching You
The most important tip that can be is that you are being watched by either the workers or the security camera. Make sure to be on your very best behavior. Although counting cards is not illegal, it will lose the house money. If they suspect that you are counting, the house may assign a high speed dealer to do or assign someone to distract you with talking. If any of these things happen, the best tip is to stop the game immediately and back out.
