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Blackjack Card Counting'Card counting' refers to the act of tracking live cards at a Blackjack table in hopes of determining when the deck is in your favor. Card counters use the information they have available, including their cards, other player's face up cards, and the dealer's cards to keep a 'count' of the deck. When this count is in the player's favor, they increase their bets, and when the count is in the house's favor, they decrease their bets.All of this is done in hopes of achieving a small edge over the house and grinding out a consistent profit at the Blackjack tables. Now we'll discuss how players actually card count, whether card counting is illegal, and potential problems for card counters. How to Count CardsPlayers count cards by keeping track of every single card that is revealed at the table. Each card has an assigned value based on the system you're using, and whenever the count is high you are in a good position, and when the count is low you are in a bad position. A high count provides the player several advantages. There are more high cards left in the deck, so:· The Dealer will bust more. · The Player will receive more Blackjacks. · The Players will receive more tens and faces thus making higher/stronger hands. Card Counting SystemsAs I mentioned earlier, there are several card counting systems used by blackjack players at the casinos. I'll provide a summary of each system now:Hi-Lo System The Hi-Lo system is the most basic card counting system out there, and is the system of choice for new card counters. Each card is either worth +1, -1, or neutral, so there is no complicated math involved with this system. Twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes are worth +1. Sevens, Eights, and Nines are neutral. Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces are worth -1. So, after you've had a string of low cards the deck will become positive, and that's when it's time to up your bet. Hi Opt 1 System The Hi Opt 1 system is far more accurate than the Hi-Lo method, but it's a bit more complicated to use. The system uses the same method as the Hi-Lo system - players assign a value to each card and keep track of every card they can see. However, in the Hi Opt 1 system cards have the following values:  Since this is much more complicated than the Hi-Lo system, we recommend that only advanced players use the Hi Opt 1 system. Hi Opt 2 System The Hi Opt 2 system is even more accurate, but even more difficult. There are more unique values, so we recommend this for only the most advanced Blackjack players.  Things can get really tricky here, so we recommend sticking with the normal Hi-Lo count unless you're a skilled Blackjack veteran. Does Card Counting Work?Sure, we've all heard of movies and books where players make tons of cash by counting cards in Vegas, but does it really work? Well, the answer is that it depends.Many casinos now use shoes with ten or more decks in them, so it's extremely hard to keep an accurate count throughout the deck. Also, when you're counting at home to practice it is a totally different environment than when you count at a live casino with people yelling, cards moving quickly, and pit bosses right over your back. However, if you can keep an accurate count, then yes card counting will put you at a slight advantage over the house and you'll make money in the long run. Is Card Counting Legal?This is another common question that comes up often. If you're just using your brain and no electronic devices or aids, then card counting is 100% legal. However, casinos are still private property so if the owners realize you're winning consistently they can ask you to leave. In most cases they'll just request you to leave and not come back, as opposed to the scenes from movies where they beat players up.Can I Play Blackjack Online?Of course you can! There are tons of online casinos out there that offer Blackjack, but we recommend playing at internet casino as they're safe, secure, and have great Blackjack games. Good luck!CASINO, blackjack, |