Card counting is a casino card game strategy used primarily in the blackjack family of games to determine whether the next hand is likely to give the player an advantage or disadvantage. The basis of most card counting systems is found in the book Beat the Dealer by Edward Thorp.
Card counting systems are designed to track the ratio of high cards to low cards. When this ratio is high, it means there are more high cards per low card, which gives the player an advantage because blackjack pays 3-2 on blackjack.
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Most card counting systems use a point system to keep track of the ratio of high cards to low cards. The most common system is called the Hi-Lo system, which assigns a value of +1 to 2s through 6s, 0 to 7s through 9s, and -1 to 10s, Js, Qs, and Ks.
When using this system, the player keeps a running tally of the point count. A positive count means there are more high cards left in the deck than low cards, while a negative count means there are more low cards left in the deck than high cards.
The Hi-Lo system is a balanced card counting system, which means that the running tally will always be between -4 and +4. When the running tally is positive, it means there are more high cards left in the deck than low cards, giving the player an advantage.
When the running tally is negative, it means there are more low cards left in the deck than high cards, giving the house an advantage.
The true count is simply the running count divided by the number of decks remaining in play. For example, if there is a running count of +5 and there are two decks remaining in play, then the true count would be +2.5 ((+5)/2=+2.
5). The higher the true count is, the greater advantage the player has over the house.
Most card counting systems also use betting ramps to tell players when they have an advantage over the house and should bet more money. Betting ramps typically start at a count of 0 (neutral), and increase as the count becomes more positive (advantageous for the player). For example, a common betting ramp might look like this: 0 (neutral), +1 (bet 1 unit), +2 (bet 2 units), +3 (bet 3 units), +4 (bet 4 units), etc. Some systems also use betting ramps to tell players when they have a disadvantage and should bet less money.
Betting ramps typically start at a count of 0 (neutral), and decrease as the count becomes more negative (disadvantageous for the player). For example, a common betting ramp might look like this: 0 (neutral), -1 (bet 1 unit), -2 (bet 2 units), -3 (bet 3 units), -4 (bet 4 units), etc.
So how effective is card counting? It depends on how good you are at it and how willing you are to risk large sums of money. If you are able to maintain a positive true count throughout an entire blackjack session, then you will have a significant advantage over the house and can expect to win money in the long run.
However, if you are only able to maintain a positive true count for part of a blackjack session or if you frequently make large bets when your true count is negative, then you will likely lose money in The long run despite having an edge over The house through card counting. In order for card counting to be effective, you must be disciplined enough to stick to your betting ramps and not deviate from them no matter what happens during The course of play.
