How Does Card Counting Work in Blackjack?

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 the player an advantage or disadvantage. The basic idea behind card counting is that, because certain high cards (such as aces and tens) are beneficial to the player, and certain low cards (such as fives and sixes) are more beneficial to the dealer, if the proportion of high cards to low cards is known at any given time, the player can make betting and playing decisions that maximize their expected return.

Card counting systems assign a point score to each rank of card (2-10), with the ace worth 1 point. The point score of each card is used to keep a running tally of what is called the “count”. The count gives an indication of whether there are more high cards or low cards remaining in the deck.

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When the count is positive, there are more high cards remaining in the deck, which is advantageous to the player. When the count is negative, there are more low cards remaining in the deck, which is advantageous to the dealer.

PRO TIP:Counting cards in Blackjack is a strategy that involves keeping track of the cards as they are dealt. By counting the cards, players can gain an advantage over the house by making informed decisions about whether to hit or stand. This strategy works best when there is a large number of decks involved and when the decks are shuffled after each round. To get started counting cards, players should familiarize themselves with basic card counting strategies like the High-Low system and practice in low stakes games before taking on more challenging tables.

There are numerous card counting systems in existence, but they all share one common goal: keep a running tally of the ratio of high cards to low cards remaining in the deck, so that when this ratio becomes favorable to the player, they can increase their bet size accordingly.

The most common card counting system in blackjack assigns a value of +1 to all 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s; a value of 0 to all 7s, 8s and 9s; and a value of -1 to all 10s, jacks, queens and kings. This system is called a “plus/minus one” system because when adding up all of the values assigned to each card in the deck, you will end up with either a positive number (if there are more low cards remaining in the deck), or a negative number (if there are more high cards remaining in the deck).

Card counting systems generally only provide an advantage when played with perfect basic strategy; if you make any errors while playing blackjack with a card counting system, you will likely end up losing money instead of winning it. However, for those who are able to master both basic strategy and a card counting system, blackjack can be an extremely lucrative game.