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Blackjack Card Counting
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Card counting is a procedure whereby it helps a player to keep track of which cards have been dealt out of the deck. The player then uses this information to assist him to make a decision on how to play his hand. Before you, the reader, develop any pre-conceived ideas on what card counting really entails, let me dismiss a couple of misconceptions:
Card Counting will not give you psychic powers to predict the next card out of the deck. What Card counting will do is give you a good indication of whether a deck is favourable or unfavourable and the extent of this favourableness or unfavourableness.
Card Counting does not involve memorising every card that comes out of the deck. When you count cards, you are not keeping track of individual cards. All you are doing is keeping a relative score of high value cards (10's and Ace's) to low cards (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).
Card Counting: Basic Principle.
A game of Blackjack is focused around Ace's and 10-value cards (10's and Face Cards), this is because combined they are the most plentiful card in the deck. The most basic hypothesis of the Card Counting strategy is that if a deck is rich in 10-value cards this is advantageous to the player and decks poor in 10-value cards is advantageous to the Casino.
The three main reasons why rich decks are favourable:
The higher the proportion of 10-value cards remaining in the deck, the greater the likelihood of drawing a Blackjack (An ace and a 10 value card). The Dealer has the same increased chance of getting a Blackjack under such circumstances and will therefore get more Blackjacks also. While that is true, when the dealer draws a Blackjack, you will lose your entire bet (Unless you also have a Blackjack). When you draw a Blackjack, however, you will not only win your entire bet, but you will also win 50% more. Remember, Blackjack pays 3-2. You will therefore win, not 100% of your bet, but 150% of your bet. Therefore, although both the odds of you and the dealer drawing a Blackjack increase during favourable conditions, you will win 150% of your bet when you draw the Blackjack while the dealer will only take 100% of your bet when he draws a Blackjack. Therefore, you will be more than happy trading Blackjack's with the dealer under these favourable conditions.
The dealer must draw when he has a 16 or less. He has no choice. When the deck is favourable, he runs a greater risk of busting. You, on the other hand, can alter your strategy to take advantage of favourable conditions. You don't have to take a card when the odds of busting are great because of a favourable deck.
Doubling Down. You have the option of doubling your wager. During favourable conditions, this can be an extremely valuable.
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