Card Counting

Mysterium-Card-Count-HistoryCard counting is an interesting activity that people often engage in when trying to win in blackjack. It is a practice that many people have tried using as a means of winning in this game.

It was particularly used by a group of MIT students in the 1990s as a means of getting millions off of casinos and was depicted a few years earlier in the famous movie Rain Man. It has been portrayed as something that can be rather intriguing in terms of how people can possibly win.

This is an activity that is used by many people to try and see if a hand is going to give either the dealer or the player a bigger advantage. The goal for a player is to keep the house’s advantage from being too strong, thus giving the player an easier time with winning something big.

This is a concept that was first devised in the mid-twentieth century by mathematician Ed Thorp. He found that as a small-value card is removed from a deck, it makes the odds of a blackjack more likely. This led to a review of percentages on his end with the development of the concept that points can make a real difference in the game. This, in turn, will cause a player to potentially get a bigger payout if the right move is made on the game.

Values For Cards

One part of card counting comes from how people assign value to certain cards:

  • Cards from 2 to 6 are worth +1.
  • Cards from 7 to 9 are worth no points.
  • 10 and ace cards plus all face cards are at -1.

Every card that is revealed on the table, including not only your cards and the dealer’s but also the cards for others on the table, will be tallied up.

The true count can also be used. This involves taking the count that you have and dividing it by the decks that are being used.

The key about the count being used is that it needs to be as positive as possible. If it is positive then the player’s advantage will start to increase. Meanwhile, a negative tally will entail the house having the overall advantage on the game. This is important as a player could be at risk of losing too much if that person does not have a good advantage to work with at a given time.

The count would be running through many hands on the game. You’d have to recall the value of the count from one round and then carry it over to the next one to keep a running count going. This can work alongside a review of the remaining cards that are available so you can potentially get a bigger payout over time.

This can work for as many different decks as possible. Of course, there is a chance for different decks to be organized with individual decks being taken out of commission in varying cases.

Will It Always Work?

While card counting can be appealing, you have to be cautious when trying it out. Casinos these days use several decks of cards at a time, thus ensuring that the cards will be as random as possible. This is especially the case with online casinos.

Meanwhile, casinos often use different ideas for identifying those who might be counting cards. People who bet large amounts of money and those who have extreme variances in terms of what they are betting on these games are often seen as suspects.

Of course, counting helps you to figure out if there is a potential for 10, ace and face cards to be left around the game. if there are more of these left then you will be at a better chance of getting a blackjack and the dealer will have a better chance of being busted. Of course, all people on the table will face the same benefits and risks alike.

Card counting is an interesting activity that many blackjack players will try their luck at. This is a concept that works with plenty of averages and totals and if used properly could help anyone to win. Be advised that it is not a guarantee that you will actually get a better payout, what with so many added things going into the process of counting cards.