Card Counting Strategy

Blackjack is differ from many other casino games in that, as the cards are dealt out of the deck(s), the combination of the remaining cards changes the advantage allowed to the player or the house.

While in the deck, small-value cards (i.e. 2-6) offer an advantage to the house when the dealer is required to draw a card. This is because a deck that has many of these small cards, connected to the larger-value cards, will keep the dealer from “busting” (exceeding 21) more often than a deck rich with larger valued cards.

Similarly, a deck rich in 10-value cards, works to the player’s advantage because, not only do these 10-value cards help compose natural 21’s, but also because the player has the option of “standing” when the dealer must draw. For example, if both the dealer and the player have a hand total of 15, the player can stand, but the dealer must draw a card. If the deck is rich in 10-value cards when this happens, it is likely that the dealer will “bust”.

The concept of Card Counting is built on the effect that “deck composition” has on the advantages, and disadvantages, for both the player and dealer.

Card counting is nothing more than adjusting point-values to the cards as they are removed from the deck, keeping a running count (and sometimes a “true” count), and then assigning both the way you play your hands and size your bets, according to the current count.

There are many good books on the subject of card counting. Among them are: Beat the Dealer (Ed Thorp), Playing Blackjack as a Business (Lawrence Revere), and Blackjack for Blood (Bryce Carlson). Other noted authors include: Stanford Wong, Arnold Snyder, Jerry Patterson, and many more.

The list below, that shows a simple count has been variously named: hi/low, plus/minus, and more. Each card is adjusted a point value that is either added to, or decreased from, the running count. You begin the count at zero (“0”), and then add or decrease “1” as you see the cards removed from the deck.

Small cards are given the value of +1, and large cards are given the value of –1. The 7’s, 8’s and 9’s are given a value of “0”.

The important thing to remember here is that, when the count is positive (i.e. +1 or greater), the player has an advantage over the house; the higher the count, the greater the advantage. Similarly, if the count is zero, or negative, the house has the advantage over the player; and again, the lower the count, the greater the advantage for the house.

This relative advantage allows the player to play smarter by adjusting both the size of their bets, and the decisions of their play.

Card Value  2, Count +1
Card Value  3, Count +1
Card Value  4, Count +1
Card Value  5, Count +1
Card Value  6, Count +1
Card Value  7, Count 0
Card Value  8, Count 0
Card Value  9, Count 0
Card Value  10, Count -1
Card Value  A, Count -1