CARD COUNTING PROS AND CONS

A brief lesson on card counting.

Since there is a long history behind the tradition of card counting and its recognition as a valid strategy, I feel I should give you some basic information about how to count. Once you understand that the concept, you can understand the problems with card counting, which will be discussed next.

Standard Hi-Low point count system

Counting does not take a good memory because there's nothing to memorize. All you have to understand is that there are high cards, low cards and neutral cards in a 52 card deck. In fact there is an equal number of High and low cards. In the standard High-low Point Count system, low cards are 2 through 6, high cards are 10s, picture cards and aces, neutral cards are 7, 8, 9.

Here are the values of these three categories of cards: 2 through 6 = +1; 10s, picture cards and aces=-1 and 7, 8,9= 0.

Starting with zero off the top of the deck of cards or dealing shoe, all you do is add 1 for each card you see dealt, subtract a 1 for every high card you see dealt and and repeat the count so you wont forget it when you see a neutral card or 0. As the count goes up it means there are more low cards being dealt (they have a "plus" value) and more high cards left in the shoe remaining to be dealt. If the count is minus it means that there are more low cards left in the shoe remaining to be dealt.

Since a shoe rich in high cards favours the player (for example, a better chance of drawing the blackjack) and a shoe rich in low cards favours the dealer (who will therefore break less often and win more hands), the count gives the player a mathematical assessment of his or her chances of winning the next hand. If his chances are good at the bet is increased. If they are poor the player makes the minimum bet.

The Plus count

The Plus count is a consequence of more low cards being dealt than high cards and since there is an equal number of each in the deck, a plus count means of that there are more tens and aces remaining in the deck to be played than low cards. This creates the possibilities of more player blackjack with the payoff of 1.5 to 1 (the dealer gets no such pay off on his Blackjacks), more dealer breaking on stiff hands (hands totalling twelve through sixteen; rolls off play stipulate that the dealer must hit until his hand totals seventeen or more), and more double-down wins (the doubling of a bet on the first two cards) for the player (for example drawing a ten value card to an eleven for a hand totalling 21.)

Essentially the played is betting more when he the advantage and less when the dealer has the advantage. Therefore a profit is realized over the long run. The count can also be used to play the hand that this tactic is beyond the scope of this brief lesson.