Blackjack Card Counting
It has been said that by following the basic strategy player can collapse the bank's profit to a half per cent. However, it is possible to gain the edge to the player's side, and do so quite legally. This is done by a system of calculating the cards during the game. Counting cards is made possible by the way the cards are dealt during the game. The cards are not mixed with each hand played after the played cards are placed aside to wait for a card box emptying. Thus the prevailed odds at the beginning of the game are always changing and the probability is continually changing depending on what cards are played in a pile. By following cards played the player can keep up to date on changes in probabilities in favor of the player.
Calculation of the cards is the player's point of action. The benefit varies from the amount of decks used. According to one estimate, in one-deck game, the player can take advantage of the card calculation produced data at up to 45 percent of playable hands. In eight-deck game, at every tenth-hand. The value of other other amount of decks used varies between these two numbers.
Is it necessary to memorise every single card played in the game?
Fortunately, no, it hardly seems possible, at least for a ordinary people. For this calculating purpose there has been developed a simple invoice system. Calculation of the cards based on the statistical truth that the more the Ace's and Ten Point Cards are left in the deck, the better chances player has to to win the dealer. When there's more aces and tens left the bigger the stakes and vise versa - less high cards, lower stakes.
So how can that number be followed? The calculation is based on all the cards played giving them the weight of the following values:
- 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 -> +1
- 7, 8, 9 -> 0
- 10, 11, 12, 13, A -> -1
In other words, whenever in the table you get a "bad" card, (the value is 2 - 6), the calculation is added by 1. When the ten-point value card or ace comes the value is reduced by 1. Cards between 7 - 9 can be ignored. This will constantly maintain up-to-date calculation of the "good" cards that are there in the card box (running count). The greater the sum is, the more good cards are left in the deck or shoe.
Calculation is, however, yet precise. Another statistical fact is that the lower the number of cards, a box is left, the better chance the player has to win the bank. The same is true also in amount of playable decks. Updated Running Count is finally amended to final calculation (True Count) on the basis of how many cards, there are left in the card box or shoe. For example, if you played with four decks of cards and about half is played, the remainder is two decks of cards. The up-to-date TRUE COUNT is then calculated by dividing the original number of decks, so in this case the count would be calculated by dividing the RUNNING COUNT by two as half of the decks have been played.
How To Exploit True Count? In two ways, by changing the bet amount and adjusting the basic strategy. It is estimated that the true count value will be 87-percent based on the bet adjustment and 13-percent by basic strategy adaptation.
True count effects of the basic strategy can be summarized as the following seven main changes in the game instructions. There are other changes, but those are not as important and we will not go into them in this article.
True Count is -1 or less:
* Take a card if you have 13 and the dealer 2 or 3
True Count is 2 or more:
* Do not take the card if you have 12 and the dealer has 2 or 3
* Do not take the card if you have 16 and the dealer is 10
* Double, if you have 11 and the dealer has an Ace.
True Count is 3 or more:
* Always take the insurance (the most important change)
* Double, if you have 10 and the dealer has an Ace
* Double, if you have a 9 and the dealer has 2
Calculation of the cards is concidered disadvantageous activities by the casino. It can be prevented, for example, by using the mixing machine to mix the cards of the game while running. In this case, the game will not be a calculated mixture of cards due to the extra suffles. Exactly the same applies to online casinos, with gaming software which mix the cards after each hand. In these cases, it is better to stick to the basic strategy and approve the bank's advantage.
In some American casinos cards distributed to players one-and two-deck game, face down (Nevada Deal). This is done specifically to card counting more difficult. This is understandable, since one and a two-deck game the player has statistically the best profit potential.
Although the calculation of the cards do not have anything illegal, it must be remembered that the casinos have the right to choose their customers. The likely winner is not welcomed casino customer.
United States, especially in Nevada, has taken strong action against the card issuers, although the calculation is not there any criminalized. Some casinos cameras are connected to automatic face recognition in aim to compare the players, the facial image to a private company database which contains the well-known card counters images.
The best known case of cardcounting is a set of MIT's students, who managed to deceive the casino supervisors through the game cards at the table by being a group of players all teamed up against casinos advantage.
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