Jan 13, 2020 Pairs - 2s thru 10s: cannot be split can be split once can be split once or twice can be split up to 3 times Under the 'adjust rules' menu you may select the rules of the game, deck penetration, table limits, as well as several card counting strategies. You may also enter your own strategy. Practice with our FREE Card Counting Training Drill. After you’ve begun “learning the language” of card counting, it’s time to practice counting the way it’s actually dealt at the tables. We have this free drill so you can efficiently begin practicing card counting.
No, I’m not going to teach you card tricks here, but I am going to show you a few interesting ways to practice the count you’ve decided to learn and then teach you the methods we use to keep track of the cards as they’re played at the casino. Developing your speed at counting is an important part of your training, because if you can’t count quickly at home, you’ll never keep up with the dealer in a casino. Inaccurate counting can cause you to give up any edge you have over the house and it’s frustrating to constantly “drop” the count when a faster dealer comes along.
At this point you should have the point values of each card memorized and you might be doing some single-card countdowns of a deck. I’m sure you’re slow at it, but that’s OK, since accuracy is the most important factor right now. Speed will come as you work your way through the exercises I’ll show you this week.
Pairs Value Practice
Just as you learned the point value of each card according to the system you wish to use, here you will learn the point value of different PAIRS of cards. This is one of the real “tricks” of the card-counting business: the ability to count cards in pairs. With enough practice, you’ll see a hand of Queen, Jack as both a “20” and an M-2. That capability will bring speed to your game. Here are the values of pairs using the Hi / Lo method of counting:
Hand Net Point Value
-2
-2
-1
-1
0
0
+1
+1
+2
+2
Important! Make sure you understand why each pair is valued as shown and don’t forget
that if you’re learning a different count, these pairs may have different values.
If you understand everything above, then start going through a single deck and turn two cards over at a time. DO NOT keep a running count, just recite the value of each pair so you can get used to the adding and subtracting which is required. Do this until you are totally familiar with the values of all possible pairs. Then do it some more.
Laying down a good foundation here will allow you to build your speed quickly later on, so this exercise is time well spent. For you “Type-A’s” out there, you might even push this to learning 3-card values. That is a very helpful skill to have, particularly if you intend to play one-on-one with a dealer, since you always see 3 cards at once; your initial pair and the dealer’s up card. Most of you will want to begin play at tables with other players since things move slower that way, but like I said — knowing the 3-card values won’t hurt.
Pairs Countdown
Once again, remove three random cards from a single deck and set them aside. (No peeking!) Now, turn over the cards two at a time, keep a running (cumulative) count of the deck and check your accuracy by adding the cards you set aside in at the end. This exercise will be your primary way of practicing card counting.
Gradually, your speed will increase to a point where you will count as quickly as you can turn over the cards. To go even faster, hold the deck in your left hand, face up, and pull the cards — two at a time — off the deck with your right hand. (Opposite if you’re left-handed). Help the cards along with your thumb and you’ll start to build some speed. How fast is “fast”? I go through a deck in 10.5 seconds, but all you need to keep up at an average table with 2 or 3 other players is 20 seconds, though 15 is better (and easy attained if you practice).
Counting at the Table
The method we use to count cards at the table is the real secret of this business. For those games where the cards are dealt face up to the players, the diagram below will show you how we do it. Games where the cards are dealt face down (mostly single deck) require a different methodology and we’ll cover that next week.
Most dealers keep their up card face-down until each player has received both cards. The procedure for counting at a table like that is to begin counting when the player at “first base” receives his second card and to count each player’s pair as the cards are dealt. End your count with the dealer’s up card and then count each player’s “hit” cards. Finally, count the dealer’s hole card and any cards the dealer may take as a hit.
You can see that this method of counting by pairs allows you to look more natural at the table. Most people think counters track each card as it’s dealt, so supervisory people at casinos watch for players who follow every cards as it comes out. My method allows you to look away from the table as the first card is going down and then watch as each hand is made with the second card. That looks a lot more natural, since most players are interested in seeing what hands other players get.
Homework
Besides continuing with your basic strategy practice, start playing some “kitchen table” Blackjack. If you can con someone into dealing to you, great, but if you can’t, just deal four player hands out in a manner they use at your favorite casino. Don’t assume the role of the dealer; you want to get used to seeing all this from a player’s perspective so deal one card to an imaginary first-base player, then to yourself and then to two other imaginary players on your left. Finish with a dealer’s card face down across from you and then deal the second player’s card. Begin counting as shown above and finish with a dealer’s up card. Now, play ALL FOUR player’s hands according to proper basic strategy and keep the count. Busy, huh? Don’t worry, with practice it will all come to you. When you’re done with the first round, do another and then riffle through the few remaining cards to verify that you’ve kept the count accurately.
This exercise will form the basis for all of our practice — except speed development — from here on out. As you’ll discover, this type of “overload” makes it very easy to play and keep count at an actual casino game; all you need to do there is just sit back, count and play.
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On This Page
Introduction
Let me say loud and clear that card counting is hard and is not as rewarding as television and the movies make it out to be. If it were an easy way to make money, then everyone would be doing it.
If you do not know the basic strategy, trying to count cards is highly ill-advised. Experienced card counters still play by the basic strategy the great majority of the time.There can be no short cut around learning the basic strategy, those who attempt card counting without a firm foundation in the basic strategy are making a big mistake.
To be a successful counter you have to be able to countdown a deck fast and memorize large tables of numbers as well as make it look like you're just a casual player.Furthermore, with today's rules, a realistic advantage the counter will have is only 0.5% to 1.5%. You will not win money slowly and gradually but your bankroll will go up and down like a roller coaster in the short run. Only in the long run, over hundreds of hours of playing, can you count on winning.
The underlying principle behind card counting is that a deck rich in tens and aces is good for the player, a deck rich in small cards is good for the dealer. When the counter knows the odds are in his favor, he will bet more, and adjust his playing strategy to stand, double, and split in some plays where basic strategy says to stand. All the options the player has at his disposal favor the player even more when the deck is ten and ace rich. Here is a list and a brief reason why.
Standing: The player may stand on stiff totals of 12 to 16, and the dealer may not. In ten-rich shoes, hitting stiff hands becomes more dangerous, favoring the more conservative player strategy.
Insurance: On average, when the dealer has an ace up, the remaining cards in blackjack will be 30.87% tens (based on a six-deck game), making insurance a bad bet. However, if the probability gets above 33.33%, it becomes a good bet. Counters know when the remaining cards are ten-rich, and make powerful insurance bets at those times.
Doubling: Usually, when the player doubles he wants a ten. In ten-rich shoes, the player makes better double downs, getting closer to 21.
Blackjack: Both player and dealer will see more blackjacks, but the player gets paid 3 to 2, and the dealer does not.
Surrender: The alternative to surrendering is much worse in ten-rich shoes. If the alternative is hitting, the player is more likely to bust. If the player would otherwise stand, due to the high count, the dealer is still more likely to get a 10. While the counter will surrender more in high counts, the savings will be greater.
Splits: The player is usually splitting high cards and/or off of a weak dealer card. Either way, a ten-rich shoe helps the player get higher totals, and increases the probability of the dealer busting.
I'm working on an in-depth study of how these effects break down. The contribution to each factor depends on the rules, deck penetration, and bet spread. However, based on average conditions in a six-deck shoe, my initial results break down the benefits of counting as follows.
Why Card Counting Works
| Player Option | Portion of Benefit |
|---|---|
| Stand | 40% |
| Insurance | 34% |
| Double | 9% |
| Blackjack | 7% |
| Surrender | 6% |
| Split | 4% |
The probability for insurance was taken from Don Schlesinger's 'Illustrious 18' list, as found in Blackjack Attack. The rest of the breakdown is mine.
To gauge the richness of the deck in good cards, the player will keep track of the cards the are already played. Strategies vary, but all assign a point value to each card. For example, the hi-lo count assigns a value of +1 to 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and -1 to tens and aces. Everything else is 0, or neutral. At the beginning of a deck or shoe, the count is 0. Then the counter constantly adds and subtracts from the count, according to the cards played. This running total is called the 'running count.' A positive count means that a disproportional number of small cards have already been played, which means that the deck is rich in large cards. To determine the 'true count,' divide the running count by the number of decks left to be played, or in some strategies, the number of half decks. This will tell you the relative richness of the deck in good cards.
The true count is used in two ways, to determine how much to bet and how to play your hand. Unless it is obvious, every situation has a line in which you should play one way if the count is above the line and another if below. For example, a 12 against a 6 may dictate that you stand if the true count is -1 or greater and hit if the true count is less than -1. The counter will also bet more when the true count is high, meaning the deck is rich in good cards.
A problem arises when it comes to treating aces. The player should bet more when the deck is rich in aces since they add to the probability of getting a blackjack. However, when it comes to playing your hand, the number of aces left is not nearly as important as the number of tens, so it is desirable, but not necessary, to distinguish between tens and aces. Some card counting strategies keep a side count of aces. In the Hi-Opt I and Revere Plus/Minus aces are counted separately and only considered when making the wager. This is a more accurate and powerful way to play than assigning a negative value to aces and not keeping a side count, as some strategies do. Yet, many people feel that for the beginner it is too confusing to keep two counts. A player is more likely to make mistakes keeping two counts and that costs money. The efficiency of a strategy that does not keep a side count of aces is only modestly less, but you likely will gain more from fewer mistakes made. Different experts fall in various places in the spectrum in terms of what to recommend for the beginner. The Zen Count takes the middle ground and gives aces a value of -1 and tens -2. Personally, I have tried both and would recommend against a count that requires a side count of aces to a person ready to take up card counting. The Uston Advanced Plus/Minus is a good strategy that does not involve an ace side count and can be found in the book Million Dollar Blackjack. How well you know a counting strategy is much more important than which strategy you know.
Legally speaking, the player may play blackjack any way he wants without cheating or using a computer, and the casinos may do anything from making conditions unfavorable to barring, in an effort to stop anyone who they deem has an advantage over the game. Much of the challenge of card counting is avoiding suspicion that you are anything but a normal non-counting player. The most obvious indication that somebody is counting is that they make a substantial increase in bet size after a lot of small cards leave the table. Although the greater the factor by which you can increase your bet the greater your odds of winning, more than doubling your last bet is a fast way to arouse 'heat'from the dealer and pit boss. Usually when casinos employees realize you are counting, they will either shuffle the cards whenever you increase your bet, essentially removing any advantage, or ask you to leave.
This is only scraping the surface of the subject of card counting. I suggest the following pages of mine.
Practice
Practice your card counting skills with our trainer.
Internal Links
Card Counting Simulator
- Blackjack main page.
- Hi-Lo Count.
- The Ace-Five Count, possibly the easiest way to count cards.
- Book review section, for suggestions on good blackjack books.
External Resources
- Blackjackinfo - A complete course covering everything from basic strategy to card counting
- BJ21 - By Stanford Wong; A membership based community covering all aspects of card counting.