Some people will tell you that you need to have a great memory to count cards, but this is not true. Card counting is a simple strategy that anyone can learn. You should know that you will have to practice a lot to become a pro at it.
However, you should know that before learning how to play cards, you should know how to play basic strategies. Read on to learn the steps you should follow to master how to count cards, and see how you can become a pro gambler.
Give Each Card a Value
You can utilize the Hi-lo strategy many have used to win at casinos. For example, if you have a fourth deck, a two-through ace of spades. Four of these cards would be one deck of a card. You should separate the cards into different values. You can have 2-6 ( low-cards) give these values +1. Every time you see a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, you will add 1 to your running count.
The cards from 10 to ace are going to be your high cards. You must subtract one from the running count every time you see a 10, jack, queen, ace, or king. 7, 8, and 9 are assigned the value zero or are just ignored in the running count.
Keep Record of The “Running Count” Using the Values of The Cards Given
Record running count Card after card and round after round, until the dealer reshuffles the cards, a card counter performs this for each card that emerges from the shoe. This knowledge would have been sufficient to start placing bets appropriately back when blackjack just had one deck. The player gradually gains the edge as the running count rises. The advantage held by the casino rises if the running count decreases.
Utilize This Data to Get the “True Count” or Count Per Deck.
We need just convert our running count into a “True Count” or count per deck to apply it to a game with several decks. Each step will be explained below.
A +5 running count with 6 cards remaining and a +5 running count with 1 deck left are two very distinct situations. In the first case, there is less than 1 extra high card per deck left; therefore, the player is not yet in a better position. For a card counter, the concentration of high cards relative to the concentration of low cards is more essential than simply the amount of extra high cards.
Since there are 5 more 10s and Aces among the remaining 52 cards, if you had that running count of 5 and only 1 deck left, the player now has the upper hand. The “True Count” is important because of this.
Change Your Wagers as The True Count Increases and Decreases.
Knowing when the house edge shifts in favor of the player requires keeping a running count and a real count, but if you don’t use that knowledge to alter your strategy, you’ll just be playing a mentally taxing game of blackjack. You need to increase your wagers as the genuine count increases to use the knowledge you learn through counting. When the cards are on the player’s side, you should bet extremely large amounts; when they are not, you should bet extremely little. It can be challenging to manage your bankroll and develop an effective betting plan, and if you don’t know how to bet correctly, it’s easy to harm your bankroll significantly.
Is Card Counting Illegal?
No, because when counting cards, you use your brains, which is not illegal, right? Card counting is a mathematical system where a player keeps track of the ratio of high vs low cards to know when more favorable cards are likely to be dealt. Even though card counting is legal, it’s good to know what is illegal in the casino to save yourself from trouble. Some rules include:
- You should not use any kind of device
- You cannot mark your cards in the casino
- You cannot collude with casino employees to cheat or spook
Counting Cards in Poker: Is it Possible?
Counting cards in poker is possible, and people do this to make profitable decisions against other players. The main and maybe the biggest reason people do this is because they want to beat other players using a different strategy than the ones that might be instructed to them by the poker rooms.
Some poker players count cards, and some other players claim it doesn’t work. It is easy to beat the house in poker, but you need to know how you are doing it and what you are doing.
When thinking about counting cards in casino games like blackjack, players think about making money for themselves by increasing their bets when there are more likely possibilities of winning. So yes, it is possible to count cards in poker, and if you want to take advantage of this opportunity, then you must follow some basic rules:
- You need to know all the possible card combinations
- You need to have a good memory for remembering cards
- You should have a good understanding of what will happen next
If you have mastered all of these, it is time for you to start looking for opportunities to use your counting skills. You should also be very careful in using it because if other players notice your moves, they will not appreciate it, and they may accuse you of cheating, and therefore, you may get into trouble.
As you can see, counting cards is not easy, and it takes a lot of time and practice to become a professional. However, as we stated at the beginning of this post, anyone can learn how to count cards. You need to follow the steps that we have described above. Now that you know how to count cards in blackjack, it’s your turn to try out your card-counting skills in real casinos or just spin to win real money. Play blackjack and enjoy the game that used to be a simple and boring casino game.
