The topic of card counting in blackjack is also discussed in the 2009 film HangoverWith BlackJack, the chances of winning are quite good, as the chance is close to the 50 percent mark. However, some players like to use a technique that is not officially illegal – card counting. However, there are some tips to keep in mind when counting cards. In real casinos in particular, card counting is not welcomed and can even lead to a house ban.

Casinos in the USA can set rules in their house rules as they wish and if it says that card counting is not allowed, it can be fatal if one is caught doing it. This article aims to explain the technique of card counting, but we do not want to urge players to use card counting at Slotjar.com.

How does card counting work?

Card counting is based on a very simple theory. With BlackJack you have an enormous advantage if you have an idea of ​​which cards are coming next. You can never know for sure, but the probabilities for some cards are higher than for others, because the others have already been dealt, you can gain a great advantage over the casino. The chance of a normal win is already close to 50 percent and if you can now gain a small advantage by knowing which cards are most likely to come, you can turn BlackJack into a long-term profitable game.

The true count can be calculated with a simple formula

The simple and at the same time quite profitable method of counting cards is the high-low system. If you follow this strategy, you don’t have to remember exactly which cards are already out. Rather, you work out a value that represents the remaining values ​​in the card deck. It is a so-called “running count” technique in which each card has a certain value. This simple casino with free spins will find out when the relationship between high and low value cards has become out of whack.

All cards are divided into three different groups with different values ​​for counting

The card values ​​are divided in such a way that an entire deck of cards should be played through, which results in the total zero. From the moment the first card of a newly shuffled deck is dealt, the player begins to count the value of the card. As can be seen from the overview, a low card increases the value by one point, and a high card decreases the current value by one point. All cards from 7 to 9 are considered neutral and are not counted.

After the first round, however, the result of the count is not particularly accurate. There are far too many cards in play for the +1 at the end of the first round to indicate that there are more cards of higher value in the deck. While this is the case, it cannot be relied on in the next round. Only when a few hands have been played and the deck of cards in the shoe are slowly running out can you bet on the result of the card counting.

Use the Hi Low System in the best online casino of the year!

For this reason, some players do it so that they watch a table only a few rounds. This makes you a little suspicious, but you can also watch the way the other players at the table play. In a real casino, however, this should only be used if you have really mastered it “in your sleep”. The croupiers and security managers who have been trained to recognize such behavior must not notice that you are counting in your head.

Well-known examples of successful card counting

We all love to hear stories from people who have managed to outsmart the casinos and have a successful evening by counting cards. And fact, there are some stories from the past where professional blackjack players have been successful with card counting.

WITH BlackJack team

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology logoThe MIT BlackJack team is feared by many casinos. It was originally a group of undergraduate and graduate students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who developed strategies to beat various large casinos with the technique of card counting. They financed their group privately and cashed in numerous casinos in the USA. Some members of this group were exposed at some point, so that they were banned from entering various casinos, but the initially small group quickly expanded. The team and its successors successfully pursued the strategy from 1979 to the beginning of the 21st century and there are still believed to be some players who emulate the MIT BlackJack team.