Advanced Blackjack Strategy: Card Counting

Having learned and followed basic strategy we can now turn our attention to methods which will increase the player’s odds even further. With the introduction of card counting the advantage can be taken by the player. It is best to find a slow dealer when counting cards and to sit at the very left or right of the table for the best view of the entire table.

What card counting does for the player?

Card counting firstly tells the player when to increase or decrease their bet depending on whether there are many 10’s and Aces left in the remainder of the deck. Secondly, counting cards allows the player to adjust their basic strategy to that of what cards they expect to receive. These two aspects make card counting a powerful tool in Blackjack.

Card Counting Systems

System 1 – Keeping track of 10’s

The most straight forward technique in card counting available is to simply count the number of cards with a value of 10 when they appear. Depending on how many decks the dealer is using we know that half way through a shoe that the remainder is either rich in 10’s or low in 10’s. If the deck is rich in 10’s the player can increase the size of the bet or boxes played. If its week in 10’s reduce your bet to the minimum allowed.

Therefore, if 5 decks are in use 80 cards have a value of 10. If by the half way point in the shoe you have spotted less than 40 cards with a value of 10, then the remaining cards are rich in 10’s.

System 2 – Keeping track of the 10’s and low cards

More difficult in practice but also more accurate as the system also takes into account low value cards. When an Ace or a 10 is dealt the player adds a -1 to a running total. If numbers between 2-6 are dealt count +1. If the running total is a plus figure then the remaining cards to be dealt are rich in 10’s, therefore, action to increase bets should be taken.

System 3 – Calculating the ratio of 10’s to other cards

More accurate than the previous two systems, but extremely difficult to master because of the short time a player has to calculate his options at the table. A deck of cards has 16 tens with 38 other cards. This ratio is 36/16 or 2.25. When this ratio falls below 2.25 the remainder of the deck is rich in 10’s. As the house adds more decks this calculation must be adjusted accordingly. Therefore, if 4 decks are used this works out to 64 tens and 144 other cards. The player deducts from each of the totals as the cards are seen. If the ratio falls below 2.25 the remaining cards are rich in 10’s.

Other Considerations

The player who counts cards must take into consideration deck penetration. That is how far down the dealer will deal before reaching the cut card and reshuffling the decks. If the dealer reshuffles early it is more difficult for a favorable position to be achieved. It used to be that the dealer would go to the end of the deck, however, this has changed. Look for tables where the dealer will use 65-70% of the shoe before a reshuffle.

Card Counting Rules

When the card count reaches a +2 or more using the systems above you should generally:
1.) Take insurance
2.) Stand on 12 vs. a dealer’s 2 or 3.
3.) Double down on 10 vs. dealer’s ace.
4.) Surrender on 14 vs. dealer’s 10
5.) Surrender on 8 vs. dealer’s 9, 10, and ace.

When the card count reaches -2 or more the player should:
1.) Hit on 10 vs. the dealers 10
2.) Hit on 9 vs. the dealer’s 2
3.) Hit on 12 vs. dealer’s 4
4.) Hit on 13 vs. dealer’s 2 or 3.
5.) Hit instead of splitting or doubling down

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