Card counting in blackjack is a mathematical technique for remembering all cards dealt from the deck at a specific time. Counting cards helps the player to know what cards are left to be played which may greatly aid him in the game. Counting cards is not easy but it can be done with experience and practice.
High Low Card Counting System
The Hi-Lo counting card technique was developed by Harvey Dubner. He simplified the Ten Count system that was created by Dr. Edward Throp, and made it simpler for players to use it at an actual blackjack table. This strategy is specifically made for beginner and intermediate blackjack players. This counting technique is certainly one of easiest to learn and is most recommended for gamblers who aren’t full time players, but still need to learn how to count cards. Because it is so easy to use, the High/Low counting system is the most popular option for many blackjack teams. It’s because the system performs well against the learning curve when various players on the team are at different levels.
The High/Low method can be mastered quite easily. First, you have to learn the value for every card in the deck. That value is 2-6 (the low cards) 1, 7-9, 0, and cards 10, J, Q, K and A (the high cards) -1. You generally start the count at zero after the dealer shuffles. When you notice a card in the 2-6 range add one to the count, do nothing when you see a card in the 7-9 range and last subtract one whenever you see 10 or higher or an Ace. The resulting number is the Running Count. When the Running Count is high indicates more low cards have been played. When it low means more high cards have been played. Then you’ve to compare it to the True Count, which is Running Count divided by the number of decks left to be played. You make your bets accordingly. You need the True Count to be as high as possible to supply the players the best possibility of winning versus the dealer.
Knockout Blackjack Card Counting System:
The knockout counting system, or KO, is one of the most popular unbalanced counting card methods. Most card counting programs are balanced. A balanced card system is where you count down the entire deck and end up with a final count of 0. But an unbalanced count system means counting through a card deck you’ll not get an end count of 0.
Knock out blackjack requires fewer conversion methods than the HI-LO system. The KO counting system is in fact easier for the player. If you’re having problems with the Hi-Lo system as a result of the conversions, you should use the KO system and see if you get better accuracy while playing.
The reason for less conversions is the Knock Out system includes the sevens inside the low card group. This system works like this. A card in the 2-7 range adds one to the count, you still do nothing when a card in the 8-9 range shows up and subtract one for a 10 or higher including the Ace. The nice thing about this system is it doesn’t use the True Count at all, making it much easier to compute.
Any of these two methods ought to get you counting cards in no time, but don’t use either of these for internet casinos, because there is to much variance.