A SIMPLE CARD COUNTING STRATEGY

How It Works, How To Play & How To Bet

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If a blackjack player knows basic strategy and employs it flawlessly, casinos have about a 0.52% long term advantage, depending on the rules and number of decks used. This means, on average, for every $100 wagered, you would expect to lose 52 cents in the long run.

By learning and utilizing a very simple card counting system, you can reduce the house edge even further! This strategy is very easy to master and play. The system recognizes and keeps track of the two most important cards in the deck.

For the player, the most valuable card is the Ace. Besides being the essential element for a blackjack, it also enables the player to make hands because its value can be One or Eleven. The most important card for the dealer is the Five, because when hitting hands of 12 through 16, it will give them 17 through 21.

HOW THIS SYSTEM WORKS
As the cards are dealt from a new shoe, you assign a value of -1 (minus one) to all Aces, and a value of +1 (plus one) to all Fives. By doing this, you know if there is an imbalance of Fives versus Aces on the upcoming hand. You increase your bet when you are more likely to get an Ace, and bet the minimum when there is a surplus of Fives.
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For example, if the cards are dealt for the first hand and there are three Fives dealt and one Ace, your count would be +2 (plus two) for the upcoming hand. (Three Fives at a value +1 [plus one] each or +3, and one Ace with a value of -1 [minus one], so the count is 3 - 1 = +2). With this information you now know that for the next hand you are more likely to get an Ace as opposed to a Five.

BETTING
For a six-deck game, you will bet the minimum when your count is at +2 or lower. If you get a count of +3 or +4 for the upcoming hand, bet twice your minimum bet. When your count is at +5 or higher for the upcoming hand, bet four times your minimum.
Here is a betting chart for a $10 minimum bet six-deck table:

Betting according to your count will reduce a casino's edge because you are increasing your wagers when the composition of the cards for the upcoming hand favor the player, and playing the minimum when the dealer has the advantage.

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PLAYING THE HANDS
You must know and play basic strategy perfectly to maximize the reduction of the casino's edge. There is no room for hunches or gut feelings. How much of a reduction depends on the house rules, number of decks, how well you play basic strategy, and how accurately you keep track of the Aces and Fives.

While you will not have a mathematical advantage over the casino using this system, you will be able to reduce the house edge a little bit more than if you were just using basic strategy. In fact, after 25,000 hands you will have a 25% chance of being ahead!

If you decide that card counting is for you and would like to take your game to the next level, I cover card counting in my new book. My system keeps track of all the cards as they are dealt, and has a betting and playing strategy according to the count.

By playing this way you have a mathematical advantage over any casino. Then it will be you, not the house, who has the advantage when you sit down to play. My book How to Become a Blackjack Jedi, by TJ Jorgensen, is available in digital and printed versions on Amazon. $

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