What is card counting? It’s simply a method of keeping a running mental tally of the value of the cards that have already been played at the blackjack table (between shuffles). Casinos will have you believe that card counting is incredibly difficult, but that’s because they obviously dislike the practice, even though it’s legal (when done without anything other than your mind). The casinos rely on the slight house edge in blackjack to make them lots of money. The last thing they want is for card counters to take that edge away!
Playing blackjack ‘by the book’ without counting cards gives the casino an expectation of keeping a small percentage of your money when you finally leave the table. Playing by the book and adding card counting flips that slight edge in your favor. Now, you can expect to leave the table with some of the casino’s money! They don’t like that, but it’s perfectly legal.
There are a few simple card counting strategies, such as the one known as ‘Hi/Lo,’ that are easy to learn and utilize proficiently. They will not make you an instant millionaire, but most work well over the long term. A very important thing to keep in mind is that these card counting methods work better when playing with a single deck vs. blackjack tables using multiple decks. They will work with both, but a single-deck game gives you a significantly bigger advantage.
Hi/Lo Card Counting
The Hi/Lo card counting method is perhaps the simplest to learn. You simply watch and track the value of each card on the table after every hand. Every card dealt to every player, including the dealer, is exposed at the end of the hand, so you can do this without a lot of effort. When the dealer shuffles, you start over from zero.
Players using Hi/Lo assign the following values to each card:
2-6 = +1
7, 8, 9 = 0
10-Ace = -1
As each hand is played, you keep a running total by adding and subtracting the values for every card played. When the running number is positive (favoring the player), you bet more. When the number is negative (favoring the dealer), you bet less. That’s all there is to it! Over time, you can expect to make about $10-$20 profit per $1,000 you bet. On a table with modest minimum bet levels and speedy play, you will probably go through $1,000 in wagers in an hour or less.
One final note of caution about card counting. Casinos hate losing money! They work hard at thwarting card counters. Don’t let your greed paint a target on your back. Take small winnings and leave. Treat it like a job, not a ‘get rich quick’ scheme. Successful card counters can operate for years in the same casino if they keep their daily winnings low enough to fly under the casino’s radar.
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