05.22.09
How to Count Cards
strategy charts, as I have a pretty poor memory. You are not memorizing cards when counting, you are
simply adding and subtracting. If you can add and subtract than you can count cards. The purpose of card
counting is to have a better idea of what kinds of cards are likely to come out in the remaining hands left
in the deck or shoe. You want there to be a lot of high cards and aces left in the deck, for several reasons:
1. You are more likely to get a blackjack, which pays 1.5 times your bet.
2. What is “supposed” to happen according to basic strategy is more likely to happen. If the
dealer shows a bust card than he or she is more likely to bust.
3. Double downs are successful a much higher percentage of the time.
-1. This way you can have an idea of how many high cards are in the deck compared to how many low
cards. It’s a piece of cake!
and 9 are neutral (zero value). As each card gets dealt keep a running total of the count. Practice quickly
counting through a deck (or decks) of cards before you hit the casino. You will need to get fast to keep up
with the pace in a casino.
opposed to six or eight deck games. In single and double deck games I like to count aces out separately,
which gives me an advantage. In this situation I will count 3, 4, 5 and 6 as +1 and 10, Jack, Queen and
King as -1. I just keep my left hand underneath the table and count the number of aces that come out on
my fingers. If a low number of aces have come out than I will know that the situation is more favorable.
