Counting Cards Explained

There's a lot more to counting cards in Blackjack than meets the eye. Mike Aponte, former member of the infamous MIT Blackjack Team, takes us through the com. If the subject places the card on a pile WITHOUT the known bottom card, put the pile with the known bottom card on top of the pile that the subject placed their card on. Give the deck another cut or two, careful not to separate the known card with the subjects card, and make sure you remember what the bottom card.

This page describes the math involved in card counting.

In both movies, card counting is the most prominent way that mathematics is used by the main characters. Card counting is most commonly used in the game Blackjack, which is also known as 21 in some places. Blackjack is a game played against the dealer. To begin, the dealer deals two cards (face up) to each player and two cards to himself (one face up and one face down). Each card has a number value attached to it, so 2 is worth 2, 3 is worth 3, 4 is worth 4, etc. Face cards are worth 10, and Aces are worth either 1 or 11. At the beginning of the game, the dealer will announce whether Aces are high (11) or low (1), but they are usually high. The objective of Blackjack is for the sum of your cards to be as close to 21 as possible without going over 21. You lose your money if your cards add up to more than 21, or if the sum of the dealer’s cards is closer to 21 than yours. After the first two cards, each player has the option of asking to be dealt another card (to “hit”) or not. They will decide this based on how likely they think it is that another card would bring them closer to 21 without going over 21.

This is where card counting comes in. Card counting is a strategy using addition and subtraction to determine what kind of card (high or low) is likely to be dealt next. Card counters assign point values to each card that are different from the values I just explained. For card counters, there are point values beyond the obvious ones on the cards themselves. In card counting, cards 2-6 are worth +1, cards 7-9 are worth 0, and 10s, face cards, and Aces are worth -1. Card counters add up all of the cards that have been dealt using this point system, so, for example, if a 4, 8, 10, and queen have been dealt, the point value (or “the count”) would be (+1)+(0)+(-1)+(-1) = -1. Based on the sum of the cards on the table, the card counter will be able to better predict what kinds of cards are left in the deck that have not been dealt yet. If the sum of the cards on the table is very low, then the player knows that there are more low cards left in the deck, so the dealer is more likely to deal a low card. If the sum of cards on the table is very high, then the player knows that the dealer is likely to deal a high card (10, face card, ace) next. With this information, the player will make a more informed and statistically favorable decision about whether or not to ask the dealer for another card. Moreover, the player will bet more money if the count is higher because that means that more high numbered cards are left in the deck. These higher numbered cards are more likely to add up to 21 in the least number of cards. Card counting allows the player to gain an advantage over the dealer/casino over time.

• April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day is an annual custom on April 1 consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting 'April Fools!'
• The first step in card counting is to assign values to every card. Cards between 2 and 6 are assigned a value of 1. 7, 8, and 9 are worth 0. 10, jack, queen, king, and ace are valued at -1.

Interestingly, card counting does not require complex math. It involves simple addition and subtraction. However, it does take someone who has a good memory, the ability to maintain concentration, and who is extremely fast at performing addition and subtraction under pressure. Once I learned how card counting worked, I rewatched a scene from “21” and tried to count the cards along with Ben. It was then that I realized just how quickly you must add, subtract, process the result, and make a decision about whether to ask the dealer for another card and how much to bet. Thus, it is not surprising that there are not many successful card counters. However, it is still neat that the math is easily understandable to people who are not mathematicians, and that it does not necessarily take a mathematician to excel in card counting. It involves a lot of practice!

For more information on card counting:

Here is an example of card counting in action in “Rain Man” (start at 1:15):

Here is an example of the math/thought process in card counting in “21”: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3753050393/

Blackjack is one of the most loved gambling games across the world.

With it being the American twist on the age old game of Twenty-One, the game is best known for appearing American casinos and has been captured in films and TV shows over the years. Played with a deck of cards, you do not need much else to play a simple game of blackjack, although it is certainly played best against a suave dealer – be they online or real life. It’s also best to learn how to play blackjack in order to enjoy the game win, eventually.

Blackjack is a game so popular that is has its own culture and own traditions within it. One of the more controversial parts of blackjack is card counting, as card sharks into this particular card game have the ability to play the odds game better than others thanks to a fairly infamous method.

Counting cards dances on the fine line between being a betting strategy and outright cheating, depending who you speak to. One thing for sure though, is that the method is not going anywhere. Many players study the fine art that is card counting like a curriculum, practising the skill involved the do quick maths and remember the formula that the method of counting cards requires.

While it might not be as fun as attacking a game of blackjack with a sense of innocence and unpredictably, serious blackjack players swear by the method and there is no doubt that, if performed correctly, it can greatly increase one’s chances of winning at the semi-circular table that the game is traditionally plated on.

The basics behind card counting

Card counting is all about odds, probability and remembering what cards have been played and what cards must left in the pack.

The essence of the most simple card counting strategies is baed on the simple notion that high cards like picture cards, aces and 10s, are of more benefit to the player than they are to the dealer. As the game is played against a dealer, rather than against other players, this is something that becomes very important in winning a game of blackjack through card counting.

Also, the low cards such as 3s, 4s, 6s, and in particular the 5s, are very beneficial to the dealer while hurting the player’s odds of winning simultaneously. More high cards being dealt helps the player because you are more likely to hit the desired Blackjack result – created by a value of 10 and an Ace of Spades. Or more so, higher values increase the chances of getting to 21 by whatever means.

Also, higher values increase the chances of a potential splitting of hands, something which the dealer cannot do. Furthermore, having more 10s means that there is less 10s in the pack for the dealer, whose chances of getting a pontoon or blackjack are hurt massively as a result.

The system works not by physically remember the exact value of all cards played, but by assigning a value to each card that in turns helps the player predict the likelihood of winning or losing the hand.

Are there different systems of card counting?

Within card counting there are several different systems.

Similar to the amount of betting methods and strategies you find at the roulette wheel, the game of blackjack has a few schools of thought, techniques and approaches to counting cards. The most basic card counting system assigns a value of positive, negative or zero to each card seen. Then, when a card is dealt, the value of that card within the player’s system is adjusted to fit their own card counting approach.

Low cards increase the card count as they lower the chances of winning, whereas higher values do the opposite. The Hi-Lo system is a system of card counting that is particularly well known.

Using the Hi-Lo system, a player subtracts one for each dealt 10, Jack, Queen, King or Ace, and adds one of the lower values – that is, any value 2-6. Values 7-9 are assigned a value of zero and therefore do not affect the count, due to the fact that their totals can influence the outcome in a more unpredictable way.

So, as you can see, despite the formulaic nature of card counting, there is still an essence of predictability, not to mentioned memorising, that makes it more of a method than guaranteed winning technique.

Is counting cards easy to do?

Counting cards is something of an art form within card games like blackjacks.

Counting Cards Explained Words

It certainly is not an easy skill and despite it’s fame, few people at your average casino are able to successfully carry out the method with ease. However, it is a skill that you can practise and it is this that makes certain players and card counters more effective than others.

Online, you will even find programmes to practise the skill with and it is this practise that is is important. It is a misconception that a card counter needs an inhumane mathematical mind. However, it certainly does require a great understanding, a good amount of reading and ideally, a high level of concentration once the game gets going.

Is counting cards cheating?

Technically, using the card counting methods or strategies is not cheating. Currently in the United Kingdom and the United States, counting cards is not illegal and therefore, cannot be considered to be cheating.

Card Counting System

Yet, this does not mean that all casinos accept the method at their blackjack tables. Card counters have been scrutinised for years and have been made examples of quite publicly when caught. Both eagle eyed dealers and video surveillance are used to catch out card counters or at least, expected card counters who may be asked to leave the casino as a result.

Acts like large buy ins, dramatic bet variations, table hopping and large lifetime wins are traits used to identify card counters. Some card counters have become infamous, with names like Jess Marcum and The Four Horsemen, going down in gambling folklore for their mastery of the craft.

Image:Esteban Lopez