Win By Counting Cards

Card counting in black jack is based on the premise that the high cards are good for the player while the low cards are good for the dealer. High cards increase the chance of a player getting a blackjack, which generally pays 3 to 2. Low cards are good because they decrease the chance that the dealer will bust.

Card counting players will raise their bets when the ratio of high cards to low cards in the deck is in their favor. They also make adjustments in strategy based on the ratio of high cards to low cards. These adjustments to their playing strategy can give players an advantage over the house.

Contrary to popular belief, card counting does not track and memorize specific cards. Instead, card counting will assign a point score to each card in the deck and then tracks the total score. This is what is called the count.

The System

Different card counting systems can assign different point values to the various cards, but the most common system is the Hi Lo Count, is illustrative. The cards numbered 2 through 6 are counted as +1 and all tens (10s, jacks, queens, kings and aces) are counted as -1. The cards 7, 8, and 9 are given a denomination of 0. The Hi Lo system is a level one counting system; while other counting systems may assign +2 and -2 counts are called level two systems. Card counting experts agree that the additional accuracy from the level two system is offset by increased difficulty of keeping count and a greater likelihood of making a mistake.