An Amateur’s Manual to Counting Cards

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Posted by Ciara | Posted in Blackjack | Posted on 18-03-2011

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What makes black jack more fascinating than several other equivalent games is the reality that it offers a mix of chance with elements of skill and decision-making. Plus, the aura of "card counting" that lets a gambler turn the odds of a casino game in his favor, makes the game additional alluring.

What is card counting?: When a player says he is counting cards, does that mean he is really holding track of each and every card wagered? And do you have to be numerically suave to become a successful card counter? The answer to both questions is "No".

In fact, you aren’t counting and memorizing particular cards. Rather, that you are maintaining track of sure cards, or all cards as the case may perhaps be, as they leave the chemin de fer deck (dealt) to formulate an individual ratio number that suggests the composition of the outstanding cards. That you are assigning a heuristic point score to every card in the deck and then tracking the total score, which is named the "count".

Card counting is dependent on the presumption that good cards are great for the player while low cards are very good for the croupier. There may be no one method for card counting – distinct methods assign diverse point values to various cards.

The Hi-Low Count: This is one of the most frequent systems. According to the Hi-Low technique, the cards numbered 2 by means of six are counted as plusone and all 10s (which consist of tens, J’s, queens and K’s) and aces are counted as -one. The cards seven, 8, and nine are assigned a rely of zero.

The previous explanation of the Hi-Low method exemplifies a "level 1" counting system. There are other counting methods, called "level 2" programs, that assign plustwo and -two counts to particular cards. On the face of it, this system appears to offer additional accuracy. Nonetheless, experts agree that this extra accuracy is countered by the greater difficulty of retaining count and the increased likelihood of generating a mistake.

The "K-O" Method: The "K-O" Technique follows an uneven counting system. The points are the same as the High-Lo system, with the addition of seven’s also being counted as plusone. A common out of balance counting process is designed to eliminate the need to take into account the effect that a number of decks have on the level count. This multiple deck issue, incidentally, demands a process of division – some thing that most players have problems with. The "K-O" count was made well-known by the book "Knock-Out Blackjack" by Ken Fuchs and Olaf Vancura.

Though it may well seem to be a humungous task to learn how to track cards, the returns, in terms of time spent, are well worth the work. It is really a known truth that successful card counting gives an "unfair advantage," so to say, to the blackjack player. There’s practically no acknowledged defense against card counting.

Warning: Except do bear in mind, that although card counting isn’t against the law in any state or country, gambling establishments have the proper to ban card counters from their place of business. So do not be a clear counter of cards!

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