Card counting techniques, if followed with basic blackjack strategy, can maintain a positive advantage over the casinos. Whichever card counting system a player is following, the system will give him or her a running total. For instance, if a player is utilizing the high-low card counting system, then after several hands he or she might have a running total of +8. A running total of +8 means that there are eight more Ten Cards remaining in the deck than there are low value cards. As this is quite high, a player needs to consider another factor before deciding to start throwing your chips around. That is, the number of cards which are remaining to dealt.
Whichever the card counting method, what it does is calculating the ratio of high value cards to low value cards remaining in the deck. Keep in mind that it is the ratio which is important rather than the actual number of high or low cards remaining. Nevertheless, the majority of casino blackjack games are played using more than one deck, and often six or more.
Card counting allows the player to take the ratio of high cards and low cards by converting his or her running count into a "true count". The method of calculating the "true count" is quite easy. True count is the value you get by dividing the running count with the total number of decks of un dealt cards. By knowing the true count you can easily know how favorable the remaining cards are than those of the running count.
Hence if the running count is +8 and there are two decks remaining to be dealt, then the true count is actually +4. Similarly, if the running count is +8 and there are four decks remaining to be dealt, then the true count is actually +2. That is, the true count will be decreased according to the number of decks which remain un dealt.
If the true count shows positive results, then change your bet size so you can earn more profit. Similarly, if the true count goes down, then decrease your bet size to reduce the effect of losing the game.
Calculating the true count and increasing or decreasing your bet size according to the true count will help you to play blackjack like a professional. Download our industry leading software!
Interesting Fact: There have been some high-profile lawsuits involving whether a casino is allowed to bar card-counters. Essentially, card-counting, if done in your head and with no outside assistance from devices such as blackjack computers, is not illegal, as making calculations within one's own mind is not an arrestable offence.
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