Can anyone give me a good guide on how to count cards?

Question

The movie 21 inspired me to cheat :)

Answer 1

Counting cards is not cheating, nor is it illegal or immoral.

All you are doing is using your skill to reduce the house edge.  It's only cheating if you use a device to help you win, or break the rules.

Unfortunately card counting is not the lucrative concept the movie may have implied.

First off, there are about 3,456 possible variations of Blackjack rules.  The exact combination of rule variations determines the exact house edge.  You're going to need to figure this out before you count.  Some games have such a good house edge that even with counting the casino still has the edge.

Next you're going to need to learn basic strategy and become flawless at it.  In every game of Blackjack you start with two cards, and one dealer card is exposed.  Based on every possible combination of hands that you and the dealer have there is a mathematically correct thing to do.  For example, if you have ten, and the dealer is showing a 2, it is always correct to double down.  There are 270 scenarios that you need to learn.

So assuming you are capable of scouting out a good game with a nice low house edge, and assuming you are an expert at basic strategy, then you can begin to count.

If everything is going well, you'll probably be able to get an edge of 0.5-1.5%  You'd have to be really lucky to find a situation where your edge is much better than 5%.

So if you can pull all this off and find a perfect situation, for every $1,000 you bet, you should get back about $1,050.

And even if you are good at all these things, in the short term it is still pretty easy to lose.  Even knowing that the count of the deck is really in your favor, doesn't mean you are definitely going to win.

The important thing to remember is that casinos are not dumb.  They know all about counting cards, and the movie 21 has them laughing all the way to the bank.  Because for every person who gives counting a shot, I expect less than 5% of them will have any real improvement over someone playing randomly.

If you want to make money in a casino, learn to play poker.  It is a game where the house doesn't care who wins, and therefore it is a game worth playing.  If your skill is better than the other players at the table, then in the long term you will win.

Answer 2

You need a lot of information to assault a casino and expect to win money.  Buying a book is the quickest way, so just fork over the 15 bucks to the bookstore.

http://www.qfit.com/blackjack.htm

(has free info, tools and software to use)

Practice basic strategy here:

www.hitorstand.net

Answer 3

Although I agree with the previous answer, the basic strategy is really pretty easy to master and simple to play without having to think.  The counting is really quite simlple also.  You typically in most methods give low cards a value of 1 (2 thru 6s) and ignore 7,8 and 9s and give High cards a value of -1 (10s thru Aces).  Unfortunately even playing correctly and increasing your bets by a value of 2 or 3 times your bet, at a 5 dollar table you might be lucky to make 20 dollars an hour.  If you can get away with it or have someone bankroll you, you might change a 5$ bet into a thousand dollar bet when the count is favorable, but then the house can always shuffle when they feel like it.  The movies are not very realistic.  I have been at tables when a player greatly increased their bet and the house simply re-shuffled and the player pulled their money back.

Answer 4

Start with Basic Strategy. Learn it. Know it. Of all Blackjack things to know, this you MUST know and it must be 2nd nature.

Check out the Hi/Lo counting system afterwards as well as Ace Tracking. Finally, get a Blackjack program and run 1000s of hands yourself before hitting the tables. Your bankroll will thank you later.