Blackjack is a game of probabilities and luck. You can beat the odds if you are using methods to win games. These methods are often not seen as sporting in some venues, but they have been proven to work time and again if you can employ them discreetly. The methods are listed below along with their probable outcomes. You must study the art of card counting diligently if you want to use it regularly while playing the game.
#1: The Relationship Between The Cards And The Plays
The cards that have been used in the game have a direct relationship to the next hand that is played in each game. Cards that are stacked up in the discard pile determine how many cards are left to work with. People who can count cards can memorize which cards are sitting in the discard pile, and they can use the cards showing on the table to determine what is still in play.
The player that understands this relationship between the cards and the next play must be able to memorize all the cards that have hit the table during that particular game. This relationship exists only in your mind because you must count the cards in your head. The methods that follow this brief description only work if you have the mental flexibility to do the work in your head while playing your hand, reading the other players and eyeing the dealer.
#2: The Eight Shoe Deck
Cards in blackjack are taken from an eight shoe deck. The eight shoe deck is eight decks of cards shuffled together. These decks have a total of 416 cards. These 416 cards are impossible to memorize, but you can work around this problem with some simple statistics.
The eight shoe deck is modified before a game of blackjack with the removal of 30 of the 32 aces. This leaves only two aces in the deck, and a game of blackjack one-on-one with a dealer requires you to look out for these aces. You may receive one of them, and it is practically impossible for you to get both of them. You are working on the assumption that you will never see an ace because there is only a 2 in 386 chance that you will receive one. It is a miracle if you do see an ace, and you cannot assume that the dealer is sitting on one. Your card counting must go much deeper than these two cards.
#3: Values Of Ten
The cards that carry a value of ten are all over the eight shoe deck. The dealer that is receiving these cards knows that they cannot complete a successful hand with any reasonable certainty, and players who receive cards with a face value of ten are unlikely to automatically get another card of ten to match.
The cards that are valued at ten change the game significantly, and the method of counting cards that you use must account for these cards. Considering the aces, face cards and tens as the most important cards in the deck helps you develop your strategy for card counting.
#4: The Most Common Method
The most common method of card counting involves keeping a running count of every card that has been used during the game. The eight shoe deck has to be exhausted before the dealer may start over. This eight shoe deck will reveal all its cards to all players as the game is played, and you will gather more information as you get deeper into the deck.
Keeping a running count requires you to know precisely how many cards there are of each type. Each number and face card will happen 32 times during the game. The aces only happen twice, and you keep this imbalanced count in your head.
#5: Building Your Game Around The Count
The count at the beginning of the game is poor because you have no information at all. You will start the game by immediately improving your count with the cards on the table. The first few games on the deck are not the time to bet big because you have no idea what the deck has in store. You are simply keep in a tally in your head as the cards are played. You will have more information a few hands into the game, and you can make bolder moves.
#6: The Odds
The odds shift in your favor as the cards of ten stay in the deck. The dealer cannot create complex hands with these cards, and the players at the table will have more chances to create complex hands that will win. You must watch as the cards with a value of ten leave the table. Less cards of this type will increase the odds for the dealer. Your count is now divided into two parts. You have a count of all cards ten or more and a count of cards less than ten. You will watch the odds swing in your favor as the cards move around the table.
#7: Aggressive Betting
You can make more aggressive bets once you have some information from the deck. The bets that you place at the beginning of the game were tame because you did not know much about the deck. You may have seen the aces leave the table, and you will know how many cards are left that have a value of ten. You can place bets at the beginning of each hand in moderate amounts, and you may begin splitting your hands when you know that you have the chance to improve each hand with smaller cards.
You are still gambling with an incomplete set of information, but you are gambling with more information than you had. The bets that you place at this stage of the game should be aggressive so that you can make money while the dealer struggles to create hands that might beat you.
#8: The Finals Hands
Card counting helps you the most when you get to the end of the deck. The eight shoe deck will run out eventually, and you will know which cards are left as you play the final few hands. You can guess fairly accurately which cards you will receive, and you can place bets based on this information.
#9: The Card Counting Results
You cannot guarantee that you will win every hand in a game of blackjack by counting cards, but you can guarantee a much higher success rate than the casino anticipates. The dealer knows that the odds are in their favor when the deck is new, but the dealer knows when their favored cards are leaving the table. You are in a game against the dealer. This game requires you to pounce the moment that you know you have better odds than the dealer. The dealer can only do so much to improve their position, and you have all the opportunities in the world to split your hands. You make use of every card that you know is coming up, and you will win much more money.
Blackjack is an easy game to win if you are counting cards at the table. Online casinos use the same rules for eight shoe decks, and you will watch all the cards used in the game leave the table. Keep a tally in your head to guess which cards will come up next. Your hands will be designed based on the cards you know are left. You must be very discreet when you are counting cards, and you must take your time to keep the tally in your head properly. There are 416 cards to worry about, only two aces and many different hands you could see. Practice the art of card counting to improve your winnings.
