HIT, STAND, COUNT
A beginner’s guide to beating the dealer
By Al O’Grady
Blackjack is a simple game. That is part of its appeal. Whoever gets closer to 21 without going over, wins. We make it more complicated than what it really is. For the beginner, using the ace as either one or 11 tends to confuse them. Whether or not to hit on 16 confuses the amateur even more. If you are one of these people, do not worry about it. Many so-called advanced players get it wrong too. By looking at basic strategy charts and doing a little homework, you can master basic strategy very quickly. Blackjack also has the allure of making money since it has been romanticized in books and movies. When played properly, blackjack has the best odds for the player after baccarat. However, if a player can count cards, blackjack is the only game in the player’s favor. This makes the casino very nervous. It simply does not want you to know how to do this. This is where I come in.
Many believe they do not have the mental faculties to count cards. They feel you must be some type of savant or math geek. This is simply not true. Answer this: What is 1+1? Pretty insulting, right? Let’s continue: What is 1+1+1-1? Anyone in Grade 2 can do that. How about this one: What is 1+1+1-1-1+1+1+1-1-1+1+1? Please tell me you got 4 as your answer. Finally, I am going to throw a curve at you. What is 1+1+1-1- 1+1+1+1-1-1+1+1 and then divide by 2. If you came up with 2, congratulations. You successfully completed your first step to becoming a card counter.
The math is not difficult. It is simply adding or subtracting one and then dividing by a number. However, many are intimidated by math, and they say they cannot do it. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that if you say something to yourself repeatedly it becomes your reality, whether it is true or not.
So, when do you add or subtract? Simple. Whenever you see a 2,3,4,5 or 6, you add one. Whenever you see a 10, jack, queen, king or ace, you subtract one. The 7,8 and 9 are neutral cards and have a zero value. This cumulative value is known as the running count. Now comes the tricky part: Ask the dealer how many decks they are playing with. Most casinos play with either six or eight decks. Look at the cards in the discard rack. How many decks are remaining? You divide that number into your running count. This gives you what is known as the true count.
As an example, if your running count is nine and you estimate there are three decks remaining, your true count is three. Your true count tells you what to bet. If the true count is one, zero or a negative number, you simply bet the minimum. If your true count is two or higher, your bet is the true count times the minimum. As an example, if your true count is +3 and the table minimum is $25, you bet $75. The theory is simple. You bet heavier when there is a greater concentration of tens left in the deck, and you bet the minimum when there is a greater concentration of low cards.
This is a very basic card counting system. There are other systems. Try this at home: Take a deck of cards and turn them over one by one, keeping track of the running count. When you finish the deck, you should be at zero. If you make a mistake, try again. This is practice and it costs you nothing. Start off slowly and aim for accuracy. Once you become accurate, work on your speed. You should be able to go through the deck with 100% accuracy in under 30 seconds. After reaching this level, do two cards at a time. You will see that a high card and low card will cancel each other out and you will fly through the deck faster.
Doing it in the privacy of your home is one thing. Doing it in a live casino is another. Go to a casino to observe and practice. Do not play. You should do this when the casino is busy to avoid suspicion. The casino will have many distractions like loud music, flashing lights, an attractive waitress taking your drink order, etc. Once you feel you have mastered the art, try it at the table with the lowest table minimum. Once you gain confidence and your craft improves, you can take this to a table with higher limits.
If you have visions of being a card counter, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but more and more casinos are doing away with the traditional shoe and are moving toward the automatic shuffler. With the automatic shuffler, the dealer puts the used cards back into the mix after every hand or every other hand, resulting in a constant true count of zero. For aspiring card counters, you need to find a casino that still uses the traditional shoe. Good luck with that. The casino will say they use the automatic shuffler to generate more hands per hour, which is true, but, in reality, they have killed a second bird with one stone by eliminating the basic card counting system.
The casino industry needs to be careful and not allow greed to overtake itself. By taking too many measures, it may scare away potential customers and negatively affect its bottom line. In a previous article I suggested what the casino should do to allow card counters and still make it profitable for themselves—get rid of the automatic shuffler since no one likes it. Have the dealer kill half the deck. Have a no-midshoe entry rule and narrow the ratio of the table minimum and table maximum to either 4:1 or 5:1 and not the current 20:1. If someone wants to count, let them. This would truly make blackjack a game of chance for all.
Good luck at the tables and don’t forget to tip the dealer.
