Easy Card Counting for Basic Strategy in Blackjack

Learning basic strategy in Blackjack can help keep losses within affordable and planned limits, but card counting skills are necessary to take your game to the next level at which you can look forward to net wins if you keep playing. You must know when to increase a bet and when the dealer has better chances than you. This requires that you estimate how many high value cards are left in a shoe, because cards with values of 8 and over favor you. Do not get put off if math is not your strongest point, or if you tend to forget things, for you can make rapid strides with easy practice steps. Here are three top card counting tips that everyone can use:

A - Do not waste your capacity to remember things by stuffing with facts that do not matter. You only need to know the relative balance of high cards remaining in a deck, and not specific cards that have been dealt.

B - Build up your mental math in small steps. Start by memorizing numerical values of each card. Each card counting method has its own variation. It is common to count 10s and aces as -1 each, red 7s and cards of 6 and below as +1 each, and black 7s, 8s and 9s as zeros. Start keeping running totals once you are familiar with the value of each card. The full deck has a net value of +2 on this basis. Remember that accuracy is more important than speed: keep practicing until you can keep running count without errors.

C - Move to counting in pairs once you can consistently arrive at the target of +2 for a full deck. Then observe other players at tables, doing the mental math in your head for practice. Do not start playing until you are confident of keeping running totals in your head. Remember that actual play is tougher than keeping running card counts in your head, but you will surely make steady progress with daily practice.

Do not get put off if card counting and basic strategy continue a string of losses in the short run. The methods of statistics do not relate to small numbers of discrete events. However, you will taste success as you keep playing regularly sticking with the basic strategy and card counting approach. Be wary of casinos that offer single deck Blackjack with pay outs of less than 3:2 because it will affect your winnings significantly. Most casino managements tempt clients with multiple deck and other offers that improve the odds in their own favor. You have to look for tables where you can win at Blackjack, sticking to the basic strategy and card counting, preferably with a single deck. Choose roulette, poker or a fine meal if you are on a quick vacation on the Las Vegas Strip, because the veteran casinos there know that the odds are stacked against them with the approach described here. You can graduate to multiple decks over time, but remember to adjust your pivot. It is common to multiply the number of decks by -2 to arrive at the correct pivot.