Card Counting Systems and Strategy in Blackjack

To understand why it is that card counting is a viable blackjack strategy, you must first understand that blackjack is unlike all other casino games, namely craps, roulette, and slot machines. In those casino games, the player has virtually no control over the result of an action.

They are conducted on the basis of "independent trials," which essentially means that one event in those games has no effect on subsequent events, and is not influenced by previous events. Of course, independent trails are not applicable to card counting in blackjack, because the cards are removed from the deck and buried after they have been played. They will not appear again until the deck or decks are shuffled again. Whatever cards have already been removed have a very definite effect on the cards which are subsequently played.

With that having been said, computer researchers have discovered that when there were an abundance of ten-value cards and aces remaining to be played in the deck, the player found himself at an advantage over the house. When there was an abundance of low cards (2 through 6) remaining, the house had the edge. When the ratio of the high and low cards was equal, the player and house were virtually on even terms.

When you think about it, there is a basis in logic. In blackjack, the player is allowed to exercise various options, such as doubling down, pair splitting, insurance, and sometimes surrender, not to mention the options of simply hitting or standing. The dealer, on the other hand, must play within particular constraints. For example, he must hit on 16, stand on 17, and is not afforded the options which are available to the player. The dealer must always hit a "stiff" hand, while the player doesn't have to, and cannot compensate for the gains the player makes through doubling, splitting, and insurance, because he is not allowed to exercise any of these options.

And for each one of those options, the presence of tens and aces is good for the player, so it follows that an abundance of those cards puts the player at an advantage.

Obviously, than, if the player knows when he is at an advantage, he is going to be in an infinitely better position to exploit the situation. So how does he do this? Through the process of card counting – either at the blackjack table or when playing blackjack online.

A card counting system assigns a numerical value to each card or group of cards, and the player will add and/or subtract the values of the cards on a cumulative basis, with the product (a simple number) reflective of where the remaining deck or shoe stands at any given time. In other words, it will tell you whether there will be a relative abundance of low or high cards to be played, which in turn lets the player know when he is at an advantage.

When the running count is plus, that means a lot of small cards have been removed, which is good for the player. When it is a minus, a lot of tens and aces have been removed which, for the player, is detrimental. By using one number to represent the running count, the player knows if he has the edge or not at all times and he will tailor his betting and playing decisions accordingly.

Some blackjack card counting systems are more complicated than others. Which are best? Well, much depends on how easy each of them are for the players to implement, measured against how effective they are in terms of the blackjack betting strategies and playing variations they dictate.