Blackjack Card Counting- An Intelligent Approach to Playing Blackjack

When most casino and instant win games are anchored on the concept of random wins and games, blackjack on the other hand offers you a chance to ‘tweak’ the results and increase the chances of winning. The great thing about playing blackjack is that you don’t need to worry about the Random Number Generator (RNG), the technology at the heart of slots and scratch card games that promote randomness of results. In the classic card game, you only need to worry about the values of cards that are dealt and make the necessary betting decisions. The process of tracking the card values and making the corresponding change in wager is called blackjack card counting. When you play the game, you are no longer at the mercy of the RNG. If you want to increase your odds, consider the value of counting in blackjack. How to count cards in this classic card game will serve as your ticket to potential winnings. But keep in mind that this is not an easy task to do. In fact it takes a lot of concentration, memory learning and quick thinking for you to take advantage of this strategy. These are the main reasons why many enthusiasts and observers call card counting strategy an intelligent approach to playing blackjack.

The strategy is an intelligent casino strategy because this involves counting, tracking, monitoring of expected advantages and coming up with a reliable betting scheme. There is a great amount of details in this strategy of blackjack card counting, thus many players rely on simulated plays and the use of computers. Also, based on the availability of high-value cards and low-value cards in the deck, you also need to make betting decisions.

Card counting is not for the faint of heart or for someone who cannot sustain his attention on the quick shuffling and dealing of cards. At the end of the day, this strategy is a mind game with the intent of actively monitoring the card value even in the face of common casino distractions.

A Video Intro to Card Counting at Blackjack

Further Reading:

1. Random Number Generator at Wikipedia.org

2. Blackjack at Wikipedia.org

3. Image Courtesy to CardCountingTrainer

Movie ‘21’ Helped Bringing the Concept of Card Counting for Blackjack to the General Public

At the height of the popularity of a system called card counting for blackjack, the practice was only known to a few people and groups. Group members of the MIT Blackjack Team (and its other splinter groups), statisticians and eager enthusiasts were the only individuals who were in the system and the idea of beating the dealer. But with the publication of many books focused on the best ways to learn how to count cards, the idea of card counting slowly became popular. And the popularity of this blackjack strategy reached greater heights when a number of films were made that were inspired by the system and the exploits of many who want to beat the blackjack dealer. One popular film made that was influenced by the exploits of the MIT Blackjack team was ‘21’, a 2008 American movie that starred Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth.

21 Movie Trailer

From University Classrooms to Blackjack Tables

The film tells the story of a young university student aspiring to snag a medical school scholarship who was invited to join a team of students who are into card counting for blackjack. The members of the group are trained to know the best tricks on how to count cards black jack and work as a team in order to get the best winnings. In the movie, the system of card counting explained in great detail the process of tracking the values of the cards that have been dealt and the remaining values of the cards still available in the deck. In mastering the ways on how to count cards in blackjack, the idea is to act on an opportunity when there is a high concentration of high cards of cards bearing 10s and aces.  The group is normally divided into two- the ‘spotters’ who do the actual counting and the ‘big players’ who provide large wagers as soon as the count on the blackjack table as soon as the count becomes favorable.

The release of the film may not be well-received by the critics but it brought card counting into mainstream consciousness.


Reference:

1. 21 (2008 Film) at Wikipedia
2. Card Counting at Wikipedia
3. Card Counting Training at CardCountingTrainer.com