Blackjack Counting Card Strategy- A Brief History on a Mathematical Trick

Did you know that the popular trick called blackjack counting card has been around for a few decades? Enthusiasts and serious blackjack players wanting to score a fortune in casinos have been using the strategy for years.  The game of blackjack may be straightforward, where the players and the dealer aspire to score a 12 or at least near that number. The initial arrangement is that players get two cards, but they will be given the chance to add more in the hope of scoring a 21. If the dealer (casino) holds a lower hand or goes over 21 and your cards add up to 21 or close to it, you win in the game. The counting and comparison are easy to do, but predicting the values of the cards in the deck and making the appropriate wagering decision is the difficult part. This is where hi lo card counting comes into the picture, a system design and inspired by a UCLA Professor Edwards O. Thorp.

From a Scientific Paper to the Blackjack Tables

It all started in 1956 when Thorp read a statistics paper published in a journal. Inspired by the thesis of the paper, Thorp immediately initiated an inquiry on blackjack patterns. He later initiated a scheme that is now familiar to many players who want to learn to count cards. What he did was to examine the cards from a deck and come up with a system that can determine the remaining variations after some hands have been played. The idea behind the system is that if you are tracking the cards that have been dealt, then you can make a guess if the remaining card values will be favorable to you or the dealer (casino). With this system, he later published a book called ‘Beat the Dealer’ in 1962, now the must-own for those learning how to count cards.
Many consider this seminal book as a complex take on blackjack counting card strategy. The system may be complex and hard to understand, but there’s no denying the fact that this is an original system that inspired many to study blackjack in the hope of beating the dealer.




Further Reading:

1. Blackjack Counting Card at CardCountingTrainer.com
2. 3 Ways to Count Cards at WikiHow.com

Hi-Low System- Most Popular Card Counting Blackjack System

Different blackjack players and enthusiasts have their own likes and preferences when it comes to the counting systems they use to beat the dealer. But of the many systems use, the Hi-Low system is considered by most as the most popular and effective on the table. This card counting blackjack system works by assigning a value worth +1, 0 or -1 to the card given to the players on the table. Each card on the deck will assume a specific value. For example, the 10s (from King to Queen) including the Aces will assume a value of -1. The cards with face value of 7, 8 and 9 will assume a counting of 0. And the cards with face value of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will get a count of +1. In hi lo counting, the idea is for the player is to mentally keep a running total of all the cards that have been dealt in the table. Based on the running total, the player will then make the necessary adjustments on the wager.


Pointers to Remember in Hi Lo Counting

The kind of wagering decision and the amount to be risked will depend on the actual running total. If there is a high plus count, then this means that there is a high concentration of aces and ten-point cards waiting to be dealt. This will work for the player, thus a player should move to increase the bet on the blackjack table.
If the running total for the card counting blackjack system is zero, then this reflects a neutral score. This means that the player and the dealer are of equal footing, and no one carries the advantage.
But if the running count is on the minus side, then the dealer holds the advantage.  This means that there is a high concentration of ‘stiff cards’ left in the table. If the player is faced with this scenario, then there’s two popular options available- reduce the wager or leave the table.

Following table shows various ranking system for counting cards using hi lo method, though many other system exists:

The main advantage of hi lo counting is that this becomes more credible as the card counting progresses, thus a player can easily change the wager depending on the predicted cards available on the deck. For many experienced counters, a count of at least +2 then it’s best to increase the wager. Also, when using the system it’s best to still learn the basic strategy in the game of blackjack. Remember, the counting system should only serve as a complement to the basic blackjack strategy.

Video Tutorial on Hi-Lo Card Counting

Further Reading:

1. Card Counting at Wikipedia.org [Click Here]
2. Hi-Lo Card Counting at Wikipedia.org [Click Here]