6 card counting strategies in Blackjack

If you have just started playing Blackjack, you might have heard of card counting strategies. Card counting strategies come in different forms. Finding out which ones work for you best will take some practice. At the end of the day, Blackjack is still a game of chance, but it doesn’t mean you can’t apply some strategies to help you.

Blackjack is a popular game both in land-based casinos, online casinos, and crypto casinos like a bitcoin casino. Whether you’re used to visiting a physical casino or you like crypto gambling more, Blackjack is one of the most popular games among players.

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Card counting

Card counting is a Blackjack strategy based on math. It aims to determine whether the next hand is likely to be advantageous to the player or the dealer. The intention of card counters is to keep count of the game’s high and low-value cards, which is an attempt of minimizing the house edge of the casino.

Through card counting, players get to have an idea of how the remaining cards are composed before they are dealt and played. This allows players to make better decisions and minimize their losses. To get you started, you can test your luck on Gamdom, the best online and crypto casino.

The basic card counting system assigns a positive, negative, and zero value to every card. The assigned point values to the cards should correlate to each card’s Effect of Removal (EOR). EOR refers to the estimated effect of when a particular card is removed from the game, reflecting how it affects the house edge percentage.

Every time a card of a certain value is dealt, the count is adjusted through the card’s counting value. Low-valued cards increase the high-valued card’ percentage in the remaining set of cards and thus the count is also increased. Meanwhile, the high-valued cards decrease the count for the opposite reason.

For example, the Hi-Lo card counting system is 1 for every dealt 10 card. King, Queen, Jack, and Ace add 1 for any values between 2 and 6. Values 7 to 9 do not affect the count since they are assigned 0.

The information that the player gets to access by counting cards allows them to understand when to bet high or small. Having more low-numbered cards in the deck is not ideal because the player will unlikely get a Blackjack on the first two cards. Also, the dealer is more likely to bust.

How to count cards

Card counting in Blackjack can be explained through three steps.

1. Every card is assigned a value according to the plus-minus count.

Cards 2 to 6 have a +1 count.

Cards 7 to 9 have 0 or neutral count.

Cards 10 to Ace have -1 count.

2. Counting starts at 0. Players will add the card’s value to the count while every card is dealt. For instance, an Ace, King, 2, 7, 6, 4, and 5 are dealt. Based on the value of the cards, the count, then, is +2. The dealer’s face-down card is counted only when it is flipped.

3. As cards are being dealt out of the deck, the counting continues. Players shall make their betting decisions based on the count. The player should ideally bet higher if the count is negative, and lower if it is positive.

You can also play online Blackjack and versions of it as crypto games using these steps. Players start counting after the cards are shuffled and dealt. When the running count is positive after a given round and the undealt cards are mostly high-valued, the player must increase the bet. In the opposite scenario, the ideal move is to decrease the bet.

Card counting systems

There are numerous well-known card counting systems that Blackjack players frequently use. Some are known for being simple and straightforward, while others are more complex and advanced. Read on to learn about the most used card counting systems.

Hi-Lo System

The Hi-Lo System is considered to be the most basic card counting strategy. It is based on Edward Thorp’s ten count. Beginner Blackjack pliers find it simple and useful. Those who play crypto games may be familiar with Gamdom's Blackjack variation, Hi-Lo. One should remember the following in the Hi-Lo System:

1. Cards 2 to 6 are assigned with +1 value since they are low cards.

2. Cards 7, 8, and 9 are assigned with 0.

3. Ace, King, Queen, and Jack are assigned with a value of -1.

The counting begins with the first dealt card from the deck. The higher the positive number in the player’s count, the more high-value cards there are in the deck and vice versa. Usually, players start with a running count of 0 when cards are first dealt with. Players proceed by dividing the number by the number of decks in the shoe.

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It may be of benefit for card counters to first practice with one deck prior to moving on to more complex systems. Besides this, players get themselves used to card counting by trying to keep the running count accurate with added sound disturbances like radio and TV playing in the background.

Omega II System 

The Omega system was developed by Bruce Carlson and is described to be an intermediate-level system of card counting. It is a multi-level system where some cards are counted as two-point, while others are counted as one-point. The values are as follows:

1. Cards 2, 3, and 7 have a value of +1.

2. Cards 4, 5, and 6 have a value of +2.

3. Card 9 has a value of -1.

4. Card 10 and face cards King, Queen, and Jack have a value of -2.

5. Card 8 and Ace are 0.

The system is a balanced card counting system. This means that if the player has been able to keep track in the right way, they will arrive at 0 when all cards have been dealt.

Hi-Opt I and II Systems

The Hi-Opt systems can be played either as Hi-Opt I or Hi-Opt II. 

Hi-Opt I has the following values:

1. Cards 3, 4, 5, and 6 have a value of +1.

2. Card 10 and face cards King, Queen, and Jack have a value of -1.

3. Cards 2, 7 8, 9, and Ace are 0.

Like Hi-Lo, it is a balanced system. It requires players to keep a running count in order to make informed betting decisions.

In Hi-Opt II, this is the system and its values:

1. Cards 2, 3, 6, and 7 have a value of +1.

2. Add 2 to the running count when you see cards 4 and 5.

3. Subtract 2 from the running count when you see card 10 and the face cards.

4. Cards 8, 9, and Ace are 0.

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Wong Halves System

The Wong Halves system was developed by Stanford Wong and is described to be the most elaborate system there is. It is a three-level card counting system. Once all cards in the deck are dealt with, the final result of calculations should amount to zero. Ideally, players should calculate their true counts after every deck has been dealt.

The values assigned are the following:

1. Card 10 and face cards King, Queen, Jack, and Ace have a value of -1.

2. Card 8 has a value of -½.

3. Card 9 is 0.

4. Card 5 has a value of 1½.

5. Cards 3, 4, and 6 have a value of 1.

6. Cards 2 and 7 have a value of ½.

Players may double the value of ½ to avoid fractions.

It is important to remember that the running count should be converted to a true count in order to determine the odds of winning. It is advised to calculate the final count after every deck is dealt with. This is described to be easier than calculating a final count based only on several dealt decks of cards.

Red 7 System

The Res 7 System is described to be simple and easy for beginners since it is a one-level system. The principle of the system is built on high cards versus low cards. The higher the final count, the better it is for the players. The values are as follows:

1. High value cards have a value of -1.

2. Low value cards have a value of +1.

3. Cards 8 and 9 are 0.

4. Card 7’s value depends on the color. If a 7 is red, it is a low value card. If a 7 is black, it is 0. 

KO System 

The Knockout system is popularly known as the KO system. It is suitable for both beginners and intermediate players, whether they play Blackjack in land-based spaces or online like on a bitcoin casino. The values are as follows:

1. Card 10 and face cards King, Queen, Jack, and Ace have a value of -1.

2. Cards 2 to 7 have a value of +1.

3. Cards 8 and 9 are 0.

The system is not balanced since after all the cards have been dealt, the final count will not amount to a 0.
 

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Words: Hunny Laurente