No, I'm not going
to teach you card tricks here, but I am going to show you a
few interesting ways to practice the count you've decided to
learn and then teach you the methods we use to keep track of
the cards as they're played at the casino. Developing your speed
at counting is an important part of your training, because if
you can't count quickly at home, you'll never keep up with the
dealer in a casino. Inaccurate counting can cause you to give
up any edge you have over the house and it's frustrating to
constantly "drop" the count when a faster dealer comes along.
At this point
you should have the point values of each card memorized and
you might be doing some single-card countdowns of a deck. I'm
sure you're slow at it, but that's OK, since accuracy is the
most important factor right now. Speed will come as you work
your way through the exercises I'll show you this week.
Pairs Value
Practice
Just as you learned
the point value of each card according to the system you wish
to use, here you will learn the point value of different PAIRS
of cards. This is one of the real "tricks" of the card-counting
business: the ability to count cards in pairs. With enough practice,
you'll see a hand of Queen, Jack as both a "20" and an M-2.
That capability will bring speed to your game. Here are the
values of pairs using the Hi / Lo method of counting
Hand Net Point
Value
-2
-2
-1
-1
0
0
+1
+1
+2
+2
Important!
Make sure you understand why each pair is valued as shown and
don't forget that if you're learning a different count, these
pairs may have different values.
If you understand
everything above, then start going through a single deck and
turn two cards over at a time. DO NOT keep a running count,
just recite the value of each pair so you can get used to the
adding and subtracting which is required. Do this until you
are totally familiar with the values of all possible pairs.
Then do it some more.
Laying down a
good foundation here will allow you to build your speed quickly
later on, so this exercise is time well spent. For you "Type-A's"
out there, you might even push this to learning 3-card values.
That is a very helpful skill to have, particularly if you intend
to play one-on-one with a dealer, since you always see 3 cards
at once; your initial pair and the dealer's up card. Most of
you will want to begin play at tables with other players since
things move slower that way, but like I said -- knowing the
3-card values won't hurt.
Pairs Countdown
Once again, remove
three random cards from a single deck and set them aside. (No
peeking!) Now, turn over the cards two at a time, keep a running
(cumulative) count of the deck and check your accuracy by adding
the cards you set aside in at the end. This exercise will be
your primary way of practicing card counting.
Gradually, your
speed will increase to a point where you will count as quickly
as you can turn over the cards. To go even faster, hold the
deck in your left hand, face up, and pull the cards -- two at
a time -- off the deck with your right hand. (Opposite if you're
left-handed). Help the cards along with your thumb and you'll
start to build some speed. How fast is "fast"? I go through
a deck in 10.5 seconds, but all you need to keep up at an average
table with 2 or 3 other players is 20 seconds, though 15 is
better (and easy attained if you practice).
Counting at
the Table
The method we
use to count cards at the table is the real secret of this business.
For those games where the cards are dealt face up to the players,
the diagram below will show you how we do it. Games where the
cards are dealt face down (mostly single deck) require a different
methodology and we'll cover that next week.
Most dealers keep
their up card face-down until each player has received both
cards. The procedure for counting at a table like that is to
begin counting when the player at "first base" receives his
second card and to count each player's pair as the cards are
dealt. End your count with the dealer's up card and then count
each player's "hit" cards. Finally, count the dealer's hole
card and any cards the dealer may take as a hit.
You can see that
this method of counting by pairs allows you to look more natural
at the table. Most people think counters track each card as
it's dealt, so supervisory people at casinos watch for players
who follow every cards as it comes out. My method allows you
to look away from the table as the first card is going down
and then watch as each hand is made with the second card. That
looks a lot more natural, since most players are interested
in seeing what hands other players get.
Good Online Casinos
Homework
Besides continuing
with your basic strategy practice, start playing some "kitchen
table" Blackjack. If you can con someone into dealing to you,
great, but if you can't, just deal four player hands out in
a manner they use at your favorite casino. Don't assume the
role of the dealer; you want to get used to seeing all this
from a player's perspective so deal one card to an imaginary
first-base player, then to yourself and then to two other imaginary
players on your left. Finish with a dealer's card face down
across from you and then deal the second player's card. Begin
counting as shown above and finish with a dealer's up card.
Now, play ALL FOUR player's hands according to proper basic
strategy and keep the count. Busy, huh? Don't worry, with practice
it will all come to you. When you're done with the first round,
do another and then riffle through the few remaining cards to
verify that you've kept the count accurately.
This exercise
will form the basis for all of our practice -- except speed
development -- from here on out. As you'll discover, this type
of "overload" makes it very easy to play and keep count at an
actual casino game; all you need to do there is just sit back,
count and play.
