The
crudest and probably easiest form of card counting
is eyeballing the game, that is, when you see
a lot of big cards played you decrease your bet,
with small cards you increase it. It is still
a form of counting in the eyes of some in casino
management that just recently got Yours Truly
backed off a game.
The
next simplest would probably be the ace/five count;
it requires that you count only the aces and fives,
and it's preferably used on a multiple-deck game.
You increase your bets from one to three units
when there are more aces than fives still in the
deck. It doesn't give you the biggest edge, only
around a half of one percent, but supplementing
it with perfect basic strategy, you're at least
playing in the black against the house.
One
of the easier and more popular card counting systems
for the game of blackjack is a one level count,
a.k.a. the Hi-Lo system. The Hi-Lo system consists
of assigning a point value of +1, 0, or -1 to
every card dealt. Cards numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, and
6 get +1; 7, 8, 9 cards are counted as 0; and
Aces and 10-point cards are assigned a value of
-1. You keep a running total and vary your bets,
from one hand to the next, guided by the constantly
updated imbalance figure, which predicts whether
the next hand will favor you or favor the dealer.
Any
bookstore would carry books on the subject of
card counting, but your best bet is to check at
the Gamblers Book Shop (gamblersbooks.com or 800-522-1777).
The Gamblers Book Shop probably has every book
written and software program created on the subject,
meritoriously described in their FREE catalog.
Final
recommendation: Even with a theoretical advantage
varying from 0.5% to1.5%, you shouldn't quit your
day job!
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Columns By Mark Pilarski
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