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Blackjack - Should You Count Cards
BLACKJACK - SHOULD YOU COUNT CARDS?
If you are like the average, recreational Blackjack player,
you may play Blackjack in a casino a few times per year and
you want to play in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and have
fun.
But at the same time, you don't want to play a game where
the odds are greatly against you and you want a worthy chance
of beating the house on any given day. And you're willing to
invest a reasonable amount of time learning to play
properly.
Does this describe you? If so, you're not alone. About 99%
of Blackjack players can very likely be portrayed as
"recreational" players. If you invest the few hours it
takes to lean Basic Strategy and worthy money management you
will reduce the casino's edge down to about a half percent.
This is the closest to playing even with the house that
you'll find in any game in the casino.
However, for those of you for whom playing almost even with
the house is not worthy enough and you want the edge, you must
become a card counter.
It is an irrefutable fact that you can have an advantage
over the casino in Blackjack by counting cards. There are
dozens of books this subject and card counting has been
mathematically proven - literally thousands of times - as a
method to more accurately determine the odds that your next
hand will have favorable cards.
The long-term advantage gained by card counting is about 1%,
versus the one half percent disadvantage from simply playing
Basic Strategy.
So why isn't everyone a card counter and why are casino
Blackjack profits at an all- time high and climbing?
Two reasons: * Casinos have made the playing conditions
very difficult for card counters. * Becoming an expert card
counter requires hundreds of hours of practice and a
monstrous bankroll. Even then, a small lapse in
concentration at the table will wipe out the small advantage
gained by counting.
This does not mean there aren't professional Blackjack
counters who make a living playing Blackjack - there are.
However, to be able to make a full time living by counting
cards, you'll need to be able to do the following:
* Spend hundreds of hours, and play thousands of hands, to
learn to count cards expertly, plus learn the many subtle
variations to hitting and standing that vary with the count.
* Play 100 hours plus per month of actual table time, with
average bets of $50 - $100. You can probably double this
amount of time - or more - to allow for breaks, finding worthy
tables, changing tables and casinos frequently, travel, etc.
* Learn how to constantly conceal your card counting skills
when playing, to avoid being asked to leave.
* Play at odd hours usually very late at night into the
early hours of the morning, because it's best to play
one-on-one with the dealer or with as few other players as
possible at the table.
* Change tables and casinos frequently, to avoid being
detected.
* Have a very large bankroll. As a professional, you will
need about 300-500 times your average bet, to be able to
take advantage of the count by stepping up your bets
dramatically and playing multiple hands, while also being
able to weather the wild swings in your bankroll that will
frequently happen in the short run. This translates to a
working bankroll of about $30,000 - $50,000, based on
average bets of $50 - $100, which is what you'll need to
earn a full time living.
If you are indeed able to do all of the above flawlessly,
then congratulations! You are an expert card counter and you
will make money in the long term.
For the 99% of us who are recreational players and unable -
or unwilling - to make the substantial effort required to
count cards expertly, then playing Basic Strategy is the
next best thing. This will give a very low edge against you
of about one half of one percent, while still providing the
chance to come away a winner in the short term.
Learning perfect Blackjack Basic Strategy takes only a few
hours and can be mastered by virtually everyone. You can
play any table, any time, for as long as you like, without
having to worry about being noticed by the Pit Boss. In
fact, the Pit Bosses will welcome you with open arms. You'll
still have the lowest odds against you of any table game in
the casino and you'll have a fighting chance of beating the
casino with a worthy race of cards.
This is the best way to play for casual, recreational
players who want to have fun but not lose their shirts.
Don't get me wrong: the bottom line is that if you want to
be a serious, dedicated Blackjack player, who gets the most
thrill out of beating the casino and is willing to work hard
to do it, then by all means learn card counting.
However, for the recreational player, Blackjack should be
easy to learn and fun. With Basic Strategy, it is.
Tom is the webmaster at http://www.blackjack-for-everyone.com,
which is a website dedicated to turning beginning Blackjack
players into serious recreational player
