Blackjack, formerly known as twenty-one, is one of the most popular card games in the world. A number of players compete against the dealer one-by-one, but they do not compete against one another. In order to win, a player has to get as close to 21 points as possible. The great thing about this game is that the player is allowed to opt for any strategy he/she wishes while the dealer follows a given set of rules; thus, reducing the house advantage. However, to win blackjack, a player needs to master the skill of counting cards. Blackjack expert Robbie Davis tells you all you need to know about counting cards and the best strategies to win:

How to count cards

There are four easy steps that you can learn if you are a beginner at blackjack and we have also developed our own steps here:

1. Assign a value to each card: Cards 2 to 6 are assigned a value of +1, 7 to 9 are assigned a value of 0, and 10 to ace are assigned a value of -1. Players need to memorize these in order to play effectively. This is called the Hi-Lo strategy

2. Keep up with the running count: When each card is dealt, a player subtracts, adds, or does nothing to the value of the card based on the values mentioned in Step 1. If the running count is low, the advantage shifts to the house. On the other hand, if the running count increases, the advantage shifts to the player.

3. Calculate the true count: In this step, the player aims to keep an accurate count of the cards dealt in order to gauge the running value of the cards left. The simple formula for calculating the true count is equal to running count divided by decks remaining. Casinos attempt to throw players off the game by using multiple decks, so keep a lookout for that.

4. Change your bet: After each round, depending upon the value of the cards dealt, players should change their bet. The concept is simple. You should increase the size of your bet if the count is negative because there will be low-value cards left in the deck. Do the opposite if the count is positive because there will be high-value cards in the deck.

Strategies for advanced players

Wrong halves

Wrong halves is a strategy developed by Stanford Wong. It is developed in such a way that when all cards are dealt, the count becomes zero. Some of its values allocated to cards are fractions, but they can be doubled up for easier counting. 10 to ace are valued at -1, 9 is valued at -0.5, 8 is valued at 0, 5 is valued at 1.5, 2 and 7 are valued at 0.5, and 3,4 and 6 are valued at 1.

Multiple decks

The multiple deck strategy was developed by students from MIT and gained popularity when they won millions of dollars at casinos. While multiple decks aren’t as effective as single decks, using it right can help players reduce the house advantage. It recommends three actions based upon the up card a player gets. The first is a player’s hard hand; for example, if a player gets an 8, then he/she should hit everything. The second is the player’s soft hand; for example, if a player gets an A:2, he/she should double 5 and 6 and hit everything else. The third and last strategy is the player’s pair; for example, if a player gets an A: A, he/she should always split.

Omega III

The Omega III strategy is similar to the Wrong halves strategy where there is a balanced system in which values are assigned in a way that when all cards are dealt, the count is 0. The count also reflects the type of cards remaining in the deck; for example, a positive count means that low-value cards are left in the deck. In Omega III, 8 and ace are assigned the value of 0, all face cards are assigned the value of -2, the number 9 is valued at -1, the numbers 4,5 and 6 are valued at 2, and the numbers 2,3 and 7 are valued at 1.

Group Play

Even though players only compete with the dealer, sometimes they group together for a better play. However, the trick to do this is without being noticed, so players use a signaling system to communicate with one another. They can advise the player competing against the dealer on the bets he/she should make, when to join a hand, and other plays that can help them win the game.

Things to know about card counting 

There is a huge debate on whether counting cards is legal or not, and according to Robbie Davis, it is completely legal and also does not count as cheating. However, casinos portray it such because it’s easy for players to win real money at a blackjack game, and they want to minimize that. Thus, they will use all the tricks up their sleeve to prevent players from doing so. Fortunately, dealing with this is easy. It’s best not to stay at one table for too long as casinos have the right to ask players to leave without assigning any reason. Secondly, do not seem too good at the game and thirdly, it’s best not to differ your bets by big margins. You can also find casinos at betting kingdom’s website that offers free bets.