Going to casino, how do I count cards?

[Psiko]

Not according to the maths unless your are unlucky. Of course some sessions you will loose, some you will win, it is the delta's that matter. Try it yourself on a free blackjack table with dummy money. But you will need to average it out over several sessions.



I ask for a private table to play £20- £500 hands and don't touch the newbie £2 tables. I leave if another player who doesn't know what they are doing joins, which is rare, as I like a brisk game. I usually start of at £20 stakes and depending on the night might endup around the £100 - £200 mark.

This is not a perfect strategy, it is a basic set of rules to play to put the odds statisitcally in your favour and is independent of other hands. (Of course other hands affect cards, but it doesn't affect the thinking process of these rules)

Also the rules are extremely simple to follow without complex mind numbing calcs and not outrlawed by the casino's. Infact at my regular casino I may as well not be sitting at the table as the dealers know how I play perfectly everytime.

That said, no stategy is perfect otherwise blackjack and casino's wouldn't exist.

This is my method of playing BJ over 2 years and works for me. Of course you could always try card counting

Good luck at the table.

gjrc is correct - you will lose money over time, very much according to the maths.

I'm glad your strategy is working for you, but please do not think that the odds are in your favour. If you are playing perfect basic strategy (no counting) then the best you can hope to do is to have the odds 0.5% against you - i.e. on average a 50p loss for each £100 hand. Your strategy sounds inferior to perfect basic strategy so I would expect a higher loss rate.

The only way to shift the odds in your favour is if you have prior knowledge of the cards that will next come out of the shoe - i.e. counting cards or cheating.

As humans we are prone to numerous biases and one of those is assigning outsized probabilities to favourable outcomes - i.e. you recall the times you win big, but not all the losses!

 

[Catanonia]

Well I looked this up, BJ was weighted about 0.5% in casino's favour. Using these rules pushes the odds back into your favour over time. I remember researching it many years ago but can't give any evidence now.

At the end of the day, it is a mugs game, so whoever thinks they can win big at casino's is going to be disapointed.

To make any return I have to bet big and the probability of big losses is high.

So far I have not been to the casino for 2 months now, hoping to keep it that way.

 

[subbytna]

No hotlinking - Davey

 

[dowie]

Takes balls though to play £100 - £200 hands.

no it doesn't - it just requires sufficient bank roll... (or stupidity if lacking said bankroll)

Not according to the maths unless your are unlucky. Of course some sessions you will loose, some you will win, it is the delta's that matter. Try it yourself on a free blackjack table with dummy money. But you will need to average it out over several sessions.

yes according to the maths - the house still has an edge - you're placing -EV bets - if you're aware of this and doing it for entertainment then fine... to think you're likely to be a long term winner doing it is silly

This is my method of playing BJ over 2 years and works for me. Of course you could always try card counting

its got nothing to do with 'working for you' you've set out a strategy that can be followed objectively... its not even basic strategy which still gives the house an edge it is very certainly an -EV strategy - there don't exist any +EV strategies for blackjack that don't account for previous cards... you might have got very lucky, you might have simply forgotten your losses, not kept records and are simply kidding yourself... if you've got money to burn then that's fine but don't start posting on public forums claiming that something works when it clearly doesn't - that's just irresponsible

 

[Catanonia]

its got nothing to do with 'working for you' you've set out a strategy that can be followed objectively... its not even basic strategy which still gives the house an edge it is very certainly an -EV strategy - there don't exist any +EV strategies for blackjack that don't account for previous cards... you might have got very lucky, you might have simply forgotten your losses, not kept records and are simply kidding yourself... if you've got money to burn then that's fine but don't start posting on public forums claiming that something works when it clearly doesn't - that's just irresponsible

A strategy I used and has worked for "me" and definately better odds than walking into a casino without a clue and trying to card count considering what the OP was asking ? I don't give a toss how responsible it is or isn't as gambling on the whole is questionable and it is hopefully helping the OP rather than getting him blacklisted or worse still.

Gambling on the whole is riding your luck (without cheating). Many times I have walked into a casino with £1000 and lost it in 1/2 hour and many times I have tripled my money over a night. Overall I have found this to guide me playing and simple to follow hence me suggesting it to a newbie at BJ.

Up to the OP and I hope he realises it is not as easy as he hoped.

Good luck OP

 

[dowie]

suggesting it as a way to lose less quickly is fine

making BS claims that 'statisitically you will come out on top' isn't fine

 

[dfarrall]

Love how OCUK is full of card counting professionals now

 

[BlackCoat2k10]

Go in with a little booklet and write down every number you get, then at the end of each page just shout a random number between 3 and 11. This will show them you mean business and they will just give you money!!

 

[Davey_Pitch]

Well I looked this up, BJ was weighted about 0.5% in casino's favour. Using these rules pushes the odds back into your favour over time. I remember researching it many years ago but can't give any evidence now.

Your research is wrong. If you are not card counting there is simply no way to put the odds in your favour over a long term, especially if people follow your advice of always betting the same amount. Playing perfect strategy simply lowers the house advantage, it doesn't erase it or put it in your favour. If you've managed to stay ahead over a long time, you are simply very very lucky. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[jimmy321]

Ask the dealer to count them for you.

 

['Harry]

Play poker. Blackjack is for tools.

 

[Kosmiche]

Do you really want a beat down by the people who watch over CCTV and monitor table wins by card counters

Its not cheating though, you're just playing the game really well.

 

[Haggisman]

Its not cheating though, you're just playing the game really well.

I'm pretty sure the rules of football don't explicitly state you can't shoot everyone on the opposite team, but that doesn't mean it's allowed..

 

[HAz]

maybe its best you stay out of casinos if you cant count.

 

[Kosmiche]

I'm pretty sure the rules of football don't explicitly state you can't shoot everyone on the opposite team, but that doesn't mean it's allowed..

Its simply a strategy.

 

[kindai]

Ignore card counting, all modern casino's use 6 packs mechanically shuffled plus they will easily spot a new card counter.

Follow these rules to the letter relegiously and statisitically you will come out on top.

A variety of casinos are bringing back shoe tables, often only available to long term customers.

Secondly, unless you count, statistically you will always lose in the long run.

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

It's like being able to drive an 18 wheeler truck but then not being able to drive a mini.

I like that analogy

Remember that picture cards are also 10, so you're only dealing with numbers 2 to 9, then aces can be either 1 or 11. So K7 = 17, TT = 20, TQ = also 20, A7 = 8 or 18.

 

[One]

Maths degree and can't count single digits in blackjack or keep track of what cards in deck?

o_O

It's like being able to drive an 18 wheeler truck but then not being able to drive a mini.

This is nearly the analogy that suits my situation, however I would say I can drive an 18-wheeler with ease and never crashed in 40 years of driving, but want to get my mini around the nurburgring in less than 12 minutes. Obviously I can drive around the nurburgring, fast even, say 13 minutes, but I want to do lots of practice so I can get it under 12 minutes.

Fortunately I've solved my own problem, I wrote a blackjack program in excel VBA which doesn't show the totals. I'm pretty efficient at blackjack now

 

[DcD]

Above all, stick to these rules. Maths and statistics rule.

If maths and statistics rule, then surely you'd have not got into gambling on blackjack in the first place due to the overly stacked odds against you making a profit in the long run?

With any gambling, the house will always win, eventually.

Also, I distrust any gambling tips where the person has said how much they bet. It's usually a crock of ****, no offence. One thing I did notice though:

At the end of the day, it is a mugs game, so whoever thinks they can win big at casino's is going to be disapointed.

To make any return I have to bet big and the probability of big losses is high.

So far I have not been to the casino for 2 months now, hoping to keep it that way.

But...

I visit a local casino once a week with normally a couple of grand.

So what is it? Are you a hardcore gambler rolling into your regular casino with a couple-thou in hand every week, or an ex-gambling addict who's kicked it? Story isn't adding up here, and giving gambling tips and then turning back later to say anyone who uses your "never to fail strategy" will be disappointed is immoral and stupid.

Finally, lol @ no one reading the OP's actual post about wanting to add two numbers, not actually count cards....

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Hey OP,
Have you had your answer yet because everybody is talking about counting cards like the Rain Man did but you just want to learn how to add up?