- Appendices
- Miscellaneous
- External Links
Introduction
Let me say loud and clear that card counting is hard and is not as rewarding as television and the movies make it out to be. If it were an easy way to make money, then everyone would be doing it.
If you do not know the basic strategy, trying to count cards is highly ill-advised. Experienced card counters still play by the basic strategy the great majority of the time.There can be no short cut around learning the basic strategy, those who attempt card counting without a firm foundation in the basic strategy are making a big mistake.
For example, on the first hand, the cards on the table are a ten, a 5, a 6, an 8, and an ace. You count minus 1 for the ten, back to even with the five, plus 1 with the six, the eight is zero - so ignore it, and back to even with the ace. Your running count is back to zero. As new cards are revealed you continue the count. Basic Blackjack rules. In order to understand how the best strategy is computed, lets have a look at the Blackjack rules. Blackjack is played with 1 to 9 decks of 52 cards each. The values of the cards correspond to their numerical value from 2-10. All face cards (Jack, Queen, King) count 10 and the Ace either 1 or 11, as the holders desires. When using the Wong Halves counting method, the 3, 4, and 6 cards are valued at +1, the 2 and 7 cards are valued as +0.5, and the 5 is worth +1.5. All 8s are 0, 9 is valued at -0.5, and all Ace and face cards are valued as -1. If you're having a hard time counting with fractions, double each value for a simplified strategy.
To be a successful counter you have to be able to countdown a deck fast and memorize large tables of numbers as well as make it look like you're just a casual player.Furthermore, with today's rules, a realistic advantage the counter will have is only 0.5% to 1.5%. You will not win money slowly and gradually but your bankroll will go up and down like a roller coaster in the short run. Only in the long run, over hundreds of hours of playing, can you count on winning.
The underlying principle behind card counting is that a deck rich in tens and aces is good for the player, a deck rich in small cards is good for the dealer. When the counter knows the odds are in his favor, he will bet more, and adjust his playing strategy to stand, double, and split in some plays where basic strategy says to stand. All the options the player has at his disposal favor the player even more when the deck is ten and ace rich. Here is a list and a brief reason why.
Standing: The player may stand on stiff totals of 12 to 16, and the dealer may not. In ten-rich shoes, hitting stiff hands becomes more dangerous, favoring the more conservative player strategy.
Insurance Hot damn slots. : On average, when the dealer has an ace up, the remaining cards in blackjack will be 30.87% tens (based on a six-deck game), making insurance a bad bet. However, if the probability gets above 33.33%, it becomes a good bet. Counters know when the remaining cards are ten-rich, and make powerful insurance bets at those times.
Doubling: Usually, when the player doubles he wants a ten. In ten-rich shoes, the player makes better double downs, getting closer to 21.
Blackjack: Both player and dealer will see more blackjacks, but the player gets paid 3 to 2, and the dealer does not.
Surrender: The alternative to surrendering is much worse in ten-rich shoes. If the alternative is hitting, the player is more likely to bust. If the player would otherwise stand, due to the high count, the dealer is still more likely to get a 10. While the counter will surrender more in high counts, the savings will be greater.
Splits: The player is usually splitting high cards and/or off of a weak dealer card. Either way, a ten-rich shoe helps the player get higher totals, and increases the probability of the dealer busting.
I'm working on an in-depth study of how these effects break down. The contribution to each factor depends on the rules, deck penetration, and bet spread. However, based on average conditions in a six-deck shoe, my initial results break down the benefits of counting as follows.
Why Card Counting Works
Player Option | Portion of Benefit |
---|---|
Stand | 40% |
Insurance | 34% |
Double | 9% |
Blackjack | 7% |
Surrender | 6% |
Split | 4% |
The probability for insurance was taken from Don Schlesinger's 'Illustrious 18' list, as found in Blackjack Attack. The rest of the breakdown is mine.
To gauge the richness of the deck in good cards, the player will keep track of the cards the are already played. Strategies vary, but all assign a point value to each card. For example, the hi-lo count assigns a value of +1 to 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and -1 to tens and aces. Everything else is 0, or neutral. At the beginning of a deck or shoe, the count is 0. Then the counter constantly adds and subtracts from the count, according to the cards played. This running total is called the 'running count.' A positive count means that a disproportional number of small cards have already been played, which means that the deck is rich in large cards. To determine the 'true count,' divide the running count by the number of decks left to be played, or in some strategies, the number of half decks. This will tell you the relative richness of the deck in good cards.
The true count is used in two ways, to determine how much to bet and how to play your hand. Unless it is obvious, every situation has a line in which you should play one way if the count is above the line and another if below. For example, a 12 against a 6 may dictate that you stand if the true count is -1 or greater and hit if the true count is less than -1. The counter will also bet more when the true count is high, meaning the deck is rich in good cards.
A problem arises when it comes to treating aces. The player should bet more when the deck is rich in aces since they add to the probability of getting a blackjack. However, when it comes to playing your hand, the number of aces left is not nearly as important as the number of tens, so it is desirable, but not necessary, to distinguish between tens and aces. Some card counting strategies keep a side count of aces. In the Hi-Opt I and Revere Plus/Minus aces are counted separately and only considered when making the wager. This is a more accurate and powerful way to play than assigning a negative value to aces and not keeping a side count, as some strategies do. Yet, many people feel that for the beginner it is too confusing to keep two counts. A player is more likely to make mistakes keeping two counts and that costs money. The efficiency of a strategy that does not keep a side count of aces is only modestly less, but you likely will gain more from fewer mistakes made. Different experts fall in various places in the spectrum in terms of what to recommend for the beginner. The Zen Count takes the middle ground and gives aces a value of -1 and tens -2. Personally, I have tried both and would recommend against a count that requires a side count of aces to a person ready to take up card counting. The Uston Advanced Plus/Minus is a good strategy that does not involve an ace side count and can be found in the book Million Dollar Blackjack. How well you know a counting strategy is much more important than which strategy you know.
Legally speaking, the player may play blackjack any way he wants without cheating or using a computer, and the casinos may do anything from making conditions unfavorable to barring, in an effort to stop anyone who they deem has an advantage over the game. Much of the challenge of card counting is avoiding suspicion that you are anything but a normal non-counting player. The most obvious indication that somebody is counting is that they make a substantial increase in bet size after a lot of small cards leave the table. Although the greater the factor by which you can increase your bet the greater your odds of winning, more than doubling your last bet is a fast way to arouse 'heat'from the dealer and pit boss. Usually when casinos employees realize you are counting, they will either shuffle the cards whenever you increase your bet, essentially removing any advantage, or ask you to leave.
This is only scraping the surface of the subject of card counting. I suggest the following pages of mine.
Practice
Practice your card counting skills with our trainer.
Internal Links
- Blackjack main page.
- Hi-Lo Count.
- The Ace-Five Count, possibly the easiest way to count cards.
- Book review section, for suggestions on good blackjack books.
External Resources
- Blackjackinfo - A complete course covering everything from basic strategy to card counting
- BJ21 - By Stanford Wong; A membership based community covering all aspects of card counting.
Written by: Michael Shackleford
A staple of casinos from Las Vegas to Monte Carlo, blackjack is arguably the world’s most popular casino card game. Thanks to its popularity, almost every casino in the world has a blackjack table – or 10, or 100 – set up waiting for new players.
You’ve probably played blackjack before, either online or in a casino. However, the game of blackjack is significant different when you’re playing as the dealer instead of as one of the players.
In this blog post, you’ll learn how to deal blackjack. From the order in which players are dealt cards to the hitting and standing requirements for dealers, read on to learn the blackjack rules you never learnt as a player.
Do you want to learn the fundamentals of blackjack strategy from an expert? Learn Blackjack and Counting Cards to learn how to play blackjack in any casino and maximize your average win rate.
Blackjack basics for players and dealers
The basic rules of blackjack are simple. Players try to score as close to 21 as possible without exceeding 21. In contrast to poker, where players compete with each other, blackjack is a one-on-one game between each player and the dealer.
As the dealer, the basic rules of blackjack still apply. Cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value. The jack, queen and king are worth 10 points each. The ace has a value of either 1 point or 11 points, depending on its usage in your hand.
The advanced rules of blackjack, however, are a little bit different. Since dealers are responsible for paying out bets, they obviously can’t take insurance. They also can’t split their hand, double down on a good hand or surrender for half their bet.
In addition to these rules, when you play as the dealer you face additional rules that limit how you can hit or stand. In most casinos, the dealer is required to hit on hands worth less than 17 points, regardless of the cards that make up their hand.
Hands worth 17 points, however, can’t be hit on. If you’re playing as the dealer and your hand is worth 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 points, you can’t hit any further and need to stand with whatever hand you’ve got.
These restrictions on additional rules, hitting, and standing are the only differences between the dealer’s rules and the players’ rules. In addition to the different rules, the dealer plays their hand after the players have played their hands.
Do you need help memorizing the rules of blackjack as a player and a dealer? Learn how to memorize blackjack strategy, the values of different cards and the different rules for blackjack dealers in our Master Your Memory course.
Before you start dealing cards
Are you ready to deal the cards? Don’t act too quickly. Before you deal cards to the players, several things need to be done. First, you need to shuffle your cards and, if you’re playing with several players, combine two or more decks together.
Once your cards are shuffled, make sure all players have placed their bets. All bets need to be placed before you start dealing cards – players can’t bet once their cards are dealt unless they’re doubling down or splitting their hand into two.
Remember, players are allowed to have basic strategy cards at the table. If you’re interested in learning basic strategy (remember, you can’t help the players) read our blog post on blackjack strategy.
Dealing cards for players
Start by dealing each player’s first card face down. Deal the player on your left first, then move left to right down the remaining players. Finish by dealing yourself one card face down. Deal another card to each player, this time with the card facing up.
Finally, deal your final card. This time, it should face upwards. If your card is an ace, you need to ask the players if they want to purchase insurance. If they do, take each player’s insurance (it should be half of their original bet) and flip over your second card to see whether or not you have a blackjack.
If you have a blackjack, collect bets from anyone that didn’t buy insurance. Players that did buy insurance receive their original bets back. Players with blackjack will receive their original bet, even if they didn’t purchase insurance.
The players’ turns
If your face-up card isn’t an ace, continue play as normal. Starting from your left, all of the players play their hand in turn. Players can stand, in which case you move on to the next player. They can also hit, in which case you deal them a new card face up.
If the player continues drawing cards until their hand exceeds 21, they’re bust. You can collect their bet and move on to the next player. If they have blackjack on their first hand, pay back their bet with a 3:2 bonus (for example, a $20 bet receives $30, as well as the return of their original bet.)
Before players take additional cards, they can double down. In this case, deal them a new card face up after they have added their extra bet. Remember that players who choose to double down only receive one new card and cannot continue to hit.
Players with matching cards can split their hand into two. Once a player splits their hand and matches their original bet, you should deal them two cards – one for each hand – both facing down. Players then play one hand followed by the other.
Finally, if a player splits a hand containing two aces, they are limited to one card per hand. Deal one card for each hand, facing down as usual, but do not let the player hit on their hand any more. Any split blackjacks should be paid out at 1:1 odds instead of the typical 3:2 bonus payment.
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The dealer’s turn
Once each players has had their turn, it’s your turn to play. Turn over your down-facing card. If your hand is worth 16 points or less, deal yourself another card and continue until it’s worth 17 or more points.
If your hand is worth more than 17 points, don’t deal any cards. If your second card is an ace, count it as 11 only until your total exceeds 21, at which point the ace has a value of 1 point.
If the value of your hand exceeds 21, you’re bust and the remaining players win. If your hand is worth less than 21, pay any players with a higher value than you, and collect bets from players whose hands have a lower value than yours.
Finally, if you tie with a player, refund their bet. Once you’ve dealt with all of bets and finished playing, collect cards from all players and prepare for the next hand.
Value Of Cards In Blackjack
Do you need help learning how to play as the dealer? Learn Blackjack and review the basics of the game. In addition to learning how to deal, you’ll master basic blackjack strategy and the secret art of card counting.
Having fun while you play
Once you know the basic rules of playing blackjack as the dealer, you’ll be able to host players at home and have you own blackjack games. Most casinos require all dealers to have professional training, so if you’d like to make blackjack dealing a career, you’ll need to attend a professional casino school.
If you’re playing at home, why not spice up the game with some card tricks? Join over 1,000 students and learn simple card tricks that you can perform in between your blackjack games in our Hacking Perception: Cool Card Tricks course.