BlackJack is the most known table game offered by casinos, it is as well the most unclear game for visitors, who don't want to play BlackJack because of three reasons.

*For first, they don't know basic rules of this game. Secondly, they are afraid to make a fool of themselves in the eyes of other players. Thirdly, they incorrectly think that the casino has too much advantage and they will lose too much and too quickly.

*Do you know, that most BlackJack players lose about 2% of every stake from the reason of playing incorrectly? Thanks to playing Blackjack with no mistakes you can deprive the casino of its advantage without a loss.

*there are many ways of playing Blackjack, but our hint for everyone is: to study a game, create your own strategies, play with no mistakes and become a master.

A few next advices which will help you to become a master:

*Imagine the croupier, who scores all 16, stays at 17 and never makes a split, or never doubles. Your expected loss will be 10x less than that you would make if you played using table of Blackjack strategy.

*When your two first cards give 20 in total, it will be the best for you if the croupier doesn't take 8, because if he has the Ace, 10 or 9 you automatically win.

*Always apply a split, if you get Aces and Eights, it doesn’t matter what cards the croupier has.

*When the first card you got is Ace, your advantage over the casino amounts remarkable 52%.

Counting cards in blackjack

Professional players who can count cards are true legend of casinos all over the world. Cinema-goers perhaps remember scenes from „Rain Man”, where suffering from autism, phenomenally talented at maths Raymond Babbit (Dustin Hoffman) helps his brother Charlie (Tom Cruise) to solve financial problems – thanks to his ability of counting cards Charlie wins with the casino. Thus, whether only the highly gifted people can count cards? Does this skill help to win with the casino as it was depicted by authors of a film?

In early sixties XX Edward Thorpe, professor of mathematics from New Mexico State University, published the book „Beat the dealer: the winning strategy for the game of twenty-one”. In which he underlines the fact, that when it remains in the pack more Aces to deal, chances to win considerably increase. Low cards, especially 5 and 6, makes the chances of casino bigger. The book quickly reached the top  on the lists of best-sellers and to a large extent thanks to it blackjack has become the most popular table game in American casinos. Counting cards gives the player about 1% advantage over the casino. Below we present one of the most popular and, at the same time, the simplest methods of counting.

High-Low Method

This method of counting cards was drawn up and published by Stanford Wong in the book “Blackjack secrets”. The method, just as theory of professor Thorpe, is based on the assumption, that the more Aces, face-cards and tens remain to deal, the better it is for the player. When the croupier still has more low cards, an advantage of the casino raises. Thus, in a moment, when there remain many Aces, face-cards and tens to deal, the player should increase the stake,  and if there are a lot of low cards – to decrease it or to leave the game. We count separately high and low cards dealt by the croupier. During the game the player complies with basic strategy, adding at the same time a value of cards dealt by the croupier according to following scheme:

10, face-cards and Aces amounts -1

7,8,9 has a value 0

2,3,4,5,6 approve a value of  +1

In this way we achieve so called current value.

If casino uses more than one pack of cards for playing Blackjack, we have to divide current value by number of cards staying in the pack to be dealt. We achieve then true value. Amount of it influences also on changes in basic strategy. Additionally, it is proper decision from statistical point of view – to take a cover/assurance if true value shows, that 10 or face-cards are more than 1/3 of cards remaining to deal.

Knowing basic information, we can answer the questions asked at the beginning. Whether only highly gifted people  can count cards? We should quash the myth floating around casino players, that counting cards is unusually difficult thing. As we have already mentioned, thanks to counting we can reach about 1% of statistical advantage over the casino.

But we should remember that in order to win with a casino we need a big capital (assuming that we are going to treat counting cards professionally) and a long period of time (in a short- medium time standard deviation will have fundamental influence on our scores)

Individual players counting cards by tables of low limits are not a real hazard for casinos. Additionally, in American casinos they usually turn a blind eye to such customers and let them win according to the principle “Somebody have to win in the casino to do the advertising to it” . It is worth knowing that counting cards is not illegal as long as we don’t use electronic devices or don’t use help of other players. All the same, as a private business, the casino has  right to forbid everyone playing without giving reasons. However, real threat for casinos are so called Gorilla BP’s groups (BP- Big Player). Their activity consists in playing Blackjack by low stakes according to the basic strategy and counting cards. When the cards give the players enough advantage, they signal BP that he can enter the game. This person plays for high stakes, e.g. a few hundred dollars. Thanks to this solution BP don’t have to count cards, but only properly  read signals from other members of the group. It is also difficult to identify him, because he doesn’t differ from other players who often swap tables.

Everyone would like to know how to win in a casino. People winning in a casino are elite. To depict this less known group I conducted an interview with Stanisław Owies, casino player with experience of ten or twenty years, author of a website dedicated to gambling  - blacksystem.pl

MW: What beginnings of adventure with gambling did you have?

SO: It begun with slots, that are random machines, about 20 years ago. Mainly for fun. Though, it was possible to observe some rationale in me to become a gambler when I was just 14-15 years old. I will tell about it as a warning for parents of children having special avocation for scratch cards. In my time there were lots sold from cars on the main crossroads in Warsaw. I sometimes preferred to buy a few lots than ice-cream, or than to go to the cinema. After playing slots it came time for bingo (I was still convinced it was an amusement – we have even been going several times together with my wife or brother), and at the end – casino – mainly Roulette. Blackjack seemed to me very intricate and complicated.

Did you succeed to win something?

The successes and defeats were the matter of statistics. I assigned my winnings to effectiveness of tactics by conducted game, until the defeat devoured all successes. Then I was working out the next method and so on. Interesting thing towards winnings is the fact, that almost all addicted to gambling (for sure about 90% - such observation comes from conversations with hundreds of players) they are people who started with successes. The mechanism of addiction functions it this way: if you lose at the  beginning, you think it doesn’t make sense and leave it, if you win, you get to know a taste of a victory and they already catch you! Remembering the successes you try to compensate sequential losses hoping for a luck or some wonder system.

I heard only the owner of a casino wins. Is it true?

With some exceptions and in extensive meaning of this word. The owner wins first of all, apart from him, obviously, all casino workers. Besides, people officially making money on usury, which is an indispensable element of each casino and is often connected with the staff. From time to time there appear additionally some people achieving profits in a casino. In illegal way or in compliance with the law. Various deals with the personnel, mainly on a level a player – croupier- inspector, or players who secure for themselves a predominance using electronic devices. The history of casinos contains tens, if not hundreds of such examples. But they are illegal and from a point of view of the law are treated like a theft. They are also easily detected by casino’s supervision.

The player, who wins for third time in a row is under observation, the rest is a matter of time. Some of these underhand dealings could go on longer, but greed quickly ruins participants. There are also methods absolutely according to the law: it belongs here searching for badly balanced wheels of roulette (some numbers are scored more often than another). It is strenuous work, and imperfection of the wheel is also fast noticed by casino’s staff. We can look for such wheel for half a year, and play successfully for two days. I got to know in polish casinos the player, who from observation of a wheel and a ball could estimate where the ball was going to fall down – four turns before the end, exact to half of the wheel. He was able as well to bet 18 numbers at the table during short second. The living legend, of short career. Firstly, a croupier can declare the end of a game straight away after a throw, that is 10-15 turns before end of a game, secondly – a casino gives such player a ban in third day of successes.

Please tell something more about it.

-To the needs of a system we distinguish high, low and neutral cards in a pack to which we assign adequately values -1, 1 and 0. It was mathematically proven, that when there remains more high cards to deal than low ones, the player has an advantage. During dealing cards by the croupier we count them and if the value of counted cards is more than zero, then before next deal we play by high stake, and if the value is negative we play the next deal by low stake. In this way we gain an advantage over the casino. Obviously, this predominance secures for us a victory in a long time. In individual deals or rounds we can lose. As far as I'm concerned, the longest period of being “on minus” lasted for 150 hours of playing, that is about 3 weeks. Certainly, it is a scheme of action in short.

Why did you Get interested in counting cards?

I was financially ruined and was looking for any systems giving the player superiority. I was testing everything that gave some semblance of reality.

A slang in Blackjack

Playing blackjack people use specific slang. Here are the most popular words and phrases:

Blackjack – the most desired combination consisting of the Ace and 10, or the Ace and a face-card – that is the Joker, the Queen or the King. The sum of points amounts 21.

Breaking hand – hand, where the sum of points  is 12 or more. One additional card can cause exceeding the sum 21 and so called “bust”

Bust – a bankrupt, it appears at the moment, when the drawn card makes us exceed 21 points. It automatically causes a defeat.

Double down- duplicating the stake in exchange for taking one more card.

Draw – taking a card; each additional card we have got, except for two initial ones

Insurance – supplementary bet paid in the ratio 2:1, if the dealer has Blackjack

Hand- two initial cards which the player gets at the start of a game

Hit – drawing subsequent card for those we already have

Natural- other name described Blackjack

Pat hand – the hand by the sum 17 or more points (Or 18 and more when there appears Ace in this combination)

Push – the draw, it takes place when the player and the dealer have equal sum of points. The bet made by the player is returned to him.

Soft hand- the hand with the Ace, that can’t exceed 21 after getting extraneous card

Split – an option allowing to split a pair of identical cards (e.g. AA, KK, 55) and play with each of them separately

Stack – a pool of tokens lying at the table in front of a player

Stand- waiting, possibility not to draw cards when the player is satisfied with the hand he has or when adding is too risky

Ten –cards of the value of 10 points. They are all face-cards and 10.

Upcard- the uncovered card of the dealer, visible at the beginning of a game. It determines a strategy chosen by the player in following game

Blackjack – hints and advices

Wait (stand)

Adding a card it is not always the Best method. If the dealer has  3, 4, 5 or 6, and you 12 or more points  - it will be the best to wait.

Take cards (hit)

However, if the card of a dealer is  7, 8, 9, J, Q, K or Ace, take cards when the sum of your points amounts 16 or less

Separate Aces and Eights.

Always separate two aces and eights. Separating Aces increases a chance of achieving a sum

21. Two eights gives together 16, that is the worst combination, where is big chance for bust (bankrupt)

Double the stake

When the sum of your points is 11, the best choice is doubling the stake. The exception constitutes the situation, when the dealer has the Ace. It is also a good way when you have 10 points, and the card of the dealer is lower than 10.

Be concentrated.

Don’t worry and don’t pay your attention to what other players do, even if they are temporarily fortunate. Just play, making use of our hints.

Raise the stake.

Separate your cards and double stakes when chances to win increase. Don’t let that a big chance results with little winnings.

Be calm.

Think soberly and don’t take unnecessary risk, because you are bored or you have not won for some time. For example, don’t raise the stake only because you have not won for four recent deals.

Insurance bet

Insurance bet is a risk – do it, if you want to add a little emotions to a game and you don’t expect to win.

Blackjack- rules of a game

Blackjack – card game in which the player tries to beat the croupier through gaining a sum as near to 21 points as possible, but not exceeding 21.

Principles of a game

Blackjack in casino is a version of traditional blackjack game. The task for the player is to gain a sum the closest to 21 (but not more). The highest combination is Blackjack, that is the Ace and 10 or a face-card, for which the player gets 150% of a bet.

In this game we use a few packs consisting of 52 cards. We use from one up to 8 cards. The rule is – the less, the better for the player.

Grading scale in Blackjack.

Cards from 2 to 9 have value equal to value of a card (3 diamonds amounts 3 and so on)

10, the Jocker, the Queen and the King have value of 10 points.

Value of the Ac eis 1 or 11, depending on what is better for the player.
Dobrać kartę (hit).
Nie dobierać kart (pass).
Podwoić stawkę (double down), możliwe tylko przy pierwszych dwóch kartach, gracz wtedy dostanie tylko jedną kartę.

We play this game against the croupier. The player makes a bet at special table  using tokens.

Then the player and the croupier get two cards. Both player’s cards are uncovered, while only one card of the croupier is shown to the player. Now the player can take a decision about his next action. He has succeeding possibilities:

To draw a card (hit)

Not to Draw cards (pass)

To double the stake (double down), possible only by two initial cards, the  player will get only one card.

To separate cards (Split), when two initial cards of the player are of equal value, e.g. two Eights. The player adds then the second stake (of identical values as the first one) and can draw cards.

Insurance is additional stake possible only it a situation, when the uncovered croupier’s card is the Ace. The player can make additional bet, that second (covered) card of the croupier is 10 or face-card (the croupier has Blackjack). When he has it, the player loses basic stake, and for an insurance wins 2:1. Because the rate of insurance is half of basic stake, the player gets as a winnings an amount of money lost in basic stake.

If after drawing cards  the player has more than 21 points, he loses a bet and the croupier takes his tokens. Whereas, if he has 21 points or less, the croupier uncovers his covered card and depending on number of points can draw more cards. The croupier have to play according to the following rules: to take a card, if he has 16 points or less, or not to take more cards when he has 17 points or more (it doesn’t matter how many points the player has) There wins the person who has a sum of points closer or equal 21.

Basic strategy in Blackjack

Just as in another games, in Blackjack a casino has  a slight mathematical advantage over a player, usually in amount of a few per cent. This advantage depends on strict rules of playing in a given casino and on player’s strategy. For example, if the player uses croupier’s strategy, that is – he always takes cards up to 17 point and doesn’t draw any more having 17 points or more (regardless of croupier’s card), an advantage of the casino is equal 5,48%.  Another strategy for the player it can be so-called never bust, it means – the player doesn’t draw having more than 11 points. By such a strategy casino’s predominance amounts 3,91%. The player can also lower this advantage to about 0,5%  using the basic strategy.

Insurance in basic strategy

The player using basic strategy doesn’t bet the rate of insurance because of high advantage of the casino in this bet.

Counting cards in BlackJack

Counting cards is a kind of strategy consisting in an assumption, that when  there  remain more high cards than low ones, mathematical advantage in a game is for the moment on player’s side, not a casino. Experienced player is able to recognise this situation through constant observation of the ratio of high cards’ number to low ones. In the case when this ratio is equal or there are comparatively more low cards than high ones (that is, when mathematical advantage is on casino’s side) – the player bets only by minimal rates. In this way, in a longer period of time, his winnings will be bigger than defeats, giving him statistical predominance over the casino. The players counting cards use basic strategy, often with slight changes depending on a change of so-called true value.

History of counting cards

In 1956 year a group of statisticians:  Baldwin, Cantey, Maisel i McDermott published in Journal of the American Statistical Association Recommendations for game of 21– the first version of basic strategy. In 1962, dr Edward O. Thorp, professor of mathematics in New Mexico State University published the book “Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One”. Thorp noticed, that when there remains in a pack more tens, face-cards and aces to deal, the player has bigger chance to win; while low cards, especially 5 and 6, are helpful for the casino. During writing the book, dr Thorp used the computer IBM 704 in Massachusetts Institute of Technology, thanks to it he worked out details of basic strategy and results of counting cards. In 1963 the book “Beat the Dealer” reached  the top one spot of best-sellers on the list of  New York Times. Its popularity made Blackjack the most popular game in Las Vegas.

Hi-Lo Method

Method of counting cards called Hi-Lo (Or High-Low) is the most popular version of counting. Firstly described in the book “Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One” by dr. Edward Thorp, has been later refined by other authors, among others: Stanford Wong in „BlackJack Secrets”. The player using this system observes changes in the ratio of high and low cards through assigning additional value to cards.

Cards 2,3,4,5,6 has a value +1

Cards 7,8,9 has a value 0

Cards 10, J (Joker), Q (Queen), K (King), A (Ace) has a value -1

In this way the player gets so-called current value. It means, that if current value is more than 0, there are relatively more high cards to deal, than low ones. When current value is less than 0, there are still more low cards. Because casinos most often use a few packs of cards (usually 4,6 or 8), in order to count an average ratio of high to low cards in one pack, the player can divide current value by number of packs remaining to deal, getting thereby so-called true value. When current value is +6 and we have 3 packs of cards to deal, true value amounts +2, it means –there are on average 2 high cards more than low ones in the pack.

Budget

Many  BlackJack players use the system of evaluating rates called Kelly Criterion. To put it simply, Kelly system consists in setting the rate by amount equal to percentage of player’s advantage over the competitor. For example, when predominance of the player is equal 1% and his budget at the moment amounts $1000, this player will bet the by the rate equal  1% of his budget, that is $10. . Obviously, in BlackJack it is necessary to modify this system, among other things – because of the fact, that majority of the rates which the player bets has expectation -0,5 (it means the casino has 0,5% advantage over the player when true value amounts 0)