I had always thought that card counting involved somehow picturing all the cards in the deck, multiplied by the number of decks in the shoe, and then mentally marking them off in your head as they appear on the table, leaving you with the information to figure out exactly what is left in the deck; I was wrong!

It turns out that there are a bunch of card counting strategies, and the method that I had assumed was the norm doesn’t figure in any one of them. Rather, each card in the deck will be allocated a value and you must keep a tally in your head of the sum of all the values of all the cards that have been dealt.

This system of adding up the values is the basis of card counting, and this ongoing tally is known as ‘the running count’. Different systems will assign different values to different cards. For example, the hi/low system will allocate 2 through 6 with the value of +1; 7 - 9, 0; and 10 - A, -1. In this case a deal sequence of A, 6, 3, 4, will result in a running count of +2 because those numbers correspond to -1 +1 + 1 +1 = 2. This mathematical sequence will continue uninterrupted throughout the game.

The final but crucial stage of card counting is understanding what the count means in terms of the cards left and subsequently in terms of the bets you should be making. Basically, the higher the count is the more large value cards are left in the deck. The more large value cards there are left in the deck, the higher the chances are of the dealer pulling one when he has to hit due to a low first deal; this means that a high count means that you should bet, a low count means you shouldn’t. In terms of the bottom end of the spectrum the general rule of thumb is to not increase a bet unless your count hits 1.5 minimum.

However, the running count is dependant on a number of variables other than the cards seen, not least of all how many cards are left in the shoe; for example a running count of 5 means something very different with 3 deals left of the game than it would 3 deals into the game. In order to get the most accurate count you divide the running count by the number of decks left, in which case a running count of 5 with 2 decks left will mean a true count of 2.5; it is this true count that should determine your actions.

Past this it all gets a little complicated to be honest, however I read enough to convince me that card counting is a skill that requires a steely concentration, absolute application, tones of practice, and a quick alert mind; card counting is no where close to cheating, it is simply using all the resources available to you to beat the house.

The first time I heard of card counting, now many years ago, I distinctly remember how I reacted, and it wasn’t a reaction of love and acceptance. My gut essentially told me that card counting was cheating; I mean how could it not be? Or, at the very least, it has to fall into the most dubious of categories of skill or indeed fair play. As time went on however, and the phrase didn’t disappear, in fact became more common and even boasted famous fans I began to rethink my attitude.

The first thing that came to my attention when I started to research card counting was that it is really not something for the amateur. Unexpectedly I learned that card counting would be very difficult for the blackjack novice and can only really be done well be people who have played the game, enjoyed the game, and internalized basic strategy; which I can tell you is no easy feat. In short the people who card count aren’t in-for-a-quick-buck, hit and run con merchants, rather they have spent many hours at the blackjack tables, they have put in the time and have become experts.

The next point that I realize when reading about card counting, was that the basics of it are simply logic; if no 10s have come out half way through the deck that’s good for the player because the dealer has to hit on anything less than 17; if there are lots of big numbers, i.e. 10s he is more likely to bust. Conversely, if all the high numbers have appeared that’s bad for the player, because when the dealer does hit he will only be left with low valued numbers which are more likely to help him than make him go bust. This translates as; no 10s, bet; all low numbers don’t bet.

Having realized that it is veteran blackjack players who partake in card counting and that the basic premise is really just logic, I decided to try to uncover a little regarding how card counting actually works. I was actually inspired to delve quite a lot deeper into the card counting concept. Card counting, as it turns out, is harder online than when you have the cards and the dealer physically in front of you; apparently the pace is quicker than any land based casino and this will ultimately affect your ability to count. However, this is not to say by any means that it’s impossible, and the online casino provides the perfect training ground for learning the art and practicing it until you feel confident enough to try it out in a land based casino.

In order to share the next stage of my blackjack-card-counting-rollercoaster-journey, which includes a basic understanding of how it works, you will have to read part II of my blog entry: suffice to say here, that I have in fact done a 180 degree turn on the subject.

Blackjack, the card game that adds a dash of European style to American casinos is simple enough: At the start of each round you get two cards and so does the dealer, one of which is shown. Keep drawing cards until you hit a total value of 21 or quit just before you go over the limit and bust. It’s you against the dealer and whoever comes out on top gets the winnings. At first glance the game seems one of chance an intuition. After all, you can’t know what card is coming up next. However one of the reasons that Blackjack is so popular is that there is a strong element of skill involved. Rather than just trusting to blind luck you can play your cards wisely and hopeful leave the table with a fist full of dollars.

Perhaps the most important thing to bear in mind is that what matters is not just your card value but also the dealer’s shown card. Winning is all about assessing your hand against the dealer’s potential hand. Because the dealer has to hit on sixteen or stand on seventeen you can use this to plan out your strategy. The higher the dealer’s shown card the stronger his hand is and the more trouble your are in.

Here is a quick list of possible cards showing in the dealer’s hand and what they mean for you:

Ace: Big trouble. This round is going to be the dealer’s unless you have spectacular luck.

10 or face card: Bad news for you. The dealer is in a strong position.

9 : Things aren’t looking good. The dealer has got the upper hand here.

7 or 8: Loosen up a bit, you can beat the dealer on this round if you play things right.

4 to 6: The dealer has got that sinking feeling. This hand looks like it will be yours.

2 to 3: Be careful. It could go either way, so play cautious.

Always draw a card if your total is less than 11 because there is no danger of you busting. As a general rule you should always stand if your hand is 17 or higher. If you are on 13 to 16 only draw a card if the dealer is showing 7 or better.

If you hand totals 12 you should take a hit unless the dealer is showing 4 to 6. In this case the dealer may very well bust so you should sit tight and wait for that to happen.

If you play your Blackjack right you can narrow the house odds down to almost even and with just a little luck, you can come out ahead.