Easiest Way To Count Cards In Blackjack

Gamblers have been fascinated by card counting ever since Edward Thorp shared his secrets through the 1962 book Beat the Dealer. This advantage-play technique has only gained further popularity over the years thanks to the MIT Blackjack Team’s efforts.

Card counting is an exciting prospect because you can win lots of money. Both Thorp and the MIT Blackjack Team are prime examples of this.

But before you start earning big profits like these blackjack legends, you must first choose a counting system.

The best resource for card counting training, community, and info. Tour Membership. Become a Member. Our video course teaches you to count cards the best way possible. A complete blackjack card counting system designed to teach you how to beat the game of blackjack for big profits. In a nutshell, every card is assigned a value: +1, 0, or -1. Cards 2 through 6 are valued at +1. Cards 7, 8, and 9 are valued at 0. And 10 (included Jack, Queen, King) and Ace are valued at -1. The OPP Card Counting System. The OPP is arguably the easiest system out there, and is a perfect.

Counting Cards Can Be Broken Into 4 Steps: Step 1: Assign A Value To Every Card. As each card is dealt, you will either add 1, subtract 1, or do nothing based on. Step 2: The Running Count. Keep A Running Count By Adding Or Subtracting Every Card That You See In Each Shoe.

This is easier said than done, given that there are over one hundred card systems floating around. These strategies differ based on what kind of advantage they give you and how complicated they are.

Obviously, you don’t want to jump into the most difficult system if you’re new to card counting. Instead, a beginner-friendly strategy will help you learn this process with the minimum degree of difficulty.

Keep reading as I cover three of the easiest blackjack card counting systems for beginners. But first, let’s look at the basics behind counting cards.

What’s the General Basis Behind Card Counting?

Many gamblers like blackjack because it offers a chance to use extensive strategy to improve your winnings. Depending on the rules, you can lower the blackjack house edge to under 1% with good strategy.

But the key here is that the casino still has an advantage over those who use basic blackjack strategy. This is where card counting comes into play, because this strategy gives you the advantage and can lead to long-term profits.

The underlying goal of card counting is to find out when the shoe is rich in aces and tens. The reason is twofold:

1 – You have a better chance of getting a natural blackjack payout.

2 – Your odds of quality double-down opportunities also improve.

Another positive product of card counting is that you can find out when the deck is high in low cards (2 – 6) and bet less.

Low cards improve the dealer’s odds of winning. The reason is because the dealer’s score must reach 17, and they have less chance of busting when there are more low cards available.

By keeping track of card values as they’re dealt, you can boost your chances of winning and potentially making big profits.

Of course, tracking cards in a bustling casino environment is easier said than done. This is especially the case when considering that modern blackjack games have six to eight decks in the shoe.

But just about anybody can successfully count cards with enough practice. And you can easily practice by using card counting trainers on websites.

Other ways to practice include dealing shoes to yourself while counting cards, or having a friend deal to you. I like the latter method because it simulates your friend being the dealer and you as the player.

Spreading Bets

Simply counting cards is only part of the equation to making money. You also have to bet more when the count is in your favor to reap profits.

This is referred to as “spreading bets” in card counting. The idea is to start at the table minimum, then increase your wager as the count goes in your favor.

The bet spread occurs between your smallest and largest bets.

Some systems have their own method for how you spread wagers during a favorable count. But the gist is that you must raise your wagers when the deck is in your favor, so you earn more money.

This requires a balancing act because wagering too much will attract the suspicion of casino staff members and potentially get you banned.

Experience and fully knowing your chosen card counting method will help you determine how to best spread bets when you have a favorable count.

3 Systems that Beginning Card Counters should Use

1 – OPP System

I begin with the OPP card counting system since it’s extremely easy to use. In fact, virtually any new blackjack player can quickly learn and understand this system.

The main thing you need to do with the OPP strategy is track low cards. You add one to your count whenever a low card is dealt and subtract one for every hand in play (including the dealer).

Low cards being dealt works to your advantage, because this means there are fewer cards that’ll help the dealer.

Here’s an example of how to use this strategy:

• You start the shoe with a +6 count.
• You subtract one (- 1) for every player dealt into the hand, including the dealer.
• You add one (+1) for every low card that’s dealt.
• The goal is to bet more when the count goes higher into the positives.
• You want to increase your wager when the count reaches +12 or +14.

Here’s an example of OPP in action:

1. A new shoe is being dealt.
2. Your count starts at +6.
3. There are four players, plus the dealer (subtract 5 = count at +1).
4. Four low cards come out during the hand (Add 4 = count at +5).
5. Your next round will begin at +5 (minus number of players in the hand).

This is referred to as an “unbalanced” counting system because the count doesn’t end at zero when the shoe has been dealt. Going further, you don’t have to account for how many decks are in the shoe with an unbalanced system.

This differs from the Hi-Lo strategy (discussed next), where you must factor in the remaining decks to determine your “true count.”

Another great thing about the OPP system is that you don’t have to track high cards (A to 10) or neutral cards (7 to 9). Instead, you simply count low cards and subtract the number of players/dealer at the start of each hand.

Easiest Way To Count Cards In Blackjack Strategy

The only downside to OPP’s simplicity is that it’s less accurate than the other systems I’m going to cover. Nevertheless, it can give you an edge on the casino.

2 – Knockout (KO) System

The KO system is more complicated than OPP because you also need to track high and neutral cards. Another difference is that the low card category includes 7.

Here are the different card groups and how you assign them values:

• Low cards (2 to 7) = +1
• Neutral cards (8 to 9) = 0
• High cards (A to 10) = – 1

You need to track every card with this system – not just the low ones like with OPP.

Another difference between KO and OPP is that there’s no preset starting count (+6) at the beginning of a shoe. Instead, your count begins as soon as the first card of a shoe is dealt.

Here’s an example of the KO in play:

• Ace is dealt (count at – 1).
• 2 is dealt (count at 0).
• 7 is dealt (count at +1).
• 8 is dealt (count at +1).
• 4 is dealt (count at +2).
• Jack is dealt (count at +1).
• Count = +1.

This is another unbalanced system because there are a greater number of low cards than high cards. Therefore, you don’t need to convert to a true count with KO.

The lack of a true count makes KO simpler than the Hi-Lo system that I’ll cover next.

Another benefit of KO is that it’s more accurate than OPP. This gives you the perfect blend of simplicity and accuracy.

But this also leads to downsides, including that KO is more complicated than OPP and less accurate than Hi-Lo.

3 – Hi-Lo System

This card counting strategy is similar to KO, because you need to track low, neutral, and high cards. But the two key differences are that 7 is neutral, and you need to differentiate between a running and true count.

Here’s how you assign values to each group of cards:

• Low cards (2 to 6) = +1
• Neutral cards (7 to 9) = 0
• High cards (A to 10) = – 1

The Hi-Lo is what’s known as a “balanced system,” because the count will always reach zero by the end of the shoe.

The reason why Hi-Lo is balanced and KO isn’t is due to the 7 being neutral. This means that an equal number of cards are high (5) and low (5) with the Hi-Lo strategy.

Given that Hi-Lo is balanced, you also have to account for the number of decks remaining in the shoe. Going further, you must convert your running count into a true count.

Here’s an example:

• Your running count is +8.
• There are four decks remaining in the shoe.
• This makes your true count +2 (8/2).

You use your true count to determine how much you’ll spread your bet by. Here are the guidelines for spreading your wagers with the Hi-Lo:

1 – Determine a unit size (e.g., $25).

2 – Figure out your true count (e.g., +4).

3 – Subtract one from the true count (4 – 1 = 3).

4 – Multiply this number by your unit size (25 x 3 = 75).

5 – Your bet should be three units, or $75.

The Hi-Lo is definitely tougher than KO and OPP due to the added steps. But from an overall perspective, Hi-Lo is relatively easy when compared to the dozens of other counting systems available.

Other Easy Card Counting Systems for Beginners

Ace/Five Count System

Ace/Five is a simple strategy that only requires keeping track of 5-value cards and aces. You add one for every 5 that’s dealt, and subtract one for every ace.

The goal is to get a positive count of +2 or higher. You double your bets at this point, while only wagering the table minimum when the count is +1 or lower.

Here’s an example:

• Ace is dealt (count at – 1).
• 2 is dealt (count at – 1).
• 5 is dealt (count at 0).
• 9 is dealt (count at 0).
• 5 is dealt (count at +1).
• Count = +1

Given that Ace/Five only requires you to track two card values, it’s similar to OPP in terms of simplicity. But like OPP, this strategy isn’t as effective as some of the other systems discussed here.

But if you’re just a casual blackjack player who wants to gain a bit more of an edge, then I recommend trying Ace/Five.

Red Seven System

Red Seven was developed by blackjack legend and card counter extraordinaire Arnold Snyder. This system works similar to KO and Hi-Lo, except that there’s a special distinction made for red and black 7s.

Here are the basics of Red Seven:

• 2 to 6 = +1
• Red 7 = +1
• Black 7 = 0
• 8 to 9 = 0
• A to 10 = – 1

You can actually switch the counts for the red and black seven – it makes no difference. But the key is that you do make a distinction between the colors.

Snyder did this so he could create an imbalanced system that was easy to use with no true count involved. But he also wanted to make Red Seven more accurate than KO (black 7s being neutral).

Red Seven is great if you hate converting your running count to a true count, but still want the accuracy of a balanced system.

The downside to this strategy is that it’s almost as complicated as the Hi-Lo, yet you only get 80% of the same accuracy.

Ten Count System

Edward Thorp introduced the Ten Count System when he wrote Beat the Dealer in the sixties. Although not as accurate as modern strategies like Hi-Lo, the Ten Count gets the job done in certain situations.

The catch, though, is that Ten Count is designed specifically for single-deck blackjack games. And unfortunately, quality single-deck blackjack with 3:2 natural payouts are a rarity today.

Nevertheless, Ten Count is a good system to use when acclimating yourself to card counting. Here are the basics of this strategy:

• A to 9 = +4
• J to K = – 9

This is noticeably different from the three systems that I covered above. But Ten Count is still relatively easy for beginners to use.

Here’s an example of how you can implement the strategy:

• 5 is dealt (count at +4).
• 6 is dealt (count at +8).
• K is dealt (count at -1).
• 8 is dealt (count at +3).
• 3 is dealt (count at +7).
• Count = +7

Unlike some systems, Ten Count doesn’t have a defined amount where you begin increasing your bet by X amount. Instead, Thorp leaves it up to players to decide how much to increase or lower their bets by.

I suggest spreading your bets by five units or more when you have a favorable count of at least +2.

The advantage of Thorp’s system is that it’s easy. You only have to track two card groups and use two numbers for the count.

The downside is that this strategy is poor for multi-deck games.

All blackjack tables featured single-deck games in Thorp’s early blackjack days. Therefore, he didn’t account for the effect of removing aces from a six-deck shoe.

Lumping aces into the low card group is fine in single-deck blackjack because it doesn’t have as big of an impact. But this miscalculation plays a bigger role in the four-, six-, and eight-deck games of today.

Again, Ten Count is fine for practicing card counting. But it doesn’t apply to the modern blackjack world.

Is Card Counting Illegal?

A popular misconception is that card counting is illegal. This has been fueled by Hollywood movies like 21, where card counters act like their lives depend on not being detected by the casino.

The truth is that counting cards isn’t illegal. But casinos may ban you from their establishment if they think you’re a successful counter.

The easiest way for casinos to root out a card counter is by their betting patterns. For example, moving from a $10 minimum bet to $500 later in the shoe looks very suspicious.

Some players camouflage their counting efforts through the following ways:

• Make an occasional strategy mistake.
• Dress to blend in.
• Act like they increase and lower bets based on superstitions.

It also helps to research casinos to find out how tolerant they are towards card counters. Some casinos don’t sweat counters as badly as others.

Do You Have to Be a Genius to Count Cards?

The 1988 film Rain Man created the perception that you need to be a mathematical genius to successfully count cards. But as you may have gathered from these simple systems we covered above, this isn’t accurate.

Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman) kept track of every single card while counting in Rain Man. But you only need to keep a running tally of the card values to give yourself an edge.

As I mentioned earlier, nearly anybody can learn to count cards – especially with the systems covered above. Furthermore, you don’t need to be a genius to keep an accurate count.

Conclusion

The nice thing about card counting is that it’s not as difficult as most players think. You can quickly learn one of the systems that I discussed above and use it to give yourself an advantage.

How big of an edge you gain depends upon the exact strategy you choose. My favorite is the Hi-Lo, due to its combination of simplicity and accuracy.

But you may ultimately choose a system like OPP, KO, or Ace/Five because you just want an easy way to count cards.

Whatever the case may be, I highly suggest that you use one of the strategies covered here to give yourself an easy introduction to the card counting world.

Card counting is a system that experienced blackjack players use to get a profitable advantage over the casino. There are many individual “counts” or systems. Many of them are named after colorful professional gamblers from times past.

The 2008 movie “21” bought card counting to the attention of the general public. It followed the true story of members of the MIT blackjack team as they won millions from casinos in LasVegas. This movie also highlighted the key challenge faced by card counters. To make a profit using these systems, you need to bet significantly more when the odds turn in your favor. Casinos are aware of this — and will quickly ban players they believe are counting cards.

This page has everything you need to know to get started with card counting. Below you will find the basics of how it works. Famoussystems, the ideal games for counters and how online blackjack can help you learn to count are also covered below.

How to count cards in blackjack

Blackjack is a game of incomplete information. Players act based on their own two cards and the single dealer up-card. Players must risk busting in many situations, even though the decisions are mathematically correct.

Small cards are the enemy of blackjack players. Values of two through six can make for the trickiest decisions. In fact, if you remove any significant number of small cards from the shoe, blackjack not only becomes easier, the player gets a mathematical edge over the house.

This is where card counting comes in.

Counters track the proportion of small cards to face cards and aces. At a certain point, the deck turns “positive.” The higher proportion of face cards means every hand played will generate long term profit for the player — not the house. This is because profit comes from doubling, splitting and hitting blackjack (natural21). All of these are more frequent when there are more high cards in the shoe.

To take advantage of this edge, counting players must boost their bet size. Without this bet size boost, money spent playing while waiting for the deck to turn positive would cancel out any wins.

There are multiple factors that affect whether a specific game is a candidate for card counting. The number of decks of cards in play, the rules on splitting and doubling down, and how the dealer reacts to a soft 17 all come into play. To get the best from counting cards, you need to find the games with the lowest house edge.

Level 3 card counting systems & true count explained

Card counting systems have three levels of complexity. The simplest systems are Hi-LoCounts. You count low cards as +1 and high cards as -1. The higher the count, the bigger the proportion of high cards to low cards.

Advantage players will increase their bets once a specific count is reached. To be sure that they have an advantage, they need to translate the current total into the “true count” first. This involves dividing the count by the number of decks still in play. If the count is +10, with five decks remaining in a six-deck shoe, then the “true count” is 10/5 = 2. This means games like double-deck blackjack are better for counting. Players do not need to play through those first decks in the shoe while waiting for the true count to be positive.

Level two and level three counting systems are more accurate. They assign +2 to some cards and +1 to others. This splits the twos and sevens from cards three throughsix, with some systems also counting nines differently. There are systems with separate counts for aces. Your bet sizes need to increase in line with the positive count — for example adding a unit every time the true count increases by two points.

If you are new to cardcounting, then a simple Hi-Lo Count is the place to start. Once you have mastered keeping track of the count while playing each hand perfectly and chatting with the other players, you will be ready to move to the next level.

Examples of card counting systems

The systems below range from level one to three. These are five of hundreds of possible systems, giving you an overview of how different systems vary in their complexity.

• Hi-Lo Count: This is a balanced count and is the first system that new counters use. You add one to the total for each card value from two through six — and subtract one for 10s through aces. Seven, eight and nine are neutral. You then divide this count by the number of undealt decks and round up as needed. You should increase your bets when the count is positive — betting more the larger the positive number that you count. The advantage of the Hi-Lo system is simplicity. Compared with other blackjack counts, Hi Lo card counting does lackprecision.
• Hi-Opt1 and 2: These systems were developed by LanceHumble, though they can be traced back to the 1960s. There are many more“neutral”cards compared to the Hi-Lo Count. Hi-Opt 1 uses aces, twos, sevens, eights and nines as zero for the count. Three, four, five and six are +1, and 10s through kings are -1. This system works best for single deckgames. Hi-Opt 2 makes 10s through kings -2 on the count, with +2 for fours and fives, +1 for twos, threes, sixes and sevens. Aces, eights and nines are neutral. These are accurate systems, though with single deck games rare (and closely watched), it can be difficult to find a suitable game to use them.
• Ace-Five System: You will need to double your bet repeatedly as the count increases to make the Ace-Five System work. This is a simple count, involving only aces andfives. Every time a five is dealt, you add one, and every ace you see removes one. When the count is +2, you double your bet. Increasing it again for every +2 that gets added. If the count reverts to +1 or less, you go back to your initial bet size. The key advantage of this system is the simplicity. The always-changing bet size is likely to attract the attention of casino pit bosses.
• Uston Advanced Count: Ken Uston was a famous card counter, known for his flamboyant lifestyle. His most complex system is the “Uston Advanced Count.” Aces count as zero in this system. Fives are +3; 10s through kings are -3; nines are -1; twos and eights are +1; and threes, fours, sixes and sevens are +2. As with the other systems, you increase your bets in line with how positive the count gets — keeping the number of decks in mind. This system is designed to work best with a separate count of theaces. The complexity means that it is for experienced card counters only.
• KO Counting System: This system works like Hi-Lo, with an extra feature involving the insurance against dealer blackjack bet. It counts cards two through seven as +1, eight and nine as neutral and 10 through ace as -1. You should increase your bet at +2 or more (based on the true count). At +3 or greater, the insurance side bet becomes profitable and should be taken.

Which blackjack games are best for card counting?

Big casino resorts in Las Vegas, AtlanticCity, downtown Detroit and elsewhere run a wide selection of blackjack games. At the lowest buy-ins (typically $5 and up per hand), the rules give the casino a huge edge over theplayers. Examples include paying 6:5 instead of 3:2 for blackjack, limiting doubles after splits and having the dealer hit on soft 17. These unfavorable rules can easily boost the house edge to 3% or even more. With six or eight decks, getting a true count can be difficult.

Contrast this with the best games. An ideal setup is a single deck game, with liberal splitting/doubling rules, dealer standing on soft 17, late surrender and 3:2 for blackjack. With a house edge of 0.5% orless, these games are restricted to the high-limit rooms. This type of game is most likely to be closely monitored. Suddenly increasing your bet would be an instant trigger for experienced casino staff to watch closely.

Successful counters look for games with the lowest natural houseedge. They know the basic blackjack card counting strategy perfectly, so as not to give any edge back to the casino in the form of mistakes. If you do not know how to adapt blackjack strategy to subtle differences in the rules, then you are not yet ready to learn card counting techniques.

Is counting cards illegal in the US?

Counting cards is legal, unless you are using a mechanical or electronic device to help you keep track of the cards. Casinos do not want card counters in their games. People who are suspected of counting will be asked to leave the casino. Repeat offenses can see players banned — with trespass laws coming into effect if they attempt to return.

In 1979, Ken Uston took a casino in Atlantic City to court, challenging its right to ban “skilled” players. The court found in his favor. Rather than banning players, AC casinos now implement measures to stop card counting from working. They include regularshuffling, limiting players to flat bet sizes on each shoe and not allowing players to join a game mid-shoe.

Elsewhere, casinos will quickly ban players caught counting. This was the reason that the MIT team played in pairs. One player (betting small) would keep count, then signal to the big bet player when the count was positive. This player could then join the table, betting big amounts, while the original counter continued with smaller bets.

Card counting in other casino games

Very few casino games use a shoe containing several decks of cards. Casino poker variations like Caribbean stud or Ultimate Texas Hold ’em have a continual shuffle system, where a fresh shuffled deck is used for each hand. Baccarat does use a shoe, though it is not suitable for counting due to the complex scoring rules. Edge sorting is used in baccarat, though it is considered illegal in many jurisdictions.

This leaves blackjack variations like Spanish 21 and Free Bet Blackjack as the only candidates for card counting systems. Many variations of blackjack have a higher house edge than the main game. Spanish 21 removes 10s from the deck — starting the count on a negative.

Experienced advantage players use card counting to beat optional side bets. This requires a separate understanding of how each side bet works, with a counting system developed separately. Separate aces counts in blackjack can determine when the insurance against dealer blackjack bet becomes profitable.

Is it possible to count cards online?

Online casinos in regulated states have both live dealer and software-based blackjack options. They also have a range of games with different rules and side bets. Add in the game variations based on the 21 concept — and you will find a wide array of choices.

Advantage play through card counting is not possible at online casinos. Software based games use random number generator software to shuffle the cards for every hand. This means no count is possible. Live dealer games that are dealt in real time use eight deck shoes. What they do differently from brick and mortar casinos is reshuffle after around half of the cards are dealt. This makes it hard to spot situations where there is a positive true count. Add to this software that will instantly detect the bet sizing changes associated with counting.

What you can effectively do online is practice your counting skills. There are live dealer rooms at many of the biggest online casino brands, including Golden Nugget and BetMGM. You can enjoy a game and learn to keep score of the count while you play. Starting with simple systems like Ace-Five and Hi-Lo is ideal — you can move on to the more advanced systems as you gain experience.

If you live in a state with legal online casinos, make sure you keep a close eye on the casino bonus and promotion offers. You never know when a bonus aimed at blackjack players will become available.

Wrapping up: Card counting in blackjack

Card counting has been a part of blackjack since the1960s. Famous players including Humble and Uston published books on beating the house. Many of them are now considered among the classics of gambling literature.

Easiest Way To Count Cards In Blackjack

Counting cards in blackjack gives you an edge over the house when there are relatively more high cards in the deck. This takes advantage of the player’s option to split, double down and to take insurance against dealer blackjack. Counting systems are graded into three levels, depending on their complexity. More complex systems are more accurate — though harder to use.

How To Count Cards In Blackjack Reddit

There is an Achilles’ heel for card counters. To make your knowledge of the count profitable, you need to significantly boost your bet sizes when the odds are in your favor. These bet size increases are a flag to casino staff to watch your play closely — which leads to card counters being banned. Card counting is not illegal, unless you use a device to help you keep track.

How To Count Cards In Blackjack 1 Deck

Online casinos are the perfect place to practice your card counting skills. You will not be able to get an advantage from them — as safeguards are in place. Live dealer casinos show a real table, making this the ideal way to find the right card counting system for you ahead of your next visit to a brick and mortar casino.