Card counting has been immensely popularised by films such as ’21′ in the last few years. For a long time card counting was believed to be a myth pursued by the gambling degenerate. Math, statistics and consistent winners have proven that to be a fallacy.

Card counting had it’s first upsurge with the arrival of Ed Thorpe’s ‘Beat the Dealer’, a non fiction title which outlined the first recognised counting system- The 10 count. Thorpe also proved, with statistical analysis, that the game Blackjack can be beaten.

After the release of his book, Casinos immediately changed the rules of Blackjack, in fear of hundreds of new counters flocking to make money off this proven system. It proved to be quite laughable, as the casinos did not realise that it takes a significant amount of work to learn a valid counting system! Lots of money was lost in the ensuing weeks as even regular gamblers with no card counting skills, realised that the games had gone bad.

Casinos reinstated games with the same rules, and realised after a while that they had nothing to fear from counters.

In reality only a tiny percentage of gamblers ever master the skills needed and pose no real threat to any casino worldwide. Blackjack teams have had some success in the past, but casinos now have enforced stricter rules regarding shoe games, which makes it harder for these teams to succeed. The no-entry mid shoe has made it harder for big players to ‘wong in’.

Unfortunately some casinos still see card counting as a threat and have installed sets of unfavourable rules for the average player. I believe they are losing money because of this. Many people believe they have the skills to be great blackjack players and counters, but the reality is that most of these so-called counters are the biggest losers of them all and some of the most profitable customers for a casino.

Since the advent of the internet, online gambling has become a major player in the gaming industry. Poker has experienced a massive boom with millions of online players competing each day. Not to mention other casino games such as slots, baccarat, roulette etc. Is there a profit to be made from these games?

Yes there is. How? If I play in Las Vegas many casinos would offer a complimentary drink, meal or even a room for the night, depending on how much I played! Obviously online gaming agents cannot do this, but offer something called a sign-up bonus. This means that when you deposit into a online gaming site, you can receive a bonus from 10% to 1000%. Many of these bonuses are cashable and, by playing low house edge games we are able to maximise profits.

The future of Blackjack?

Hope you enjoyed the article. If you would like to know more about card-counting and bonuses, please come to http://www.bustingcasinobonuses.com

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Card counting is a method that advanced blackjack players use to gain an edge over the casino. Getting the edge over the casino is huge in gambling. Casinos are businesses built with the intent to make a profit so they will always have the odds in every casino game. This small odds advantage is known as the “house edge” and it ensures that a player will slowly lose all of their money over the long term. The only way for a player to fairly win is during the short time period when they can quit when they are ahead.

Counting cards in blackjack is somewhat like cheating but technically it is fair. Players are given information that is readily available to both the dealer and all of the other players. The whole concept of counting cards is based on basic strategy. It does take some skill do count cards as well and you need to be good at your math and your strategy. A recent movie called “21″ was based on the MIT team who beat the house through card counting shows that it takes some math to do this.

Basic strategy is a type of game plan that players can use to make all the best moves on every game situation. Following basic strategy ensures that you are making the best moves possible mathematically according to odds and numerical percentages. You may have seen colorful charts showing what move you should make based on what cards you have and what cards the dealer has. As a matter of fact, players can actually bring these charts to a blackjack table and play (unless there are specific rules against it). The reason you can do this is even though basic strategy gives you the best odds possible, those odds are still not good enough to reduce the house edge and you still lose in the long run.

One major concept of basic strategy is the fact that there are more 10 point cards in the deck. This is because all face cards such as jacks, queens and kings are all worth 10 points. Hence, when the blackjack dealer is dealing out cards, there is a much higher probability of 10 cards being dealt and this is the foundation behind both basic strategy and blackjack card counting.

When you are good enough at the game where you essentially have memorized basic strategy and know all the correct moves, then the time comes to learn card counting. Learning how to count cards is the last advantage needed to tip the house edge over to your own edge. There are many systems of card counting available so I won’t get into explaining the specifics of them but you can visit our site in the links below to learn the specifics of each system.

The basic idea behind card counting is to keep a running count of all the cards on the table. It’s not as hard as you may think either because you are not counting the values on the cards. Basically you are just adding or subtracting (+1 and -1) for only certain cards that appear. For example, if three ten point cards are shown on the board, then you minus 3 points from your count. So when starting a game of blackjack, your count is just zero (0). If two kings are dealt, then your count goes to negative 2 (-2).

You also need to keep track of the low cards such as numbers between 2 and 7 for example. You add one point for the low cards. So if a 4, 7 and 3 are on the board after two kings, your running count then becomes positive 1 (+1). So you are just adding one point to the count for each of the low cards and subtracting one point to the count for every 10 point card.

Here is how you start betting: When you get a large positive count, this means that the dealer must have dealt many low cards, which means there are lots of 10 point cards still in the deck. The concept of basic strategy says that when more 10s are in the deck, this will favor the odds of the player. So the best thing to do is start betting higher amounts of money.

If there is a large negative count, this means lots of 10 point cards have been dealt and your odds start decreasing because there are fewer 10 point cards in the deck. Then it is wise to decrease your betting so you don’t lose as much. The concept of card counting is actually pretty simple but it takes practice actually keeping a count in your head because it is illegal to record all this on paper.

Casinos don’t like card counters and you will likely get thrown out of the casino if caught. This isn’t surprising because having an edge over the casino ensures that the casino will be losing money in the long run and you as the player will be using the casino as your own personal ATM machine when playing against them in the long run!

A few important notes to card counting is you need to start your count at 0 after the dealer shuffles the cards. Casinos battle card counters by shuffling the shoe of cards at random times in the game so that the player doesn’t have time to get a good count going. Ideally, casinos would like to shuffle the deck after every hand dealt, which is what online casinos do using their random number generators and computer software.

To learn about the different counting systems, visit our Blackjack Card Counting page. Also learn more about blackjack strategy, play free flash games, probability odds and other general blackjack information at our Casino Blackjack page.

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You saw the movie 21 which was about the MIT students who played team black in Vegas and won a fortune. They used the Hi Lo Card Counting system. The movie got you interested in card counting didn’t it?

The good news is that card counting is possible with practice. You can determine when the statistical advantage in a game of blackjack shifts from the casino to the player. The hi lo card counting system is one of the oldest, easiest balanced counting methods. Balanced means if you count through an entire deck starting a zero, you end at zero. Hi Lo is a good system to learn because is the basis for many other more complex methods. However, if a balanced system seems to difficult, and unbalanced system may be better for you.

You begin the hi lo method with a count of zero when the game begins or the decks are shuffled. Zero is the initial running count (called IRC). For each card played, you add the cards value to the count. The card values are as follows

The 2 through 6 cards have a value of +1.

Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace cards have a value of -1

The 7 through 9 cards have a value of zero.

For example, if you start at zero, you get a pair of jacks and the dealer gets an eight and seven. You have zero minus one for each jack, and the seven and eight have no value. Thus the count is minus two.

Correctly keeping the running count while playing blackjack is the heart of any counting system.

The hi lo card counting system is a balanced system. Balanced systems must convert the running count into a true count. This is done by dividing the count by the number of decks left to be dealt. You estimate this number by estimating the number of decks discarded, and then subtracting that number from the total number of decks in play.

Estimating the number of decks in a pile of discards is skill that comes with a little practice. Eventually you’ll find you can come to a good approximation of the number of decks in a pile of cards.

The real trick is doing the estimation and the mathematical division in your head. For many people this on top of keeping the count becomes overwhelming. If you find yourself struggling with the division piece, try an unbalanced system like the Red Seven method. Unbalanced systems only require that you keep the count, and you don’t have to do any division.

Again, the hi lo card counting system is based on knowing when the statistical advantage changes to the player. When the count reaches certain values, the advantage changes. These points are different depending on the number of deck used. Here are the points.

count is zero or less; wager one unit for 2 decks; one unit for 6 decks

count is +1; wager 2 units for 2 decks; 2 units for 6 decks

count is +2; wager 3 units for 2 decks; 4 units for 6 decks

count is +3; wager 4 units for 2 decks; 8 units for 6 decks

count is +4; wager 5 units for 2 decks; 10 units for 6 decks

count is +% or more; wager 6 units for 2 decks; 12 units for 6 decks

A unit is the table minimum bet. You play the minimum while the casino has the advantage. The wager increases as the count goes higher. You are betting more when you have a larger edge.

Would you like to learn the hi lo card counting method while play right now, for free? The free blackjack game at card-counting-blackjack.com is completely free to play. While you play, the computer teaches you how to count cards. Plus, the computer also shows you how to play basic strategy. Visit card-counting-blackjack.com to play blackjack and learn card counting.

Vincent Clark

Learn more about hi lo card counting.

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I hope you’ve been enjoying my posts lately. I thought I might do something different today and rustle up a few bits of info from around the WWW. These are some of the news items and blog posts that have been popular over the last few weeks. Leave me your thoughts.

How to play 15 vs. 10 – Blackjack and Card Counting Forums …

Both you and Don (Schlesinger) are correct. The only difference I see is that you specified that you hit 3+ card 15's. It is preferable to surrender when count is between 0-3 but if multi-card surrender is no available, you hit it. …

A Quick Rundown on the People in the Blackjack Hall of Fame » Fame …

Uston the secrets of the card counting teams mainstream, with his book, “The Big Player” the cre? Run by a commotion in the entire gaming industry. After his historic publication, card counting teams began to generate over the world. …

The MIT Blackjack Team Story – JickNonas.com

The MIT team used card counting as the foundation of their system; it was only one among a number of tools in their magical tool box, and even then, it wasn't traditional card counting. It added a high-low system, based on the …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

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I personally recommend using the Red Seven or KO Count card counting systems. They are basic systems that perhaps are the second easiest to learn. By using an easy system you sacrifice some potential advantage. However, a simple system counted correctly is better than an advanced system played incorrectly. Plus, with a simply system you can play a fast paced game, playing more hands per hour. All statistical advantages require time to bear fruit, so the more hands you play the better.

So what is the easiest system? That is the Wizard Ace/Five count system. Be warned, it is easy but not for the faint of heart. It attempts to counter the accuracy loss by using large bet spread. Any card counter must increase his bet when the odds are in his favor in order to beat the house. The difference between the minimum wager (played when at a disadvantage) and the maximum wager (played when at the maximum statistical advantage) is the bet spread. The Wizard Ace/Five count has a maximum bet potentially as high as 38 times the minimum. That means if you a $10 minimum, you must be prepared to wager up to $380 on a single hand. You must also have the bankroll to support that high of a spread.

Card counters are normally identified by their bet spread. With such a large bet spread, you may think the Wizard Ace/Five count may quickly get you spotted as a counter. On the contrary, the Wizard Ace/Five system is so basic; you are unlikely to get identified as a counter.

In addition, the Wizard Ace/Five offers little advantage. The system can be used recreationally just to gain comps from sustained playing time, but will offer little value beyond that.

So what is the Wizard Ace/Five? The system uses only 2 point values. Any five card played is +1. Any ace played is minus one. That’s it. You keep a running count starting at 0 and looking for fives and aces only. In addition, there is no “true” count, so you do not need to divide the running count by the number of decks remaining. With a 75% penetration, stand on soft 17, late surrender and re-splitting aces you can get a 0.22% advantage using the recommended bet spread.

The five card is an important card because it will not bust the dealer hitting a 16 and makes a 17 out of 12. Therefore the five is important. The ace on the other is beneficial to the player. Ace and Shuffle tracking exist just to track aces.

Now the painful bet spread. You bet the minimum wager on any zero or negative running count. For a positive count, you bet 2 times the minimum times the running count. This can potentially lead to a spread of 38 times the minimum assuming a six deck shoe. If you were to assume that all fives were played (4 cards per deck and 6 decks per shoe) and no aces played, the highest bet could be 48 times the minimum (24 x 2). I have heard that in simulations of a billion hands, the spread never actually got higher than 38 times. You must bet the proper spread in order to take advantage of the positive signal. Reducing the bet spread reduces your edge. The average bet in simulation is 2 to 3 times the minimum wager.

The Wizard Ace Five is the easiest card counting system. Learn more about Wizard Ace Easy Card Counting.

Card counting is a legal and legitimate way to gain an advantage over the casino in blackjack. Visit card-counting-blackjack.com right now to learn how count cards for free. The free blackjack game teaches you how to count cards. It also shows you how to play multi-deck blackjack strategy. There is nothing to download or install. Play BlackJack for free right now.

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If you want a simple blackjack system but with a professional level of playing, the red 7 card counting system is the one and only strategy to use! This system gives the player about 80% of the normal advanced blackjack systems without the need to increase one’s skill sets.

The rules of the red 7 system:

1) Aces are given the value of -1.

2) All cards of 2′s, 3′s, 4′s,5′s and 6′s are given a value of +1. This is due to the fact that when you see them on the blackjack table, it means there is less of them from the deck shoe and the advantage is in your favour.

3) All cards of red 7′s are given a value of +1. But for black 7′s they are given a value of 0. This is to create a critical imbalance to the game so that you do not need to add any more calculations on other variances in the game. This is the key to the simplicity and power of the red 7 system.

4) All cards of 8′s and 9′s are given a value of 0. So you can ignore these cards when you see them.

5) All cards of 10′s, J’s, Q’s and K’s are given the value of 0.

When you sit down at a table and start playing, use a count value of -2 and multiply by the deck number of let us say 3 decks, then the set count is -6.

When you do this, you easily know the advantage has come into your favour when the count is 0, and you can increase your bets accordingly without worrying what other factors might arise. Statistically, you have a 1% edge over the dealer but also remember that the dealer has a good chance of winning against you! Do not over bet your limit!

A few notes when using this method:

- Taking insurance when playing one or two deck games when your count is 0 or higher.

- Stand on 12 when dealer up card is 2 and stand on 15 when the dealer has 10 if your count is +2 or more.

- When your count is 0 or higher, stand on 16 when dealer has a 10 and on 12 when the dealer has a 3 up card.

Although this system is unbalanced, when you try to look at true card counting techniques, you have to second guess how many decks are still in the shoe and also try to round off deck estimation to achieve the true count. In the end, this imbalanced strategy releases the player from guessing or learning extra skills to do other work and only concentrate on the cards themselves.

But again, no matter what strategy you use, your self-control over your money matters is the ultimate blackjack tip and secret to winning this game all the time!

At http://blackjacksecrettips.com -

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You’ll get to uncover all the SECRETS, all the know-how, and you will stop asking how to win at blackjack once and for all!

Yours Sincerely,

Patrick Gan

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Hey Readers! I’ve been comin across some crazy stuff the past few days from a few different blogs around the web which I just had to share with you. Check em out below…

Court decision may settle Indiana's card counting issue

“Card counting is just a mental exercise. It's not cheating and not prohibited by the gaming commission's (blackjack) rules. This is someone using their …   Read More…

Retired Cop Faces Charges For Using Card Counting Device

A long time police officer was exposed for using a card counting device at the Parx casino on Wednesday. Although card counting systems are highly …   Read More…

Philly cop caught at Parx casino using card-counting device

A veteran Philadelphia police officer was caught using a card-counting device earlier this week at the Parx casino, law-enforcement …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

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If you’ve been keeping up with my blog posts lately you’ll know I’ve come to adding a few news posts from around the web on this subject. I’ve got a couple more today that are new and updated, so let me know what you think of em…

Pa. cop caught at casino using card-counting device

By David Gambacorta The Philadelphia Daily News PHILADELPHIA A veteran Philadelphia police officer was caught using a card-counting device earlier this week at the Parx casino, law-enforcement sources.

Card Counting Secrets – for BlackJack from the film 21 | Best …

Blackjack. Learn straight from a former Casino Employee! The Game, The System about the card count and Awesome downloads. Ebook, Instructional video and.

Card counting at online casinos??? Would it work? Could I earn …

So I've heard that you can earn a lot of money from card counting but it's very hard to.

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

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I hope you’ve been enjoying my posts lately. I thought I might do something different today and rustle up a few bits of info from around the WWW. These are some of the news items and blog posts that have been popular over the last few weeks. Leave me your thoughts.

BlackJack Trainer Free – Android

BlackJack Trainer Free is a training aid for improving BlackJack card counting skills. BlackJack hand advantage analysis is provided using any one of nine different card counting systems. Ad..

200-2000 spread how long will u being banned – Blackjack and Card …

200-2000 spread how long will u being banned Blackjack – Card Counting. … Blackjack and Card Counting Forums – BlackjackInfo.com. Search BlackjackInfo. Site Features. Home · Basic Strategy Engine · Rules of Blackjack …

To the seasoned AP’s – Blackjack and Card Counting Forums …

get a "checks play" or have been sitting in one spot too long? not much you can do, unless you're doing something else other than counting. better to just lose a few hands and not come back on that shift for awhile. …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

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Ok so you might find the next few links interesting. These are from around the web, just random snippets that I’ve picked up in my reading, but I found some very cool information in them. You might too. Here goes…

Pa. cop caught at casino using card-counting device

PoliceOne joins with officers, departments and agencies across the nation in the shared mission of ensuring officers have the tools and information needed …   Read More…

Forum Flashes | The Showcase is a showcase no more

In another, however, it upheld the right of Grand Victoria Casino in Rising Sun to ban a “card-counting” player from Indianapolis. Card-counting is legal, …   Read More…

Movie Review – The Social Network

… the House," which was the story of the MIT Blackjack team taking Las Vegas and other casinos for millions with a sophisticated card counting system. …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

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