Blackjack game is a game of skill for sure, which means that in order to reach success and beat the dealer players need to learn how to apply some blackjack playing strategies.
One of the most efficient such system is card counting, which in case of correct application could decrease blackjack house odds from usual value of 7%-8% to zero or even convert casino's advantage into players' favor; therefore, it is really worth to practice card counting, so you could master the strategy perfectly and get desired blackjack casino bonus.
Card counting background
Card counting is based on the principle of tracking all the cards that have been played, so gamblers could figure out what kind of cards is left in the decks and would be dealt further.
The sense is that some of the cards (particularly, high-valued) are favorable for players while the others (low-valued) are more advantageous for the dealer.
In order to explain such division let us remind you that blackjack rules state that the dealer should hit in case of stiff hands or lower card combinations, which provide him or her with up to 12-16 points and therefore, he or she could easily bust if there are high valued cards left in the decks.
Main principles
One could think that gamblers should in keep in mind all the cards that have been played as well as their values, but the reality is simpler: in practice card counting implies that all of the cards could be marked as favorable for players, for the dealer and neutral ones.
Notably, low cards are valued as +1, high cards are assigned to worth +1 point while neutral ones have 0 point value. Players should begin their counting with 0 and continue making all the necessary computations constantly during the whole game. Probably, the most difficult thing concerning card counting is to keep all the information in mind without mixing it up.
Card counting variations
There are a lot of card counting variations that differ significantly within their level of difficulties, so it would be better if you start practice card counting with standard Hi-Lo system, which denotes such cards as Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 as high cards that add 1 point to players' running count, while cards from 2's to 6's are considered to be low and subtract 1 point from running count.
The rest of the cards, which are 7, 8 and 9 namely are regarded as neutral and do not affect the final result of the game.
There are also KO, Hi-Opt I, Hi-Opt II, Zen Count, Omega II card counting systems, which are more sophisticated and are actually designed in order to get better blackjack outcomes depending on different playing conditions.
