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Lesson 2: High/Low Point Count |
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The High/Low Point Count blackjack card counting system assigns a value of +1, -1 or 0 to each card in the deck. The values 2,3,4,5, and 6 are each worth +1. 10's and Aces are worth -1. 7,8 and 9 have a value of zero because their overall effect is negligible in comparison to the other cards. There are some systems that value an Ace at -2 and give 7's a +1 value. |
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The card counting system is balanced between negative and positive, giving the deck an overall value of zero. There are 20 cards in a deck that are valued +1, two through six. There are 16 ten value cards and 4 Aces in a deck (20 total) that are valued -1. The remaining 12 cards (7, 8, 9) have a value of zero. At the end of a deck the count should be zero. To practice, get a deck of cards, turn them over one by one, and keep track of the count. If you enter a game mid-way between the deck or shoe, bet flat until the cards are shuffled. Once the cards are shuffled commence counting from zero. |
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Let's try a quick example with this set of cards: Ace, 2, 7, 10, 10, 9, 10, 6, 10, 5 |
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| Card Value |
Point Value |
Running Count |
| Ace |
-1 |
-1 |
| 2 |
+1 |
0 |
| 7 |
0 |
0 |
| 10 |
-1 |
-1 |
| 10 |
-1 |
-2 |
| 9 |
0 |
-2 |
| 10 |
-1 |
-3 |
| 6 |
+1 |
-2 |
| 10 |
-1 |
-3 |
| 5 |
+1 |
-2 |
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At the end of this set you have a count of -2, which means you are at a slight disadvantage. Because of this, you next bet should either be at your lower level. |
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It is obviously much easier to count cards if you're playing at a cards-up table. If the dealer is going to fast for you to keep up then only total after every two cards are dealt, the cards will often cancel each other out. If you play in a cards-down game, you may want to consider playing at third base. The reason being is that in a cards-down game you only see the other players' cards if a player busts or when the dealer settles each player's hand. It's not cheating to peek at another player's cards but it's not polite either. |
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When there are other people at a table, all this can happens rather quickly and you may miss a few cards here and there, which essentially invalidates your count. You can't control how fast the dealer deals, but you can slow things down when the dealer prompts you for a play decision. |
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For one deck, alter your wager according to the table below. The Bet Unit refers to each unit of your initial bet. One unit may be $1, $5 or any other amount depending on your betting level. |
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| Bet Units |
Running Count |
| 1 |
+1 or less |
| 2 |
+2 or +3 |
| 3 |
+4 or +5 |
| 4 |
+6 or +7 |
| 5 |
+8 or more |
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For example: If after the first hand of a one-deck game, the point count is +3 and you just bet a $5 chip. Before the next hand is dealt, wager two units of $5, $10 worth of chips. If the count is +4 then wager $15, 3 times your original bet of $5. |
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What if there are four, six, or more decks instead of just one? You can still use the above table by performing a "true-count." This is easier than trying to remember different betting strategies for different number of deck games. |
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The True Count is found with the equation below:
True Count = Running Count / Number Of Decks Remaining |
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For example: You have a running count of +10 with 3 decks remaining. The True Count would be +10/3, which is approximately +3. +3 means that you should wager 2 units. |
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Some of the fractions may get a little tricky but just round them off to the closest integer value. It will also take some practice getting skilled at determining the number of deck remaining. A good way to practice is to stack six or so decks together and cut it at various depths. Then count the remaining cards to see how exact your guess was. The thickness of a standard deck of cards is 5/16 of an inch. With a bit of practice you should get the hang of it. The system behind blackjack card counting is pure mathematics but once you get out in a live condition it isn't always an exact science. |
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If you have trouble keeping the count straight in your head, you can use your chips as a memory storage device. After every hand tally up the net count and update the running or true count by rearranging your chips. Unfortunately, there is no law or rule that says a blackjack dealer cannot also be counting cards. In some cases, if the deck is favorable to the player, the house can know this and "shuffle up". This is also called preferential shuffling and it nullifies your advantage. |
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The essence of blackjack card counting is pretty simple but it takes a great deal of practice to be able to use it in a casino situation. Try practicing at home first and even online blackjack can be a low stress environment to practice your card counting skills. It will be difficult at first so don't get discouraged, and, as always, good luck! |
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Return to Blackjack Courses |
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Previous >> Lesson 1: What Is Card Counting? |
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