Faster Blackjack Card Counting
When you are learning to count cards, you take one card's value at a time and then combine it with the values of the other cards. However as you advance, you need to learn you need to drop this cumbersome method in order to count faster. You see, in a real casino environment, the dealer deals cards rapidly and there are many distractions around you. If you can't count the cards fast enough, you will make mistakes or else the casino staff will realize what you are doing and shoo you out of the house.
To count cards faster, you have to simplify card counting. This page shows you how to do just that.
Since the player is dealt two starting cards at a time, you have to be able to count pairs at a glance. You have to practice your eye to recognize themes in card counting:
- A pair of good cards is always a minus and their total integer value
- A pair of bad cards is always a plus and their total integer value
- A good card and a bad card of the same integer value count as zero
- A pair of neutral cards counts as zero
Knowing which cards cancel each other out is especially valuable for faster card counting. When you see a good card and a bad card together, you simply ignore and do not count. It's the same with neutrals. Train your eye to ignore them completely.
To get used to reading this, practice this way: Draw two cards at a time and look at the cards. See the themes according to the card counting system. If you are using the Hi/Lo system, it should go like this:
If 2 and 4: +2
If 3 and King: 0
If 8 and 7: 0
If 9 and Queen: -1
If Ace and 2: 0
If 5 and 7: +1
If Jack and Jack: -2
Now when you are in a casino, you will be able to use this pair technique for card counting. In a blackjack table, there will likely be several other players beside you. The dealer will deal cards to players in turn starting with the first player who is at "first base" as it is called. Do not look at the first single cards that are dealt. Instead, begin counting when the first base gets their second starting card. This helps disguise what you are doing. Look then at the pair each player is getting. Then count the hits. End your count with the dealer's own cards and hits, if any.
Card counting will get easier as you practice. Just learn the shortcuts to faster counting and soon you will be able to make a profit from your efforts. Card counting brings in the dollars, so good luck and enjoy.
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