Counting Black Jack

Card Counting seeks to take advantage of periods of time when the statistically edge shifts from the house to the player.  Normally, the house has the statistical edge.  However, when there are more ten value cards in the shoe to be played, the odds shift to favor the player.  The house must hit below 17, and more ten value cards will cause the dealer to bust.

Unlike other games, there is a history.  As cards are played, they moved to a discard pile.  Keep track of what cards have been played will give you knowledge of what cards remain in the shoe to be played.

A card counter combines knowledge of the statistical edge with a record of the cards played.  This is the art of counting cards.

Play online for free and allow the computer to teach you card counting as you play

The red seven counting system is a very good system to start with.  It simplifies the Thorpe Hi-Lo method, making it easier to track the cards.  However it is similar to the advanced methods, so you can build on it to graduate to more complex system if you choose.

Red Seven starts with an Initial Running Count or IRC.  This is the count you keep as the cards are played.  When the cards a shuffled you reset the count to the IRC.  The IRC is -2 multiplied by the number of decks used.  A single deck game has a IRC of -2.  An eight deck game is -16.

Every time a card is played, you add it's value to the running count.  Low value cards have positive values while ten value cards have negative values.  The 2 through 6 cards all have a value of +1.  The 8 and 9 cards have zero value.  The 10, jack, queen, king and ace cards have a value of -1. 

As the name implies, red sevens or sevens are special.  Red 7 cards (diamonds and hearts) have a value of +1.  Black 7 cards have zero value.

The idea behind the running count is that when a bunch of low cards have been played, the count becomes a positive number indicating there are more ten value cards in the shoe.  The player knows he has the advantage.  Conversely a negative number indicates more low value cards and the house as the edge. 

In red seven, when the running count is negative, you wager the table minimum just to keep playing.  When the count is positive you wager 10 times as much because you know you have the edge and you statistically you will win more hands at greater wagers.

Play online for free and allow the computer to teach you card counting as you play