Card Counting Research Paper

Card Counting

Sitting quietly with shades on and a cigarette in his mouth, the player at the green-carpeted table receives a 10 of spades.

"Hit me." 1

The dealer draws an ace.

"Well, that makes six a row, you sure are on a roll."

As the player takes the cigarette out of his mouth to reply, he is sternly tapped on his shoulder.

"Sir, I 'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The card player knows there is no point in fighting, he gets up and leaves. He won 't be seeing that casino anymore, for he has been put on the notorious "Black List"2 as a counter.

What is card counting?

Card counting is not rocket science, no psychic powers are needed either. It is tracking the relationship between high-value and low-value cards. A card counter
could also be called a "probability analyst." Low-value cards are good for the dealer, why? Well, the dealer has to follow certain rules regarding hitting. The dealer must hit if his count is below 17. Card counting allows the player to know when there are more high cards than low left in the decks, so they can raise their bet accordingly. They now have an advantage over the house.

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1Hit - To get another card from the dealer

2Black List - List that ceases people from entering any casino

How is it done?

There are many systems used to count cards. For this example we will use the High-Low1 method, which is most widely used. In High-Low the 2-6 cards are valued at +1, and the 10s through Aces are counted as -1. Note that there are the same amount in each group, 2,3,4,5,6 and 10,J,Q,K,A. The 7,8, and 9 cards are neutral. While training, it is good to not even notice the neutral cards, for they have no effect on the count. The low cards (good for the dealer) are given a plus because every time one comes out, the ratio of high to low cards increase.

Here is an example: We draw the following cards from the deck, 8,K,2,2,6,2,7,A.
This would be counted as 0,-1,0,+1,+2,+3,+3,+2. The 8 is neutral so the count stays at 0, next the King gets -1 but, the 2 that follows it is +1 bringing the count back to 0. We have another 2, bringing the count to +1 followed by a 6 and 2 making the count +3. The 7 is neutral so the count stays the same and the A has a value of -1 making the final count +2. This number is called the running2 count. It must be converted into a true3 count to be effective for betting and playing decisions. To do this, we divide the running count by the amount of decks left unseen. For example, in a double deck game after the first hand we have a running count of +4. Since there are virtually two full decks remaining we divide the count by two, creating a true value of +2. In games with let 's say, six decks, you would have to estimate how many decks are remaining by keeping an eye on the discard tray. If there are four left, the true count would be
+1.

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1High-Low - One of the many methods of card counting.

2Running Count - The probably before you divide by the number of decks.

3True Count - The running count divided by the number of decks.

During a single deck game with a quarter of the deck dealt we have three-fourths left. To divide with fractions we invert1 and multiply, so we take the 3/4 of the deck left and change it to 4/3. If we had a +4 count, we would multiply it by the numerator2(4*4=16). Next, you divide the sum(16) by the denominator.3 (16/3=5.33). With single deck games, the true count is always going to be higher then the running count, positive and negative, as we always have less than a full deck remaining.

What are the consequences?

Card counting, a crime?
Well, that depends on where you stand. If you 're an owner of a multi-billion dollar casino, card counters are people you do not want on your property. To the players, it 's just another strategy to beat the house. If a person is caught counting cards in a casino, they are immediately removed from the premises and put on the Black List. You might say, but how can the casino owners tell if someone is counting? There are many tips they get from the player, one of the biggest ones being that the counter will place large bets at certain points during the game where the probability is highest, and then lower the bets back down again. It is not against the law so you will serve no jail time or probation, pay fines, or anything of that matter. It 's a risk to take, but the outcome can be very
pleasing.

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1Invert - To switch the denominator with the numerator.

2Numerator - The top number of a fraction.

3Denominator - The bottom number of a fraction.

Conclusion

In my opinion card counting is a wonderful ability. Having a Black List is going a little too far, it 's not like the players are always going to win. The percent of edge only changes in the single digits, and there is no quick money with blackjack, you win in the long run. If you do master counting, you will be more knowledgeable than perhaps 98 percent of the people sitting around you.

Works Cited

Allaboutblackjack.com. 2004. 31 May 2004 http://www.allaboutblackjack.com/cardcounting.html

Bjmath.com. Ed. Standford Wong. 2004. 01 June 2004

http://www.bjmath.com/bjmath/novice/counting.htm