The game of blackjack is garnering a lot of attention these days. The game not only involves the skills of the player to be able to get as close to the Jackpot as possible but also the skills of the card counter to be able to beat the house at their own game. The latter is often easier to do than the former and that is why more and more players seek out ways to learn how to play blackjack card counting in order to win. While card counting is not a guaranteed way to win at blackjack, the player who can count well can certainly increase his chances of winning.
Blackjack card counting can be done easily if you have a system to train you. There are many cards counting systems available online and most of them are free. Card counting is a strategy that can be used to decide which higher card to hit in each hand – something that has to be taken into account especially when the cards on the table are already dealt and there is a greater chance of being dealt a higher card than expected. A high card is an Ace and a King, and Ace and King are the most valuable cards. When aces and kings are as rare as they are in the real world, this can really make the difference between winning and losing.
Card counting is not for everybody. Those who can’t or don’t want to take their time to read may feel that card counting is pure luck, or that it requires them to remember every card in the deck, or to be able to count the cards as they are being dealt. These people would be wrong. Even though the odds may not be in their favor, the player has to remember that the cards will always be divided into high cards and low cards, with tens being the least valued card. High cards are those from ten to Queen, and the value of these cards increases as their number increases.
Queen is the most valuable card and will be discussed later in a different article.
So far we have looked at cards that are easier and easier to spot, but there are also some weaker cards that are worth more than losing. Ace is the card with the highest possibility of being cracked, or the card with the highest possibility of being dealt again. Ace is the card that we want to hold onto at all times.
At this point we will have a general idea of what cards we are holding and what cards we could be dealt. Any cards from three to six are worth their face value, so they will be easier to spot. Sevens, eights, and nines are worth their face value, and also the Ace, which is worth 1. In between these, we have a few cards that are worth more than the sum of their values (such as ten for 9, King for King, and Ace for Ace).
Let’s start playing. You are dealt cards one at a time. You keep note of the cards as they are dealt, and then you make a decision on what you want to do with each hand. Basic decisions might include:
Blackjack
If your hand value is 17 or more, you always hit. ( even if the dealer has 17 or more, you can’t keep hitting till you get 17 or more)
If your hand is 5 or less, you always hit.
Blackjack bettingis the process of either betting or checking. When you bet, you are putting money into the total value of your hand, and when you check, you are passing it on to the dealer.
Players can bet in two different ways:
1. Staking – When a player is dealt a value card, he may either lay his cards down or raise. When staked, a player’s hand is considered to be his initial stake.
2. Backing – When a player has laid his cards down, and wants to make a raise, he may either “back off” or “call.”) Once a player clears out, the dealer will deal his cards for him.
Once all players have made their bets, the dealer will deal all of the cards, starting with the one on the top of the deck, and ending with the “liquidation” card, which is the card that finishes off the top of the deck.
When all cards are dealt, the dealer will discard the top card of the deck, and the deck will be “cleared.”
The dealer will then open the next three cards, and do the same thing again.
Finally, after the deck is cleared, the hand is over. Players look at their cards, and if they have the best hand (which means a pair and an Ace or King), they are paid out.
Progressive Jackpot
In a game of progressive jackpot, a player must make a deposit before the hand is played; the game then fills in the empty spaces, and the player gets the full jackpot.