Counting Cards for Long-Term Wins: The Simplified Way

Before you can beat blackjack you have to know how to play! Feel free to skip this lecture if you're familiar with the rules but it can and will serve as a great refresher.

The first foremost step in counting cards is learning basic strategy. The chart may be quite intimidating at first and so we're going to break it down into sections and give you a very tangible way to remember how to play every single possible hand. We'll start with hard hands, meaning all hands that have no aces or pairs in them.

Hands with aces in them are referred to as "soft hands". These hands can be very adventageous for a skilled player! But only if you know how to play them correctly...

When dealt a pair you have the option of playing a single hand as two. Learn how you can double your money, reduce your losses, and when it's better to stick to one hand.

Probably the most misunderstood play option in blackjack is surrender. Despite the name it isn't just giving up. A smart player will learn to use surrender to add even more to his edge over the house!

Now that you know how to play with the best strategies, it's time to learn to count! Don't worry, it's no harder than anything you learned on sesame street.

Since running count is so important to master, here are some learning tools for keeping track of the count as you train and to help you keep positive and negative straight. These are for all learning styles so just pick the one that works best for you and practice practice practice.

This is the first video quiz of the course. Before you get started make sure you do 1 of 2 things:

1. Grab a sheet of paper and number it from 1-10... OR...
2. Open "Quiz 4" from this course in a separate window and then size both windows so you can see them at the same time.

This video quiz will not only test you on running count but on basic strategy as well. Do you have what it takes yet to put the two together?

Now that you keep a good running count we need to find a way to interpret it for however many decks you may come across in the games your local casino offers. Use this technique to calculate your edge no matter how many cards are left to be dealt.

It's important to learn to recognize how many decks are in the discard tray in order to get an accurate true count. Here's some drills you can do at home to build that skill.

Here's the underlying concept behind the true count and how you use it to know when to bet big on those juicy decks, and when to hold out for a richer shoe.

This video quiz will test you on everything you've learned thus far. Make sure you can play basic strategy and keep a running count perfectly, and that you know how to calculate your true count using the decks remaining!

Variations, Indeces, Deviations, Index Plays... they go by many names in the blackjack world. But what are they and how do they help your game?

These variations are best suited for games where the dealer must hit on a soft 17. Make sure you know which game you're going to be playing!

These variations are best suited for games where the dealer must stand on a soft 17. Make sure you know which game you're going to be playing!

Now you have all the pieces to play the game. Here's some good techniques on how to approach practicing them. Remember that doing them perfectly individually is great, but the real test comes when performing them all together.

Please visit this link for an example of a practice log (select "file>download as>Microsoft Excel to download an editable version):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wJan9LI1BBUkELCqQtNnG_34BmoRgeG0hBMlc9KuAB8/edit?usp=sharing

This practice log will actually double as a method of tracking your casino play once you're ready to reach that point.

I'm a designer and a computer geek in my spare time and I know a lot of you all are as well. This is an incredibly effective technique I've developed for training teammates and keeping my own play automatic. If you practice this technique then you will be able to count cards as easily as you can tie your shoes!

So now you're a master card counter! But shouldn't we add something to all these skills in order to make them pay the bills??

Learn to avoid the biggest and most deadly mistake that beginning card counters make time and time again: OVERBETTING! Here we break down exactly how much is sensible to be betting on what counts and expert rules and guidelines to avoid breaking your bank before you get to see those profits.

ATTENTION: These math concepts are helpful but not mandatory to succeed at card counting.

Our first nerdy concepts go hand in hand and when you can and I highly recommend understanding the overarching rules behind them. You will not need to learn to calculate them yourself but please see the links below for some tools to help you out.

House Edge Calculator: http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/calculator/

EV calculator: http://www.qfit.com/calcrisk.htm

Blackjack simulation software (not free): http://www.qfit.com/blackjack-simulation.htm

ATTENTION: These math concepts are helpful but not mandatory to succeed at card counting.

Our next nerdy concepts involve being able to gauge whether the difference between your expected results and actual results is normal, or a result of poor play, poor bankroll management, or god forbid a casino is cheating you! Learn how you can avoid swings beyond what your bankroll can handle.

ATTENTION: These math concepts are helpful but not mandatory to succeed at card counting.

Our last nerdy concept involves risk of ruin, A.K.A. how to know if you're playing a beatable game or not. Based on your bankroll size, your bet spread, and the house edge, the risk of ruin is an important indicator of just how likely you are to see profits rather than total losses. For those with large bankrolls, this is a very very important number to consider before placing that first bet.

If you don't like the look of that Risk of Ruin or you're worried about variance being too hard to overcome, here's a way you can ensure that you're always playing with the most edge possible and never playing when the odds are in the house's favor. This can make games that were previously not worth the risk, suddenly wildly profitable games! Don't be a chump and skip out on this technique!

Read me before galavanting off to the pits. There's some important warnings to consider!

While this course will prepare you to win blackjack games regardless of amount of decks or table limits, it's important to note that there are certain games that aren't worth bothering with and some that aren't even beatable. Still others aren't even really blackjack games! Learn to discern between them in this lecture.

Here we'll go over "Pen". What it is, why it's so important, and how it can make the difference between a wildly profitable and nearly unbeatable game even under the same rules and conditions.

Dealers aren't our enemies, but make sure you don't mistake them for your friends. Also never EVER expect them never to make mistakes. To err is human after all!

Here's how to interact with dealers to make sure you keep your winnings going but also keep them happy to deal to you.

For all expert card counters, that inevitable tap on the shoulder is not an "if" it's a "when". Luckily, getting approached by casino management and removed from play is almost never as scary as the movies and the news would have you believe, and most of the time it isn't even a permanent ban. Here's what you need to know about staying one step ahead of the suits and what rights you have as a card counter and a customer if they do catch up with you.

(PLEASE NOTE: This advice is mainly for U.S. based players. If you play in other jurisdictions you will need to consult the law in those jurisdictions about what the regulations are on card counting as well as the rights of card counters and patrons in general. NONE of this information is official legal advice so if you need legal council please contact a qualified law professional in the jurisdiction in question.)

For all expert card counters, that inevitable tap on the shoulder is not an "if" it's a "when". Luckily, getting approached by casino management and removed from play is almost never as scary as the movies and the news would have you believe, and most of the time it isn't even a permanent ban. Here's what you need to know about staying one step ahead of the suits and what rights you have as a card counter and a customer if they do catch up with you.

(PLEASE NOTE: This advice is mainly for U.S. based players. If you play in other jurisdictions you will need to consult the law in those jurisdictions about what the regulations are on card counting as well as the rights of card counters and patrons in general. NONE of this information is official legal advice so if you need legal council please contact a qualified law professional in the jurisdiction in question.)

Some parting words of congratulations and final advice before you head out to make your fortunes.