Bluegate Poker Supplies
Based in Singapore
How to Win at Blackjack, Really
Why do I lose at Blackjack? In a standard casino blackjack game, the house has about 0.5% advantage over the player. The exact number depends largely on all the rule idiosyncrasies (how many times you can split like cards, whether you can double down on any two cards or only 9, 10, 11, etc.). A half a percent is only about a half bet per hour. You probably lose your money a lot faster than that for a couple reasons, but both are very easy to solve. And if you want, you can actually learn how to beat the game.
How can I lose my money more slowly? First, you need to know "basic strategy," the correct mathematical play in all situations (e.g. if you have 12 and the dealer is showing a 9, you take a hit for another card). You can either download a basic strategy card from the Web (Basic Strategy Card) and memorize it or buy a copy at the gift shop in most casinos. You can even play with it in plain sight on the table. The problem is, playing basic strategy (i.e. the correct mathematical strategy) is boring for most people. You need discipline. Second, you need the correct size bankroll to weather the volatility. Although on average (i.e. after several thousand hands) you are only losing a half bet per hour, you can have a much worse run of cards than that in the short run and bust out. If you are betting $10 a hand and only brought $500 to the table, you will almost always go broke. You need at least 300 times your original betting unit in your bankroll to avoid the “risk of ruin” during a night of blackjack. It is hard to sit down with $3,000 and bet a measly $10 at a time. You need discipline times two.
Forget losing slowly, how can I win? If you count cards, you can reverse the house edge and get ~1.0% edge for yourself. Again, that’s only about a bet or two per hour. Theoretically, you could exceed that, but since card counting requires you to vary your bet, you need to be careful that you are not doing so in such an obvious way. Counting cards is not illegal in most jurisdictions, but they can ask you to stop playing.
Why does card counting work? The principle behind counting cards is that you bet more money when the remaining cards in the shoe are in your favor and you bet less when they are stacked against you. You might also alter basic strategy when counts are high or low. The more 10's and aces left in the deck, the higher the advantage is to the player. This is because blackjack pays the player 3:2, but pays the dealer only 1:1. In addition, doubling down and splitting opportunities, which get more money on the table, are more profitable in high count situations. Obviously, counting doesn’t work with continuous shufflers.
How do I count cards? Counting cards is rather simple to learn, but it might take a few weeks to master. The most basic counting system is called "high-low" because it assigns the low cards 2-6 a value of +1, 7-8-9 a value of zero, and 10's and aces a value of -1. Your aim is to keep a running total as the cards come out of the shoe, or before they are discarded by the dealer. For instance, if the first ten cards are a 2, 8, J, Q, 4, K, K, A, 7, and 10, the running count would be minus 4 (check my math!). A minus count is bad and a plus count is good. Notice how the remaining shoe must have a lower proportion of 10’s and aces (a minus count) because you have already seen so many of them. The next step is to derive the true count by dividing the running count by the number of decks yet to be seen. You can estimate this by looking at the discard stack and subtracting it from the total number of decks in play.
Once I know the count, what do I do with it? If the true count is a high positive number, you want to increase your bet by that proportion. For instance, if your normal betting unit is $10, then you would bet $30 when the true count was +3. You are betting more money when the cards are in your favor. In an ideal case, you would sit out hands when the count was negative and then really pump the bet when the count was highly positive. You would most certainly be asked to leave, however, if you did this. (That’s why counters often play on teams, where one person keeps count and signals it to a roving player who places big bets at the opportune times.) The second advantage to counting is to alter basic strategy in some situations. For instance, if you have two 10’s, the correct strategy would normally be to stand on your pat 20. If the count was very high, however, and the dealer’s up card was a “stiff” 6, it would make sense to split the 10’s to get more money on the table at a time when the deck was rich in 10’s and aces.
How can I lose my money more slowly? First, you need to know "basic strategy," the correct mathematical play in all situations (e.g. if you have 12 and the dealer is showing a 9, you take a hit for another card). You can either download a basic strategy card from the Web (Basic Strategy Card) and memorize it or buy a copy at the gift shop in most casinos. You can even play with it in plain sight on the table. The problem is, playing basic strategy (i.e. the correct mathematical strategy) is boring for most people. You need discipline. Second, you need the correct size bankroll to weather the volatility. Although on average (i.e. after several thousand hands) you are only losing a half bet per hour, you can have a much worse run of cards than that in the short run and bust out. If you are betting $10 a hand and only brought $500 to the table, you will almost always go broke. You need at least 300 times your original betting unit in your bankroll to avoid the “risk of ruin” during a night of blackjack. It is hard to sit down with $3,000 and bet a measly $10 at a time. You need discipline times two.
Forget losing slowly, how can I win? If you count cards, you can reverse the house edge and get ~1.0% edge for yourself. Again, that’s only about a bet or two per hour. Theoretically, you could exceed that, but since card counting requires you to vary your bet, you need to be careful that you are not doing so in such an obvious way. Counting cards is not illegal in most jurisdictions, but they can ask you to stop playing.
Why does card counting work? The principle behind counting cards is that you bet more money when the remaining cards in the shoe are in your favor and you bet less when they are stacked against you. You might also alter basic strategy when counts are high or low. The more 10's and aces left in the deck, the higher the advantage is to the player. This is because blackjack pays the player 3:2, but pays the dealer only 1:1. In addition, doubling down and splitting opportunities, which get more money on the table, are more profitable in high count situations. Obviously, counting doesn’t work with continuous shufflers.
How do I count cards? Counting cards is rather simple to learn, but it might take a few weeks to master. The most basic counting system is called "high-low" because it assigns the low cards 2-6 a value of +1, 7-8-9 a value of zero, and 10's and aces a value of -1. Your aim is to keep a running total as the cards come out of the shoe, or before they are discarded by the dealer. For instance, if the first ten cards are a 2, 8, J, Q, 4, K, K, A, 7, and 10, the running count would be minus 4 (check my math!). A minus count is bad and a plus count is good. Notice how the remaining shoe must have a lower proportion of 10’s and aces (a minus count) because you have already seen so many of them. The next step is to derive the true count by dividing the running count by the number of decks yet to be seen. You can estimate this by looking at the discard stack and subtracting it from the total number of decks in play.
Once I know the count, what do I do with it? If the true count is a high positive number, you want to increase your bet by that proportion. For instance, if your normal betting unit is $10, then you would bet $30 when the true count was +3. You are betting more money when the cards are in your favor. In an ideal case, you would sit out hands when the count was negative and then really pump the bet when the count was highly positive. You would most certainly be asked to leave, however, if you did this. (That’s why counters often play on teams, where one person keeps count and signals it to a roving player who places big bets at the opportune times.) The second advantage to counting is to alter basic strategy in some situations. For instance, if you have two 10’s, the correct strategy would normally be to stand on your pat 20. If the count was very high, however, and the dealer’s up card was a “stiff” 6, it would make sense to split the 10’s to get more money on the table at a time when the deck was rich in 10’s and aces.
About Bluegate Poker Supplies. Bluegate Poker Supplies is run out of Singapore and primarily serves Asia (Shipping Info). We can also deliver to your hotel or office if you are traveling through Singapore. Our Singapore Warehouse is centrally located only a 5km taxi ride from the Central Business District and major hotels. Please Email Us with any comments or questions. We look forward to being your home poker products resource in Asia!
