Blackjack is a classic casino game of luck and strategy. Play for free online, no downloads needed! Blackjack, formerly also Black Jack and Vingt-Un, is the American member of a global family of banking games known as Twenty-One, whose relatives include the British game of Pontoon and the European game, Vingt-et-Un. It is a comparing card game between one or more players and a dealer, where.

• Blackjack Ace Five Count
• Blackjack Ace Five Count Classic
• Blackjack Ace Five Count Cards
• Blackjack Ace Five Count 2

Blackjack Card Counting Guide 2021

Card counting in blackjack is a strategy that can help a player determine whether he has a good advantage in the game or not. This way, he will be able to lower the house edge.

The key aspect of card counting is following the ratio of high cards to low cards. This enables players to determine the likelihood of a high card appearing at a point in the game. Card counting is also used when people play derivatives of blackjack, like Spanish 21.

In card counting, players have to allocate a point score to the cards they come across.

There are different types of card counting systems that players can use. The systems differ from each other in terms of the value assigned to each card. Depending on the actual value of a card, the systems allocate a new value to it, which may be positive, negative or a zero.

The point value of a card loosely relates to its Effect of Removal. This pertains to the true effect that a card has on the house edge, if the card is removed. When they use balanced systems, players typically have to maintain a track of the total value, which is referred to as running count.

The principle for counting cards is that high cards – especially tens and aces – have a better potential of winning, when compared to low cards like 4, 5 or 6. The higher the number of high cards, the higher is the running count. This means that the chances of the player getting a blackjack are high too.

Having a ten can increase the value of a player doubling down in most cases. Knowing this will enable players to determine whether they should make the bet or not. Card counting can also increase the profitability of an insurance bet.

In card counting, the true value or running total informs the player of the potential of the remaining cards. As a general rule, you can make large bets if the total is positive but stick to the minimum bet if it is negative. However, you should not forget that casinos typically frown upon players who use card counting systems, as it increases player edge.

Ace-Five System

The ace-five system of counting cards is quite simple. Using this, players new to counting cards can get familiar with the basic principles of the process and enhance their chances of winning. To ensure that the ace-five system is effective, you should apply it when conditions are optimal.

This means that the dealer should stand on soft 17. The game rules should offer players the option of surrendering and re-splitting aces. Also, the game should ideally use an 8-deck shoe.

To start, you should determine the maximum and minimum bets you can make. When the shoe begins, you should start with a card count of zero and minimum bet amount. If you see a five, add one and when you come across an ace, minus one from the count.

.With a count that is more than, or equal to two, double the bet to make it your maximum amount. On the other hand, when the count falls below, or is equal to one, opt for the minimum bet amount. The playing decisions you make – to hit, stand, surrender or split – should always be based on the basic strategy. When the deck is shuffled, re-start the count from zero.

Knockout Method

The knockout system of counting cards, also called the KO method, was developed in 1998 by Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs. This is an unbalanced system of card counting as the count does not return to zero after a complete deck is counted. As it does not require you to convert the values, the KO system reduces the estimation errors that may come up when you use other methods.

Blackjack Ace Five Count

In this system, players have to assign a value of 1, 0 or -1 to the cards. +1 point is assigned every time a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 comes up. Don’t add any value to the total when you see an 8 or 9, and minus 1 every time you see a ten or an ace.

The key reason for the system being unbalanced is that 7 has a positive value in this. So, when the entire deck has been played through, the final value will be 4, unlike balanced systems which will have a zero. This makes the system quite easy to use.

When you use the KO system in a two deck game, it is best to bet 1 to 6 units – where each unit is the minimum bet. If the running count is less than or equal to zero, you should bet one unit. Wager 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 units when you have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more as the running count.

In a game that uses 6 to 8 decks, bet one unit if the running count is zero or below, 2 units if it is 1 and 4 units if it is 2. When the running count is 3, you should bet 8 units, when it is 4, bet 10 units, and when it is 5 or more, bet 12 units.

Hi-Lo System

The first official record of card counting systems was of the Hi-Lo system by Edward O Thorp which he wrote about in his book ‘Beat the Dealer’. He developed the system on the basic principle of card counting that while some cards are advantageous for the dealer, others offer the player an edge.

His system enables players to determine which cards are remaining in the deck on the basis of those that have already been played.

+1 point value is assigned for cards from 2 to 6 in the Hi-Lo system. Cards from 7 to 9 get zero value, and those from 10 to A get -1. The positive values indicate the advantage the cards offer the dealer. As there is a balance in the assigned values of both high cards and low cards, the system is balanced. So, when the whole deck has been counted through, the total value will be zero.

With this system, players have to maintain a running count and true count. The latter offers players an idea of whether they have an edge in the game or not.

When you play at a casino that uses just one deck, you can employ the simplest method of calculating the true count – divide the running count with the number of remaining cards in the deck. This method loses its effectiveness when it is used in a game that has multiple decks.

For instance, in a situation where you play with just one deck, and the running count is 12 and true count is 4, the value is positive. This means that there are a high number of high cards in the deck and you can increase your bets.

On the other hand, when you use this system with a multiple deck game, you will not be able to rely on the positive value, as there are more decks, which means that there are that many possibilities for a low card to turn up again.

Each time you place bets according to the Hi-Lo system, you will have to consider the minimum bet as a unit. When the true count is zero or less than that in a 2 deck game, bet one unit, when it is one, bet 2 units and when it is 2, bet 3 units. Similarly, bet 4 units if the true count is 3, bet 5 units if it is 4, and bet 6 units if it is 5. Remember to use the true count when considering the potential for betting.

Zen Card Counting System

In 1983, Arnold Snyder published his book ‘Blackbelt in Blackjack’ which records details about the card counting methods that can increase player edge, one of which is the Zen system. His contributions have led to him being elected to the Hall of Fame for Blackjack.

Snyder has included +2 and -2 values in the Zen system, in addition to the +1, 0 and -1 values used in other systems. The additional values are weighted to ensure that they offer players an advantage in the game. 2, 3 and 7 are assigned +1, 4, 5 values and 6 gets +2. 8 and 9 get zero, 10 gets -2 and A gets -1. You can start the running count for this system from 0. You will then have to identify the true count for it. For this, you will have to divide the running count with the number of decks that are yet to be dealt.

The playing tendencies indicated by the Zen card counting system are relatively more accurate than other methods, making it apt for advanced players. When the true count for the system is +5, you should bet 5 units, when it is +4, bet 4 units, when it is +3, bet 3 units and when it is +2, bet 2 units. You should bet the minimum amount when the true count is +1 or less.

For more advanced players, there are many types of Blackjack side countsincluding: Ace side count for betting, Ace side count for playing,Insurance side count, Betting side count, Multi-parameter side count andside bet side counts. You can configure multiple side counts at once.You can also use Counting by Inference tables at the same time. (Fora list of casino card counting strategies see BlackjackCard Counting) The following describes each method:

Ace SideCount for Betting Purposes

This method is only valid with Ace neutral strategies (e.g. Hi-Opt I,Hi-Opt II, Omega II, Uston APC, DHM, Expert and Revere Advanced Plus-Minus.)If you are using any of these systems, the true count is quite accuratefor strategy purposes, but less accurate for betting purposes. To correctthis use the following procedure:

• Calculate the number of excess Aces (may be negative) in the remainingcards
• Multiply the number of excess Aces by the absolute value of the pointcount value assigned by the current strategy to Ten-value cards (usuallyone or two)
• Temporarily add the result to the running count
• Recalculate the true count for betting purposes only

Ace Side Countfor Playing Purposes

This method is only valid with Ace-reckoned strategies (e.g. High-Low,Halves, Red Seven, Zen Count, and Revere Point Count.) Note: using anAce SC for one of these strategies requires a different set of strategytables. Few people use this technique these days. If you are using anyof these systems, the true count is quite accurate for betting purposes,but less accurate for playing purposes. To correct this, use the followingprocedure:

• Calculate the number of excess Aces (may be negative) in the remainingcards
• Multiply the number of excess Aces by the absolute value of the pointcount value assigned by the current strategy to Ten-value cards (normallyone or two)
• Temporarily subtract the result from the running count
• Recalculate the true count for strategy decision purposes only
• If this is an Insurance decision, temporarily subtract doublethe result from the running count
• Recalculate the true count for Insurance purposes only

Ten Side Countfor Insurance Purposes

A perfect side count for Insurance purposes would count Tens as -9 andall other cards as +4. But, I know of no one that uses this. A simpler methodis to use an unbalanced count found in the 1981 version ofWong's Professional Blackjack. Here, Tens are counted as -2 andall other cards as +1. Insure if the count is greater than four timesthe number of decks. The Ten count can also be used for the Bust Out betif you can find that rule anywhere.

Betting SideCounts

Blackjack Ace Five Count Classic

For greater efficiency, some people use different count values for playingdecisions and betting. This is not common. With CVBJ or CVData, a tableis used to set the side counts needed to change the playing count to thebetting count. For example, if you use Hi-Opt I for playing and Hi-Lofor betting, set Ace's to -1 and Two's to +1. This is the difference betweenthe two strategies. To use this technique, you must keep your primarycount and this separate count. For betting purposes, temporarily add thetwo counts running counts together and calculate the true count.

Multi-ParameterSide Counts

MP tables are normally used to improve playing efficiency by includingthe effect of the cards counted as zero. For example, in Hi-Opt II, 8,9 and Ace are counted as zero. The following occurs:

• Calculate the number of excess eights (may be negative) in the remainingcards
• Multiply this number by the index value in the multi-parameter tablefor the current hand.
• Temporarily subtract this from the running count
• Recalculate the true count according to the current strategy's instructionsfor playing purposes only.

Example: Suppose you have 9 vs. 2. The deck has two excess eights. TheHi-Opt II MP index for 9v2 with a side count of eights is 2. Multiplythat 2 by the 2 excess eights. You now temporarily reduce your RC by 4making it less likely that you will double. This makes sense since theexcess eights make it easier for the dealer to get a 20. This would havebeen missed by the normal Hi-Opt II count since it ignores eights.

Side Bet SideCounts

Blackjack Ace Five Count Cards

Specialty counts include: Over/Under 13, Lucky Ladies, Royal Match and Red/Black. These countscan be used to determine when it is advantageous to make these side bets.

Blackjack Ace Five Count 2

For info on setting up these strategies, see BlackjackSide Count Setup.