Blackjack (21) is a game played against the casino by 1 or more player’s at a time. The goal is to get a hand scoring as close to 21 without going over that point total (going bust). If your hand is closer to 21 then the dealer’s hand you win. And if you tie then it’s a push meaning you neither lose or win.
It’s a fun game made even more entertaining as players egg on each other about which is the right move. Everyone can win so there is no competition among players at a table. However, many players feel there is a way to know what the next card is and that your play (wrong or right) is going to shape what the dealer’s hand is. If you make the wrong play, in their mind, then your bad play is the reason the dealer just got a good card and won the hand taking away their money.
In the end, Blackjack boils down to simple math and the best players quickly learn that other player’s actions have no bearing on the game. Amazingly a majority of players use their gut to play a game which is built on math. They have no system. Sometimes they hit on 14 and other times they make the unbelievable decision and sit on the hand. These are the kinds of players who fuel the new buildings in Las Vegas and who pay for your free drinks – its great!
In the mean time then a simple system does exist for playing proper Blackjack. The funny thing is that even the casino is willing to acknowledge a “system” exists. The system only gets you to within % points of getting even with the house. That means even by mastering a system the casino still has a mathematical advantage against you and in time is going to take away your money.
For this reason then Casino’s have gone as far as handing out free playing cards giving players the best rules for how to play each situation. Amazingly many players with the cards still go “with their gut”. Hurray for the casinos for having such a great business.
Still a more sophisticated system exists which the casino not only endorses but players using such a system have been banned from ever playing in the casino again. This more sophisticated system is referred to as card counting. The reason casinos are so against gamblers playing with such a system is that blackjack is the ONLY game in existence where the mathematical edge turns to the player if the player is using card counting strategies.
In card counting then you are keeping a running tally of the high and low cards played from the deck(s). The fewer decks the house plays with then the more powerful card counting becomes. As the cards become more favorable (more high cards left in the deck) then card counter’s increase their bets. As the cards become less favorable (fewer high cards left in the deck) then player’s lower their bets. When the deck is neutral then the player’s bets are of an average amount as well. A player can further their advantage by keeping a side count of how many Ace’s have been played from the deck. Furthermore, the basic strategy used to play against the house is also adjusted according to how positive (more face cards/aces left) or negative (fewer facer cards/aces are left).
Many card counting systems exist and with enough practice then average people can quickly pick it up. I spent a summer teaching myself a system developed and endorsed by Bryce Carlson of Blackjack for Blood. The title of that book alone says it all.
In the movies then card counters are shown placin $50,000 bets and winning hundreds of thousands a night. From my experience from card counting you simply cannot play or win like this. The key to being a good card counter is to maintain a low profile. Betting $50,000 on a hand is not keeping a low profile
With Blackjack being the only game where you can actually play with an edge against the house then casinos are always on the lookout for players utilizing a card counting system. The casinos have every right to ban anyone they want from their property. Therefore players even suspected of card counting can be banned. Furthermore, the casinos keep databases of players they suspect or know as card counters. Once your in this database then don’t expect to get out. And to make things worse then casinos can share with each other who they suspect as card counters.
Cameras linking to sophisticated software are now analyzing face profiles and matching to the databases. Casinos have a quick way of identifying and black balling players using card count systems.
Software will eventually be developed which tracks player’s plays/bets and matches that against the count. When this happens the casinos will have a super quick and easy way to identify card counters.
In the mean time casino “pit bosses” and hired security are watching player’s plays from a distance.
From my experience anyone thinking they can learn how to count cards and go into a casino using a perfect system to beat the house will quickly be caught. To use a perfect system then your play is going to be obvious to the casino that you are counting cards. They will likely start messing with you to test how you react. This might include changing dealers quickly, speeding up the pace of the game to see if you can keep up or if it forces you into mistakes. Or if you believe the movies they might invite you to their basement where they kick the crap out of you and eventually toss you out asking you to never come back J
So unfortunately to make money with blackjack, in the long run, we have to throw out our perfect system in an attempt to play an unrecognized game against the house. What this means is that you can’t always make the best mathematical decisions. Every once in a while you need to make a play which is obviously the wrong play. And when you do then try to make sure all the pit bosses, dealer, and security sees it. Play and act like a gambler and occasionally make a bad decision and you will buy yourself many hours at the table. The downside is that one bad decision takes a lot of plays to make up for to bringing the %’s back to your side.
From my experience then making real money at blackjack means playing long hours at the table not minutes. It becomes a profession in the real sense that you will be working it as a full time job including practice sessions away from the casino to keep your system working perfectly. After all mistakes in your count will cost you money!
To be a professional blackjack player then you have to bring a system to the table which you can play without mistakes. The good news is that this is fairly easy to simulate.
Many blackjack training programs are available where you can simulate card counting play. You know when your game is ready to play against the casino when you can reliably beat the computer.
Still a computer simulation does little to prepare you for the real situation. Inside the casino then distractions are everywhere. Beautiful women are walking around barely clothed, other gamblers are filling the room with screams of delight and disappointment, people are asking you questions, your real money is being lost or won, and on and on.
After learning how to count cards I made about 10 trips to Nevada over a couple of years. I made money on 8 of those trips. Each time I pushed it enough that I could feel the casino’s eyes but never enough that anyone took me aside. One time an old time dealer at Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel, Las Vegas was speaking to me, in code, about how he liked watching card counters take down the casinos. I was tipping him big and we enjoyed a long session of profits for us both. It made me feel good to have an old timer’s acknowledgement that a person who could learn how to do it should be allowed to play and beat the house. But after this session then I also realized my play was too obvious.
In the end, to make money at blackjack then you can’t bet too high and you cant play perfectly. It means long hours at the table for mediocre profits. And even then eventually you are probably going to get caught.
For the few capable of making money at blackjack I have a better idea – put your intelligence to use in other ways. There is potential to make a career at blackjack. But the big winnings the movies portray are not possible. You will get caught way before. And once you are caught then you are blackballed. Not the ideal career choice when anyone with the same intelligence can take their math skills and make much more money investing in stocks or a similar career based upon mathematical decisions.
Still there is another reason to learn how to count cards. And this is a great one: if you only want to become a recreational player making the occasional trip to Vegas or other casino area. That’s the decision I decided to take. And knowing I can play the game better then 99.9% of the other players is reward enough.
Jeremiah Thompson
July 21st, 2009 at 5:52 pm
My dear friend…it was a pleasure reading your article.and thats because its not superficial,it is a big dissapoiment for me to see around so many poor players.I’m not saying i’m good.But my dream is to become a professional.I’ve spent my last 8years playing blackjack and it is so interesting that i still find that there is lot more to learn.
i only disagree with what you said about the other players decision,whether it influence the game or not.what i’m saying is very simple,in several situations moreover if the count is on + a bad decision of player who seats before you at the table would influence the game.for instance lets take a simple situation .2players.you play second box the other play the first one.dealer has 4,5, or 6.1’st player has 16,you have 20 and that player hits, the chance it is higher even in aneutral count situation that the dealer will bust and of course in a + count situation.so hittin would be a mistake.of course this is just theory and in actual game everything is possible as you already know.
for instance i was playing yesterday blackjack(european style,early surrender,6 packs,3 splits,dd on any card,dealer stands on 17),and the dealer had 4 of a kind in his hand:) (Aces).and 20 min later on my play this time i had a pair of 4’s and i hit twice hittin another two 4’s.and you know whats the chance for that to happen.that was funny.too bad i wasnt playing poker:).
Take care and good luck with your gambling experiences.i’d love to get some feedback from you.cause i like meeting players who dont play just to make casinos rich,and you know what i mean by that.