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This article familiarizes users with the most common card blackjack counting system called High-Low. The inventor of the High-Low card counting system is Harvey Dubner. However, Stanford Wong made a significant contribution to its development. It is the simplest of all the existing systems. It cannot be called very efficient. Therefore, it is not used by professional gamblers. In addition, if you are going to use it in the same club for a long time, its employees will quickly get you pegged and ask you to leave the casino.
Nevertheless, the High-Low counting system is perfect for novice players to understand the principles of card counting and increase their chances of winning.
As for the odds of winning, do not think that even having mastered this system, you can increase your bankroll a few times. We are talking about a small percentage of the total amount, which you can regularly collect as a payout. So, if you still wish to get acquainted with the High-Low system, let's start.
Principles of High/Low Card Counting
This counting system is based on the fact that each card in the deck gets one of three numerical values: +1, 0, or -1. That is why you may also find its alternative title, the Plus-Minus count.
- Cards from a ten to an ace are worth -1.
- Deuces-sixes bring +1, respectively.
- Other cards are worth 0.
It is easy to calculate that the total sum of fifty-two cards in the deck equals zero.
During the gameplay, you should add the values of cards placed into a discard tray, including those that the dealer cuts.
The more high-ranking cards (tens and face cards) are left in a shoe, the higher this score is.
This increases the probability of a good hand and is suitable in the best way for playing according to the basic strategy. In such a case, if the score rises to 5 or more, it makes sense to raise your bet. If your score is negative when a shoe is almost empty, you should rather reduce your bet. If there are a few gamblers at the table, we recommend that you should fold until the score reaches at least 0.
For example, Q, 8, A, J, and A are dealt. The total score is -3.
The number of cards that have not yet been dealt should be also taken into consideration. After all, the score of +5 is more valuable when only fifty cards are left after the first deal. To do this, the concept of "true count" is introduced. Your score is divided by the number of decks in the shoe. If the resulting number is positive, even in this case, it is the most appropriate time to raise your bet. It is not difficult to guess that this situation will occur when the shoe is almost empty.
To be sure, we are talking about the basic strategy following all the recommendations provided by it. If you meet these rules and vary bets competently, the house advantage in blackjack disappears. Moreover, gamblers can even get an advantage over casinos.
Tips on BJ Card Counting
To sum up, we want to provide some cases in which card counting is not efficient.
- First, this is related to online casinos where all cards are shuffled before each deal, so it is absolutely useless to count.
- If the dealer cuts more than one-third of the cards while placing them into a shoe, the true count can rarely be positive.
- It is inefficient if the dealer may blindly discard one or several cards into the discard tray. This is not a very common rule, but in some clubs, it is widely used, especially if the gambler is suspected of card counting.
Keep that in mind.
Summary
We have provided you with the basic principles of the High-Low card counting system. Keep in mind that most casinos are not glad to see gamblers who have such an approach to the game. So, do not demonstrate your skills.
In further articles, we are going to discuss this issue in order to find out how you can give yourself away while counting cards and how to avoid this.
