Black jack is a game of probability and strategy as well as a little bit of chance. While card counting is frowned upon at gambling establishments it is not illegal and for those good with numbers it can be a very profitable venture. The phrase counting cards is referred to as tracking the ratio of high cards to low cards in the game of blackjack and getting a count of the remaining high cards. There are several techniques and methods that are used to count cards accurately. These methods assign positive, negative, and zero values to each card in the deck. There are running counts, unbalanced counts, and back-counting which are all used in the skill of card counting.

Card counting methods can be relatively simple to very complex depending upon the technique. Some can even create new, personalized strategies based on existing strategies. Counting tools which are available on the Internet, can assist users in measuring the effectiveness of a method and will also assist people in fine-tuning existing methods.

The first step before even choosing a method, is settling on card point values and characteristics of the count. First determine if you prefer a true count or a running count. As the cards are dealt, players will keep a running sum of card values. Running count systems use the values for both wagering and playing decisions. The true count system is a bit different and requires that the player divides the running count value by the number of cards that have been dealt from the deck. The majority of players will use the True Count for every playing decisions as well as wagering. While the RC systems are much easier to calculate, for those who are fast with math, TC methods are far more accurate.

In addition there are opposite methods such as the balanced and unbalanced strategy. In a balanced strategy all the point values in a deck will equal to the sum of zero. In unbalanced strategies the sum of all cards is a positive number. Unbalanced methods have a great advantage because they can be combined with the easier running count systems. Balanced strategies are, like the true count system, a bit more accurate and are combined with the TC method.

There is information players need to understand when planning for card counting. While there are a number of monetary advantages for those who can accurately count cards, it’s not a sure proof system. For those who do not mind being singled out by casino personnel and frustrating other players at a table, the craft of counting cards can prove to be quite beneficial to you.