The Several Types Of Blackjack Card Counting Strategies

Counting cards is a strategy used in several card games. The objective is to know the likelihood of favorable or unfavorable conditions in order to make a bet. When done right it gives a small advantage to a player. It gives a larger advantage to a group of players. It may seem complicated but the theory is that for each low card that comes out, the better chance a ten or above will come out later. Increasing the chance for 21. Conversely, if a ten or better comes out, there is less chance of another ten or better showing up. Blackjack card counting has been featured in several movies. This article is about the popular types of card counting and how they work.

Level One Counting Systems

A Level one counting system is one where each card is given a positive, negative or zero value. For example, tens and face cards are given a -1 negative value, sevens through nines are neutral and twos through sixes are given a +1 value. As the cards come out , the remaining deck value changes. Low cards increase the count because the remaining cards are more likely to be face cards and tens. High cards decrease the count because the remaining cards are more likely to be less than seven. There are several variations of the level one counting system.

The most popular level one systems are Hi Lo , Hi Opt 1 and KO systems. Each offers a slight counting variation but all assign a negative, positive or zero value to each card. For example, in the Hi Opt 1 system, twos are given a 0 or neutral integer. And another example of slight variation, the KO system gives sevens a positive integer. Tens and face cards are given a negative integer in all systems.

Multilevel Counting Systems

There are also multilevel counting systems in use. These include the Zen, Omega 2 and Hi Opt 2 systems. The ranges of these systems are +2, -2 and 0. The basics are the same. Higher cards decrease the deck value and lower cards increase the value, zeros are assigned to neutral cards. There are slight variations in each system as far as card values are concerned but all tens and face cards are given a -2 in value. The rest are either +2 or 0.

Back Counting

Back counting is when a player counts from the sideline and when the opportunity looks good joins in the game. The advantage is that there is a higher accuracy rate. The disadvantage is most fellow players get annoyed and the player might be perceived as using a blackjack card counting strategy and be barred. In general, blackjack is not a spectator sport like roulette.

Group counting is the most effective way to win in blackjack gambling. Some members of the group are playing while another member is going from table to table. With a signal for a high card count deck, the player joins the game and wins more than most at the table and moves on to another table. The main advantage of group card counting is several tables are in use and in effect multiplying wins several times over. This is like interest compounding in a sum of money. And this is the heart of a great blackjack team success story. The strength in numbers lead to a great material benefit.

In conclusion, these are the popular types of card counting strategies used in blackjack. These are the basics of most card counting strategy. There are many variations but most have either level one or multilevel counting as the base strategy. Card counting has a major advantage especially in groups. Single players counting cards will have a small advantage, but not as great as groups. It takes some discipline to learn. And to be an effective card counter, it's also important to take notes on strategy used, amounts bet and the advantage given during each bet.