Card Counting Practice

Blackjack Card Counting Practice

Card counting is one of the more complex blackjack betting systems ever devised. The ability to keep track of which cards have been played and which are more likely to be played next is more than a fancy parlor trick--it is a legitimate system some blackjack players use to inform their bets. When a card counter knows there are more "good" cards in the shoe than "bad" cards, they tailor their bets to give themselves the best chance of winning or to hedge their losses. Counting cards turns blackjack into a positive expectation game, giving you a (slight) edge against the casino.

How can you practice your card counting skills? You shouldn't risk real cash at the casino practicing counting cards. Better to practice on your own or in a play money setting. Here are two free ways to train yourself to count cards.

Practice with a Deck of Cards

All you need to practice card counting is a deck of cards and some free time. If you're using a High-Low card counting technique (like most people) you can set up a practice routine like this:

Since a High-Low count means that cards 2 through 6 have a +1 value, and 10 through Aces have a -1 value, we can practice by "counting" through a deck. There are twenty +1 cards and twenty -1 cards--the other twelve are neutral, meaning they don't add or subtract from the count. You should be training yourself to ignore cards seven through nine if you're running a basic High-Low count anyway, so for this exercise they are neutral.

Since low cards are good for the dealer, seeing them come out of the deck means the likelihood of big cards goes up--hence the positive value. Start with a deck of cards, turning them to face you one at a time and trying to keep a running count. With a basic High-Low count, the deck comes out at an even "0" once you've counted through. If your count at the end of the deck isn't "0," you've counted wrong. This gives you an easy way to judge your ability to keep a count.

Do this enough times and you'll find your skills improving to the point that you're speeding up the card flipping. Practice this over and over until you can keep a proper count on a single deck in just forty seconds. Once you can count a deck in thirty or forty seconds, congratulations. You're now faster than any blackjack dealer you'll ever find--and only now should you even attempt to count in the casino.

So you've got the count down to twenty-five seconds, now what? Before your next count, pull a card from the deck (don't look at it) and lay it face down. Run through the remaining fifty-one cards and try to "guess" what the face down card is. Do this until you can guess the card every time--or at least the cards High-Low value.

Practice Online

This method is a little bit less effective depending on the online blackjack game or trainer you use for card counting practice. Remember that "free" versions of blackjack games at online casinos are often not played with a true 52-card deck. Since these games don't involve real cash, the programmers regularly stack the deck in favor of the practice player to convince him to go play the real money blackjack game. Stay away from these games as card counting practice programs.

There are card counting practice games hosted at blackjack and gaming sites all over the Internet. Some of them are easier to use, some choked with ads--find a card counting trainer that works for you and stick with it. These programs usually run through a deck (or decks) at a given pace and let you test your ability to keep a running count. The best of these card counting practice games let you set the parameters of the game, using one deck, two decks, or even more, and include other game versions that help you learn to count cards.

Counting cards is a legal way to gain an advantage at the blackjack table. Casinos may frown on it, and if you're too obvious about your counting you might be asked to leave, but it isn't against the law. Think of it as training your brain to recognize advantageous betting situations rather than "cheating." After all, card counting practice turns you into a better card player and thinker, not just a better gambler.