Card Counting

[Shanku]

Instead of starting anew topic, I'll ask here...

Does anyone know any sources on ace and shuffle tracking?

I don't know any sources that teach it in dept but basically what you do is watch as a couple of aces and/or high cards are scooped up by the dealer and placed in the discard thingy. Keep in mind where abouts it is. When the dealer takes all the cards out of the discard thingy, keep looking at the position in which those run of cards are as they are shuffled. This is pretty difficult and will require a lot of practice. Shuffle tracking is not very accurate so I don't think it's worth the trouble.

I learnt how to count cards (the classic Hi-Lo system about halfway through last year but I basically gave up at the end of last year. Here in Sydney, at the Star City casino, apparently all they use is CSM's (Continuous Shuffling Machines) so there would be no point counting (as mentioned earlier in this thread).

What I reccommend is to use basic strategy. There is not much point in leaning different basic strategy rules for numbers of decks as the percentage difference is very small.

Here's my basic overview of basic strategy - know this off by heart:

Generic Basic Strategy Rules
​

·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Never take insurance.
For Hard Hands:
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With 11 or less, always hit (unless doubling).
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With 12 through 16, hit against a dealer’s upcard of 7 or more, otherwise stand. (The only exception to this rule is to hit a hard 12 vs. a dealer’s 2 or 3.)
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With 17 or more, always stand.

For Soft Hands:
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With soft 17 or less, always hit (unless doubling).
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With soft 18, hit against a dealer’s 9 or more, otherwise stand (unless doubling).
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With soft 19 or more, always stand.

For Doubling Down (DD):
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Never DD with hard 8 or less.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With 9, DD against a dealer’s 3 through 6.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With 10 or 11, DD if the total is more than the dealer’s upcard.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With soft 13 or 14, DD against a dealer’s 5 and 6.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With soft 15 or 16, DD against a dealer’s 4 through 6.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]With soft 17 or 18, DD against a dealer’s 3 through 6.

For Splitting Pairs:
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Split 2s and 3s against a dealer’s 4 through 7.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Split 6s against a dealer’s 6 or less, except 2.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Split 7s against a dealer’s 7 or less.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Split 9s against a dealer’s 9 or less, except 7.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Never split a pair of 10’s, 5s or 4s.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Always split aces or 8s.

Cheers,
Shanku

 

[morpheis91]

Just so everyone know when counting cards the odds only shift slightly. The house edge is a little more than 50% and when you count cards effectively the the house wins a little less than 50%. So if you think about simple statistics for there to be any real profit one must play a LARGE NUMBER of hands.

 

[shemhamforash]

Instead of starting anew topic, I'll ask here...

Does anyone know any sources on ace and shuffle tracking?

The books i recommended have sections in it.

Blackjack Blueprint by Rick Blaine, also has a section on Shuffle Tracking


Gamblersbook.com <<<<this is the ultimate repository for books and dvds for all things casino. There is a section in books and a section in the DVDs on blackjack. There are all good reads in there.