Explore the History of Card Counting Strategy in Blackjack
Card counting is a longstanding strategy in the game of blackjack, evolving over time to adapt to modern technology while retaining its rich historical roots.
Few casino games captivate players’ interest quite like blackjack. In this game, chance and skill dance together in a delicate ballet, each player taking turns leading. The suspenseful prospect of defeating the house, the card draw, and the tactical choices all contribute to an exciting show.
Blackjack is fundamentally a test of nerve, probability, and numbers. However, card counting is a secret component to the game a combination of art and science that only a few people have genuinely grasped.
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What Is Card Counting in Blackjack
When you hear “card counting,” your mind might evoke visions of keen-eyed, mathematically inclined people who can foresee a game’s outcome with astonishing precision. However, this isn’t entirely accurate. Why? Because probabilities, not predictions, are the focus of card counting. This approach lets players determine when the odds are favourable and modify their wagers accordingly.
Card counting is based on the idea that low cards (two through six) favour the dealer, while high cards (tens, face cards, and aces) help the player more than the dealer. Card counters can calculate the probability of drawing advantageous cards by monitoring the number of high to low cards in the deck. This strategy is effective exclusively for blackjack and does not apply to other games, such as the Cleopatra slot machine.
How Does Card Counting Work
Counting cards goes beyond memorization; it assigns a point value to each card, adjusting the running “count” accordingly. Despite its role in blackjack mythology, remember that other strategies matter, too. To boost your winning chances, know when to hit, stand, split, or double down based on your and the dealer’s cards.
Discipline is crucial due to the game’s unpredictability; losses are inevitable in the short term. Successful blackjack play involves meticulous bankroll management, calculated bets, and adherence to your game plan. Now, let’s explore winning in blackjack through card counting with the tips highlighted below.
- Understand card values: Cards 2 to 6 are +1, 7 to 9 are 0, and 10 to Ace are -1.
- Maintain a running count: Continuously track card values; an increasing count favours the player.
- Calculate the true count: Adapt to multiple decks by converting the running count into a “True Count” using the formula: True Count = Running Count/Number of remaining decks. A higher true count benefits the player.
- Capitalize on the count: Adjust bets based on the count bet big with a player advantage and small when the house has the edge.
- Stay dynamic: Change your strategy to keep the game unpredictable and enjoyable.
Now, let us go back to how card counting became a strategy in blackjack.
The History of Card Counting in Blackjack
In the history of card counting, a few men were quite influential in its development and popularity. This section examines their contributions to the blackjack strategy.
Jess Marcum
Jess Marcum was the first man to develop a counting strategy to get an edge in blackjack games in 1949. In fact, Marcum was counting cards a decade before anyone else. However, only a few people know of this incredible mathematician or have ever heard of him, even in the gambling industry. The reason is that Marcum was very private and avoided publicity and fame.
Furthermore, he made a concerted effort to conceal his successes from others to safeguard the opportunities he had found. He never wrote anything about his innovative blackjack strategy for publication.
Edward O. Thorp
In 1962, Edward O. Thorp, a mathematical genius, introduced a groundbreaking strategy for blackjack. Thorp’s research revealed that reducing five-point cards decreased the house advantage, especially advantageous for the dealer’s potential with stiff hands.
He emphasized the importance of ten-value cards, noting increased player winning odds with a higher proportion. Thorp’s conclusions, integral to the birth of card counting, were published in ‘Beat the Dealer.’
The book had a massive sale and was listed as a New York Times Bestseller. After reading Beat the Dealer, everyone who could play hurried down to the casino to try and win at blackjack. It didn’t matter that the ordinary player found it extremely challenging to use the system successfully. The casinos continued to be flooded with people.
Edward Strikes Again
Thorps book led to casinos panicking, realizing they were being inundated with information to win the game. They made adjustments, however, replacing single-deck games with two-deck and four-deck games. Dealers no longer dealt through the majority of the cards before reshuffling.
On the other hand, it meant more business. Casinos were expanding their gaming floors with more tables to meet the inflow of new blackjack enthusiasts. They soon discovered how beneficial Thorp’s book was to them. Even though a wave of people entered the casinos believing that the game could be won, most of them lacked the necessary skill set needed, which included:
- Patience
- Willingness
- Practice
Adapting to Change
The two-deck and four-deck games changed the dynamics of the game. Players were unable to keep up with counting. Imagine playing an eight-deck game utilizing Thorp’s ten-count method. You would have to start mentally with the numbers 128 and 288 and then divide and count backwards. This brought about volume two.
Thorp released a second version of his book; this time, he had some help. Harvey Dubner, a computer scientist, invented the Hi-Lo Count, which was optimized by a computer programmer named Julian.
The introduction of computers gave blackjack players a chance to attack the game even more as casinos altered it. Additionally, even when the number of decks in the shoe increased, players could still rapidly and easily assess their advantage thanks to updated counting mechanisms.
The Casinos Strike Again
A casino wants players to keep coming back to attempt to beat the game, and an online casino encourages players to visit the site to enjoy a wide range of games, access exclusive promotions, and experience the convenience of gambling from home. Pit bosses and dealers frequently distributed basic strategy cards, but this did nothing to assist the average player, who often lost. Professional players, though, continued to win.
To tackle this problem, Robert Griffin, a private investigator in Las Vegas, produced a book including images and details on card counters that are either known or suspected. All the casinos in the city received copies of this book, which relieved them of the burden of evaluating each suspected counter separately. It seemed that they could cooperate to overcome card counters, but that was easier said than done.
Team Play Is the Way
Card counter Al Francesco was playing blackjack with his brother in 1971 and trying to stay out of the heat. Instead of playing, he sat behind his brother and conversed with others. Still, he was observing.
Every time his brother made a large wager, Francesco threw out a $100 wager even though he didn’t have a positive count. Francesco became the first Big Player in the history of blackjack, and he taught others how to signal him in and keep the count.
Ken Uston was a player that Francesco developed into a Big Player. However, Uston wrote a book that exposed the team play strategy. Many people were motivated by Uston’s book “The Big Player,” which also contributed to the rise of teams like the Tommy Hyland and MIT teams.
Stanford Wong to the Rescue
The 1975 book “Professional Blackjack” by an economics Ph.D. Stanford Wong provided a solo player’s method, including back-counting tables and table-hopping. Because of this, players were able to avoid playing through negative counts and the standard card counter giveaway of swinging wild bets.
During the early days, using computers was permitted. Therefore, players created complex technical devices to enter data with toe taps and get it back as vibrations.
How Things Are Today
A career in card counting is getting more and more possible, yet it is still a competitive area. Despite security precautions, the growing number of casinos has resulted in declining pit and surveillance room talent. Casinos no longer require elite surveillance specialists due to their limited resources and considerable employee turnover. Even so, skillful players can still win the game, and it’s essential to understand its past and future.
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