- No harder than to count with a single deck, but there is an added wrinkle that makes it appear superficially harder. What you simply call 'the count' for a single deck game becomes the 'running count' for multiple decks. You have to remember that.
- If counting cards (or getting thrown out of casinos) is not your thing, blackjack still gives you an edge over other casino games because you can strategize to win. But not all blackjack games are.
- Without revealing the card to the players, the dealer will check this card to see if they have a blackjack, so they are usually the only one who knows the card's value from the start. As a player, you don't see it or know what it is, so your blackjack decisions will be based on you having incomplete information.
It's definitely possible to play blackjack for a living. It takes hard work, determination, and self control, but we are living proof that you can make a living counting cards at blackjack (not to mention the 100 people we hang out with at the blackjack ball, half of which are millionaires thanks to the casinos). As specified in this eBook, the blackjack hands can be viewed as combinations or arrangements (the order of the elements counts; like in horse racing trifectas). 1) Let's take first the combinations. There are 52 cards in one deck. There are 4 Aces and 16 face-cards and 10s. The blackjack (or natural) can occur only in the first 2 cards.
Playing Online For Real Money
Mississippi Stud is not widely available at online casinos but it is available at these brands:
NOTE: If you're running IE9 and the game keeps crashing, you need to update your Java installation (for it has nothing to do with us but with Microsoft, as they kindly note in their Support Page). Speaking of upgrades, you might want to upgrade your browser to Google Chrome.
Mississippi Stud is a well-liked and a simple poker-based table game by Scientific Games. If you're into polishing your skills while having good fun, this Java-based online trainer might be just the right thing — it allows you to play free for up to $50,000.
The PGA is our in-house developed feature that advises you on your best plays. Working like a pop-up window in your browser, it lets you know when your move might be a risky one. You can turn it on/off by selecting the checkbox 'Warn on strategy errors' atop of the game screen, and you can switch between two modes while you play.
For you to make the best of it, we highly recommend reading the Wizard's Mississippi Stud introduction. Once you get a grip at rules, strategy, paytables, and analysis, the only other decision you have to make is whether you'll play with or without our Personal Game Advisor.
Paytable is neatly set on the right side of the screen and is quite self-explanatory.
On the bottom of the screen is a control strip that lets you set up all parameters of the game and provides for all relevant information. There is a balance field, chips and wager info, control buttons, and win amount.
Start your game..
..by making the ante bet with chips in denominations ranging from $5, $25, $100, and $500. You'll notice yellow borders encircling them when selected. You can increase ante in each value by a single click —for $200 bet, click twice on ante field with $100 chip selected. The maximum ante is $1,000.
Two buttons — Deal and Clear — are used to direct game moves once you've set your ante.
When the five cards are dealt, you'll get two of them with face up and three with face down. Your control buttons will be replaced by four optional ones: Fold, Bet 1x, Bet 2x, and Bet 3x.
If you decide to bet, one community card will be turned over. Once you've examined it, you can proceed by selecting one of the offered bets. If you do so, the next community card will be turned over. In doing so, you actually have a possibility to go from 2nd Street bets all the way up to 5th Street or to fold whenever you deem proper.
When the hand ends
There will be two temporary control buttons displayed: Repeat and Clear. By pressing the former you reload previous bet settings, while by pressing the later you put yourself in the position to set a new bet.
- No harder than to count with a single deck, but there is an added wrinkle that makes it appear superficially harder. What you simply call 'the count' for a single deck game becomes the 'running count' for multiple decks. You have to remember that.
- If counting cards (or getting thrown out of casinos) is not your thing, blackjack still gives you an edge over other casino games because you can strategize to win. But not all blackjack games are.
- Without revealing the card to the players, the dealer will check this card to see if they have a blackjack, so they are usually the only one who knows the card's value from the start. As a player, you don't see it or know what it is, so your blackjack decisions will be based on you having incomplete information.
It's definitely possible to play blackjack for a living. It takes hard work, determination, and self control, but we are living proof that you can make a living counting cards at blackjack (not to mention the 100 people we hang out with at the blackjack ball, half of which are millionaires thanks to the casinos). As specified in this eBook, the blackjack hands can be viewed as combinations or arrangements (the order of the elements counts; like in horse racing trifectas). 1) Let's take first the combinations. There are 52 cards in one deck. There are 4 Aces and 16 face-cards and 10s. The blackjack (or natural) can occur only in the first 2 cards.
Playing Online For Real Money
Mississippi Stud is not widely available at online casinos but it is available at these brands:
NOTE: If you're running IE9 and the game keeps crashing, you need to update your Java installation (for it has nothing to do with us but with Microsoft, as they kindly note in their Support Page). Speaking of upgrades, you might want to upgrade your browser to Google Chrome.
Mississippi Stud is a well-liked and a simple poker-based table game by Scientific Games. If you're into polishing your skills while having good fun, this Java-based online trainer might be just the right thing — it allows you to play free for up to $50,000.
The PGA is our in-house developed feature that advises you on your best plays. Working like a pop-up window in your browser, it lets you know when your move might be a risky one. You can turn it on/off by selecting the checkbox 'Warn on strategy errors' atop of the game screen, and you can switch between two modes while you play.
For you to make the best of it, we highly recommend reading the Wizard's Mississippi Stud introduction. Once you get a grip at rules, strategy, paytables, and analysis, the only other decision you have to make is whether you'll play with or without our Personal Game Advisor.
Paytable is neatly set on the right side of the screen and is quite self-explanatory.
On the bottom of the screen is a control strip that lets you set up all parameters of the game and provides for all relevant information. There is a balance field, chips and wager info, control buttons, and win amount.
Start your game..
..by making the ante bet with chips in denominations ranging from $5, $25, $100, and $500. You'll notice yellow borders encircling them when selected. You can increase ante in each value by a single click —for $200 bet, click twice on ante field with $100 chip selected. The maximum ante is $1,000.
Two buttons — Deal and Clear — are used to direct game moves once you've set your ante.
When the five cards are dealt, you'll get two of them with face up and three with face down. Your control buttons will be replaced by four optional ones: Fold, Bet 1x, Bet 2x, and Bet 3x.
If you decide to bet, one community card will be turned over. Once you've examined it, you can proceed by selecting one of the offered bets. If you do so, the next community card will be turned over. In doing so, you actually have a possibility to go from 2nd Street bets all the way up to 5th Street or to fold whenever you deem proper.
When the hand ends
There will be two temporary control buttons displayed: Repeat and Clear. By pressing the former you reload previous bet settings, while by pressing the later you put yourself in the position to set a new bet.
Once the hand is dealt you can see information about the outcome right below your wagers. In case of a win, you get the info that correlates to items on the Pay Table.
Counting Cards Blackjack Shoe
This version of Mississippi Stud is quite funny and exciting to play. All relevant information is always visible, the game flow is smooth, it all develops rather quickly, and you always keep control by rather simple and intuitive command buttons.
The Personal Game Advisor works neatly and non-intrusive. While it may not always be right, it is in a number of cases which makes it a useful learning tool.
The game itself may show its volatile side on larger bets. It is quite enticing to win a large sum, particularly when betting on $500 and going all the way up to the 5th street, although, admittingly, it is much more fun to do so knowing that none of it would be applicable to real life scenario.
In any case, this online trainer is an exciting and valuable option for any type of player.
For entry-level guys, it is a nice opportunity to feel the table, options, best plays, overall vibe and mood of the game.
For advanced players, it is quite an interesting tool to improve on their game, learn new stuff (particularly when supported by Wizard's analytical skills), and to simply train to be better without having to use real money.
Regardless of your skills level, always approach your games in a responsible and safe manner so you can have great fun while you're at it. On our behalf, we wish you very best of luck in doing so.
Blackjack Card counting has existed since the 1950s. Casinos initially struggled to deal with successful card counters.
However, they've spent the past several decades understanding this advantage play (AP) method and how to combat it. Casinos have since added multiple decks, instated unfavorable rules, and learned how to spot APs.
These days, the industry even has technology on their side. They use facial recognition technology and databases to identify APs and keep their info on file, respectively.
That said, casinos seemingly have a big edge in this game of cat and mouse. Many blackjack players feel that card counting is dead as a result.
In reality, though, card counting and table-based advantage gambling is just as alive as ever. I'll cover why this is the case and what you can do to win a fortune today.
Learning Card Counting Is Easy
You've likely seen card counting showcased in movies. This AP method is often portrayed as a complicated process that only geniuses can employ.
But counting cards isn't really that complex, and you can learn it in minutes. Below, you can see the main components of card counting when using the popular Hi-Lo system.
Assign Values to Cards as They're Dealt
Your first task as a card counter is to watch cards as they're dealt and assign the following values to each type:
- High cards (A through 10) = -1
- Neutral cards (7 through 9) = 0
- Low cards (2 through 6) = +1
You need to keep a running tallying and add or subtract 1 as each card comes out of the deck. This count is known as your 'running count.'
Convert Your Running Count into a True Count
Understanding the running count is a nice start. However, you need to have a 'true count' to account for the multiple decks featured at most real money blackjack games.
You must divide the running count by the estimated remaining decks to make this conversion. You estimate the amount of decks left by visually looking at the shoe.
Here's an example:
- +9 running count.
- You estimate that 3.5 decks remain.
- 9 / 3.5 = 2.57
- Your true count is +2.57
You may have trouble determining how many decks are left at first. Furthermore, you might not be so precise on the remaining decks (i.e. 3.5) and true count (i.e. 2.57).
But the more precise you are, the better you'll be at knowing your exact advantage or disadvantage. You should become more comfortable with these aspects over time.
Determine Your Edge (If Any)
Once you have the true count figured out, you can apply it to see if you have an advantage over the casino. Here's how the true count correlates to an edge or disadvantage in various scenarios:
- +3 true count = 1.77% player's edge
- +2 true count = 1.17% player's edge
- +1 true count = 0.58% player's edge
- 0 true count = 0.42% house edge
- -1 true count = 0.80% house edge
- -2 true count = 1.53% house edge
- +3 true count = 2.05% house edge
You gain an advantage when the true count is at or near +1. However, you don't want to raise your bets until reaching a +1.5 true count or higher. A more-favorable count helps you make higher wagers with more confidence.
Raise Your Bets to Capitalize On Your Edge
You determine your bet size based on your advantage in a given hand. Assuming the casino holds an edge, then you flat bet.
But you want to gradually raise your wagers as the true count becomes more favorable. Here are examples on how you can determine your bet sizes:
- +4 true count = $300
- +3 true count = $200
- +2 true count = $100
- +1 true count = $25
- 0 true count = $25
- -1 true count = $25
- -2 true count = $25
- +3 true count = $25
This model represents a 1-12 bet spread. $25 serves as one unit, while $300 represents 12 units (300 / 25).
You need to spread your bets from low to high to make long-term profits. However, you don't want to get crazy with a 1-25 spread or higher. Pit bosses can easily spot this massive difference.
Consider Strategy Deviations Based on the Count
You can further increase your profits by knowing when to deviate from proper strategy based on the count.
The main idea behind card counting is to wager more when the deck is rich in aces and 10s. Your chances of getting a natural blackjack are higher at this point.
Another perk to counting cards is that you can tell when more high cards (favor you) exist than low cards (favor dealer). Dealers, who draw to a hard or soft 17, benefit from low cards, because they have a smaller chance of busting out.
Assuming you go away from basic strategy at the right times, you can further boost your edge. Here's an example:
- You're dealt an ace and 7 (soft 18).
- The dealer's upcard is 2.
- Basic strategy dictates that you stand in this situation.
- However, the true count is a very favorable +3.
- The deck features a large number of high cards that could bust out the dealer.
- You double down as a result.
You don't necessarily have to make these strategy deviations to win with counting. But you can increase your advantage even more when doing so.
Why Do People Consider Card Counting Dead?
Back in the 1960s, famed gambling author Edward Thorp refined card counting to the point where he gained a sizable edge over casinos.
However, Thorp's Ten Count system wouldn't hold up in today's blackjack world. Worse rules, enhanced surveillance, savvy pit bosses, and facial recognition make counting tougher than ever.
You need to put far more effort into winning blackjack profits today. Many players take this as a sign that card counting is dead.
They don't see a way to get around the databases, facial recognition, and RFID tracking inside chips that are used today.
Of course, card counters are still making money today. Therefore, those who think this AP method is dead are wrong.
You Can Still Win with the Right Approach
Counting Cards In Blackjack Strategy
You can win through card counting alone if you're skilled enough. But you should consider adding more layers to your approach in the form of shuffle tracking, different appearances, and more.
Shuffle Tracking on Top of Counting
Shuffle tracking is mixed with card counting to capitalize on weak shuffles. It can also result in less scrutiny from the pit boss and surveillance.
This technique calls on you to look for opportunities where aces and 10s are grouped together. You want to follow these card batches, or 'slugs,' as they're placed into the discard tray.
Once the shoe has been dealt, the dealer pulls cards out of the discard tray and begin shuffling.
You continue visually tracking the slugs as the croupier shuffles. If the dealer uses a 'one pass' shuffle (weaker than two pass), you can successfully employ this method and determine where the slug might come out during the next shoe.
Assuming you've done a good job at tracking the slug, you can raise your bets once the slug cards begin coming out.
Shuffle tracking accomplishes two main goals:
- It gives you a bigger advantage by helping you track aces and 10s.
- It masks your counting efforts.
Regarding the latter, increasing your bets towards the end of the shoe is a big sign that you may be counting. You're more likely to determine that the deck is rich in high cards at this point.
With shuffle tracking, though, you can more accurately locate a slug of good cards. If this slug is earlier in the shoe, then you can also spread your bets earlier too.
Switch up Your Appearance
You can hit the casino multiple times within a year or even month by changing your look. Different appearances make it harder for gambling venues to recognize you after multiple hot nights.
You don't necessarily have to wear disguises. In fact, flamboyant looks can attract unwanted attention from the pit boss.
A better plan is to slightly alter your appearance. You can go unshaven with glasses one time, for example, then be cleanshaven the next.
Be Careful with Spreading Bets
Again, you want to be mindful of how large you're spreading bets. The bigger the spread, the more likely the pit boss will take notice.
Of course, you must vary your minimum and maximum wagers by a fair amount. Otherwise, you won't make any money.
But you also want to avoid being greedy and going from a $10 minimum to $500. A 1-100 spread like this will almost assuredly lead to you being thrown out.
Know Where to Count Cards
Some of the best US casinos are more tolerant than others when monitoring advantage players. Ideally, you'll play at gambling establishments that gives you the benefit of the doubt.
Every casino has its limits regarding APs. The best plan is to research casinos ahead of time and chose those that have a reputation for being lenient.
Stay on the Move
The worst thing you can do as an advantage gambler is continue hitting the same casino again and again. One huge session can draw attention from the pit boss and surveillance – let alone multiple big wins in a row.
You want to stay on the move and continue traveling from casino to casino. This practice is much easier in major gambling destinations, such as Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
Assuming you're good enough and have a large bankroll, you might even consider playing in various states. This way, you avoid developing the AP stigma in single gambling destination.
Conclusion
Card counting is much easier to learn than Hollywood makes it seem. You can earn money through counting if you practice enough and develop good skills.
That said, card counting isn't dead in any capacity. Even with their sophisticated technology and trained employees, casinos are still losing money to APs.
Of course, counting cards is also tougher than at any point. The best APs counter this by improving their skills even more.
Some of the things that you can do to boost your profits include shuffle tracking, changing your appearance, researching casinos, and staying on the move. The more layers you throw on top of your card counting approach, the more money you stand to win.
But first thing's first: you need to thoroughly learn basic card counting. After you feel comfortable in your counting abilities, you should proceed to the advanced AP techniques.
