Counting on a Fun Game of Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the few games where a player can purportedly come out ahead. How? Card counting. Casinos fear it so much that they will throw out anyone they suspect of doing it. You'd think therefore that card counting would involve some arcane skill, but it doesn't. Actually, the term "card counting" amounts to a misnomer. You're not counting the cards; you're counting points assigned to cards, which is a whole lot easier.

Here's a simple high-low scheme. Assign a point value to all cards on the table, yours and the dealer's. Give a +1 to each 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6; a 0 to each 7, 8, and 9; and a -1 to each Ace, 10, and face card. Keep a running total. Play with basic strategy from General Tips and To Hit or Stand, but make the following adjustments:

    * If the count is +2 or greater, increase your bet for the next hand; decrease for any negative total. When the points are positive, you've got an advantage. Why? Because as small cards are removed from the deck, the proportion of remaining 10-point cards goes up, and the house has a better chance of going bust. The count gets more accurate the further you go into the deck, so you should assign it more weight accordingly.
    * Only take insurance when the count is positive.
    * If you've got a hard 16 to the dealer's 10 up card and the count is +2 or greater, you should STAND, not hit.