Blackjack Systems Easy to Learn Online

There are dozens of card counting systems out there for Blackjack, systems like the Red Seven or the KO Count don't require a true count conversion but the Hi Lo Card counting system takes a bit of learning. In the movie '21' students from MIT the well known academic institution in the USA decided they would learn the Hi Lo system and play at the Las Vegas casinos and try their best to beat the dealer.

Now as we all know movies are movies and are not always as factually accurate as we would like. All card counting systems rely on statistics to provide a player with the advantage over the house. When there is a greater chance of getting high card from the shoe, the player gains the advantage. The casino must hit below 17 and has a greater chance of going bust if there is a high percentage of ten cards in the shoe. Card counting seeks to capitalize on this fact by keeping a simple history of the cards played. The idea is to bet more when you have the edge.

In the Hi Lo system you begin a running count at zero when the cards are shuffled and placed into the shoe. For each card played, you add a corresponding point value to the running count. For the Hi Lo Card Counting system, the points go as follows, card face value of 2 through 6 = -1 point, card face value of 7 through 9 = 0 points, card face value ten through king, and the ace cards = +1 point.

With the Hi Lo Card Counting system, you must convert the running count to a true count. You calculate the true count by dividing the running count by the number of decks left in the shoe. The true count is what you use determine when you adjust your wager. To determine how many decks are in the shoe, you estimate the number of decks in the discard pile and subtract that number from the number of decks in play. Really, card counting offers only a slight edge over the casino. The best way to learn to card count quickly and for free is to go online and let the computer teach you card counting while you play.