What is card counting

For decades, the idea of card counting has been both controversial and glamorous at the same time. Since the beginning, casinos have fought strongly against card counters because it not only reduces the casinos’ edges but, for card counters who are good, it completely obliterates it. Good card counters can have an advantage over the casino of a few percentage points and while that does not sound like a lot, for most casino games the casino itself only has an advantage of the player of between one and five percent. Card counting is relatively simple in theory but the practice requires a great deal of skill, mental discipline, practice, and acting.

Card counting is, in essence, keeping track of all the card that have been shown from the deck which leaves the player knowing what cards are left and, as a result, being able to accurately predict what cards are being dealt and playing around them. As a result, a player who is card counting is able to have a much higher level of certainty that they are going to win at certain points in the deck and can risk more and win more at those times. Unfortunately, casinos frown on card counting and players who are caught counting cards are almost always banned and black balled from other casinos as well. Card counting has also become more difficult in recent years thanks to casinos using greater numbers of decks in each shoe and other technological advancements such as auto-shufflers.