One of the most discussed but least understood controversies in online casino gambling today swirls around a playing technique called "counting the cards." The term "counting" is an often misused and abused catchall phrase for the dozens of schemes that have surfaced in recent years to beat the dealer in 21 by mentally keeping track of the cards that have been dealt so that you'll have a pretty good idea what's left in the deck and can bet accordingly.
There's nothing new about counting cards. It's a technique I'm sure began not long after cards were invented and people started playing for something more valuable than clamshells. I learned it from an old card hustler thirty-five years ago. He learned it from an older card hustler right after the turn of the century. We didn't have a special name for counting cards then. Now it's billed as The Count. Modern entrepreneurs have polluted the public marketplace with books, mail order systems, newspaper and magazine advertising, all professing that you'll never have to work again if you buy and master their own special counting methods.
Yes, it is true. You can beat 21 by counting, but only if you're allowed to play. Nobody with a quick mind and a good memory would ever have to work a regular job again if it weren't for that one phrase-only if you're allowed 10 play.
Count Casino System
Most persons offering count systems for sale are doing so for one reason. They can't find a casino. that will let them play. They have been barred. These count-system authors are like the guy selling treasure maps for five bucks each. He guarantees that you'll find a treasure if you reach the sunken ship. But he doesn't mention the mine fields and the fifty killer sharks you have to slip past first.
What these ex-counters don't tell you is that counting is like counterfeiting. It's not for amateurs. Amateur counters have a low success rate, between zero and one. They are detected very easily. It takes weeks of daily practice and memorizing to reach the point where your eyes can skim the cards dealt on a 21 table in a split second and have the count sorted in your head. Then you have to make the right betting, constantly keep track of the cards, act nonchalant, and while you're doing all this kibitz with other players and the dealer so that hopefully nobody will spot you. Try and you'll see why so many people are writing about beating the clubs by counting instead of doing it themselves.
What confuses me is that most count authors say in so many words that they have been barred from playing in Australia. But suckers still buy a book and expect to do better.
Deal with Plus, Minus, and Neutral Cards
Even the simplest counting technique requires intense concentration. All count systems, regardless how the author describes them, are based on a plus (+) and minus (-) factor. Each card in the deck is assigned a value, either plus, minus, or neutral (0). In most count system the small numbers, such as 2, 3,4, 5, and 6, are plus, and the larger cards, such as ace, 10, and the pictures, are minus. The remaining middle cards, such as 7, 8, 9, and 0 (no value), which means "Don't count them." As the deal progresses, the plus, minus, and neutral cards will cancel each other, keeping the count near zero, unless a larger percentage of high or low cards begin to show. Then the count will favor one side, revealing to the player what's left in the deck. But often the high and low cards will be distributed evenly to the end of the deck and the count won't favor either side. Then you have to wait for the next deal and start over again.
