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COUNTING CARDS AT BLACKJACK HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER
By John G. Brokopp

Blackjack is unique among casino games in that the odds fluctuate with
every deal. Depending upon which cards have been dealt and which
remain, the advantage which the house wields over players changes constantly.
At times  greater, at other times less, sometimes even tipping
toward player advantage.

Not so long ago it was practical only for professional players to
invest the hundreds of hours of time necessary to learn a complicated card
counting system in an attempt to capitalize on casino blackjack’s
vulnerability.

Recently, however, two of the most respected gambling authorities in
the country have released ultra-simple card tracking methods that are so
easy to learn that casual and recreational players no longer have an
excuse not to take their game to the next level.

The first method is available free of charge on Michael 
marvelous gambling Website,  .  Shackleford, a.k.a
 is an actuary by profession whose passion is
analyzing casino games using pinpoint mathematical accuracy.

When you log on to the site, click on blackjac under
Info & Strategies and scroll down to Appendix 17, The Wizard Ace
Five Counts a method founded on the importance of five-value
cards first revealed in the 1961 landmark gambling book “Beat the
Dealerby Edward O. Thorp who discovered through mathematical analysis
that fives are the most powerful cards in the deck for dealers.

Another component is keeping track of aces, the card which makes it
possible for players to be dealt a two-card 21 (blackjack) and receive a 3
to 2 payoff. Fewer aces remaining to be dealt translates into a
diminished chance of capitalizing on this huge player perk.

Shackleford recommends starting a running count at zero at the start of
a new shoe. For every five you see dealt, add one. For every ace you
see dealt, subtract one. If the running count is at zero or in negative
range, make your minimum bet. Otherwise gamble twice your minimum bet
multiplied by the positive running count number. All playing decisions
are to be made according to basic strategy.

He says the strategy is designed to give players positive expected
value in six-deck games where the dealer stands on soft 17.

The second simplified card counting system is detailed in gambling guru
Frank new book, Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution
published by Research Services Unlimited

Scoblete’s “Speed Count” is an easy-to-learn method based on
tracking small value cards, the essence of which takes up only a few pages.
But is the supporting chapters along with the free blackjack
training CD included with the book that makes this treatise an
all-inclusive, information packed tutorial covering all aspects of the game.

Although neither of the methods gives you the accuracy of a
card-by-card count that the pros use, used in conjunction with basic strategy they
will improve your blackjack game immensely and permit you to take
advantage of the game’s mathematical fluctuations.