This card counting technique was brought to the big screen in the excellent movie Las Vegas 21, in which brilliant students from the prestigious American university Massachusetts Institute of Technology, more commonly known as MIT, fly to Las Vegas to try to hit the jackpot at the blackjack tables. In this film, the students and their blackjack instructor are presented as math prodigies.
Of course, before you go in blind, you have to go through the theory. You need to learn how the strategy of counting cards during games to determine the house edge works, so you can apply it and know how to count cards in blackjack. If you have a couple of hours to spare, we recommend watching the movie Las Vegas 21, which shows how the MIT group of players teaches its members how to count cards.
Practice will be the key to playing live blackjack and winning money
In order to win big in blackjack, the player must have the necessary flair to know when to bet. In other words, he must be able to determine when his hand will be the best to beat the dealer. Card counting is about focusing on the cards drawn by the dealer, trying to determine the value of the remaining cards in the shoe. As we have just seen, starting from a count of 0, the player will give a value to the cards as they are drawn by the dealer. Thus, when the shoe has a high percentage of high cards during the game, the players are more likely to blackjack, while the dealer is more likely to lose the game by going over the fateful number 21.
Working alone or in teams
In Las Vegas 21, MIT students count cards in groups. One student sits at a table and counts the cards drawn by the dealer. If the dealer only draws weak cards, the player can discreetly signal to his accomplice to join the table and start betting. This technique has the advantage of being discreet and profitable, because if a table is not of particular interest, the player will not waste time betting on it and can concentrate on other tables. In addition, many players use the method of back-counting, which consists of discreetly standing behind the players in order to observe the dealer’s draw in order to take a seat at the table at the right moment.
Practice in real-life conditions
As we explained earlier to help you count cards in blackjack, you don’t have to be a brilliant MIT student with a brain to count cards in blackjack. What you do need is an unwavering and unwavering sense of concentration. It may seem easy and fun to count cards in the comfort of your living room, but the conditions of the game are very different when you sit down at a blackjack table in a land-based casino. You will be disturbed by the laughter and voices of other patrons, the sounds of the slot machines, the comings and goings of the people around you, not to mention the fact that you may have to exchange a few common courtesies with your tablemates. To practice in real conditions, don’t hesitate to turn on the TV or radio, or to play in a public place.
You can also practice your blackjack card counting skills in real life conditions for as long as you like, by deciding to play live blackjack, for example in the live game worlds available at online casinos.
Can we all learn to count cards or does it take a genius to do it?
As you can see, the method is seemingly uncomplicated. It all depends on the player’s dexterity in mentally calculating the cards and on his ability to concentrate. It is precisely on this last point that this method has its limits, especially in online blackjack. Indeed, imagine yourself in the conditions of a blackjack game. The tension, the adrenaline, the people watching your game from the side. There are many factors that contribute to your distraction. Now imagine yourself in the same conditions, with the onerous task of mentally counting all the cards the dealer is dealing. Indeed, if you want your count to be right, you must not miss any cards in your counting.
Do you really have to be a genius at probability and statistics to counteract chance and learn to count cards? You don’t have to be a mathematical genius like Ken Uston to count cards. The method is logical and can be done by anyone who can add and subtract. As you may know, a huge number of players use the so-called card counting strategy, but unfortunately do not master it enough to win using it. Many critics have pointed the finger at the movie Las Vegas 21, accusing the movie of advertising casinos by showing that with the card counting technique, one could succeed in countering the odds. While some players are able to do this, they represent only a tiny proportion of all blackjack players who use this method.
