Blackjack is a commonly played game among newbies and avid gamblers alike, and winning doesn’t come easy. It’s not news that some players have sleek ways of counting cards to get one up on the house. You may or may not call this cheating, but it sure requires a lot of brain work to keep count of cards throughout the game. Besides, it’s a practice that’s frowned upon by real casinos since they’re the most vulnerable to that tactic.
So, is it possible to win at blackjack without counting cards? The answer is yes, and this article will cover those winning strategies that are available to players. First, you need to know that it’s not wrong to have a gambling strategy, even professionals have methods that they use. Whether you’re playing online or in a real casino, the techniques we’re going to discuss have been proven to be effective.
Here they are;
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Tracking Shuffles
This is one strategy that is unlikely to work at Maneki casinos as online casinos can’t fall for this tactic. It can only work in real casinos when the “shoe” (the device for holding shuffled cards) is mostly full. The shoe is used by blackjack dealers as a precaution against people who count cards to win. However, that opens up room for shuffle tracking. Experts that track shuffles in blackjack typically have more success than beginners, as it’s harder to pull off than it seems. Unlike what many people may think, the shuffles in a game of blackjack are not exactly random since the dealers take breaks from shuffling the deck throughout the game.
As you may have guessed, this strategy requires that you employ some formulas reminiscent of the Hi-Lo methods of counting cards. How that works is that you add 1 to the count whenever any of the cards 2 through 6 are played and subtract 1 whenever any of the cards 10 through ace are played. Furthermore, you should not add or subtract anything from the count when any of cards 7 through 9 are dealt. This kind of method gets easier as you practice it more frequently.
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Tracking the Hole Card
This strategy is based on the player’s ability to accurately identify the hole card or the dealer’s face-down card. Also called hole-carding, experts only employ this winning tactic while “flashy” dealers are in charge of the game. A dealer is considered flashy when they unknowingly show the hole-card before facing it down. Reputable gambling corporations are aware of how super-observant professional players can be during the game, so they encourage their dealers to be anything but “flashy”. However, the seating location of players also aids this strategy, like those seated on the immediate left and right of the dealer.
You may hear this spying technique being called “first- ” or “third-basing” and that’s because the seating position to the left of the dealer is called the first base and the one to the right is called the third base. Between these two sides, the one with the higher chance of catching the dealer slipping will also depend on whether the dealer is left- or right-handed. The player at first base should have a better vantage point if the dealer is right-handed and vice-versa.
Furthermore, we can’t deny the advantage that height provides for this method since taller players can get a better viewpoint than shorter ones by simply leaning back from their playing position. However, you have to be careful to not seem obvious when hole-carding. Pros know when they’re playing next to a card counter or someone peeking at the dealer, so as a newbie, try not to lean too far back when spying at the dealer’s hand. Also, make sure you’re not staring endlessly, as that can give you away.
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Tracking Card Patterns
We kept the most efficient method as the last one in this article. Also called edge sorting, this strategy has been used repeatedly all over the world by experts to win mouth-watering figures in blackjack. Online casinos aren’t vulnerable to this technique. By being observant, you can spot the irregular patterns on the cards as they get distributed by the casino dealers.
You can track the card patterns more easily if they’re rotated at 180 degrees. In most casinos, players may not be granted the request for cards to be rotated unless they’re high rollers. Of all the techniques, this is the easiest for anyone to try without much experience, as it’s used in basically every blackjack game.
Final Thoughts
While counting cards is the most popular tactic that people employ when trying to win blackjack, this article has touched on some other techniques that you can use. However, if you’re a complete novice to blackjack, then you’re best advised to win with basic blackjack principles and not try to win in cunning ways.
Some simple practices for newbies include always doubling down on a hard 11 in a single deck game, always splitting a pair of 8’s and aces regardless of what the hole card is, and never taking the insurance bet in a multi-deck game. If you’re playing online, then you should wager regularly to avoid getting wiped out by a terrible streak.
