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How to Become a Professional Blackjack Player: Preface
In most rule sets, a skilled player can indeed win more than the casino's edge. Below are some basic ideas on how to become such a player:
1. Familiarize Yourself with Blackjack Rules
Before you start serious card counting, make sure you are familiar with the rules of the game. While the basic rules of blackjack are the same, there may be some differences between different casinos. These differences can affect you and your decisions, thus impacting your profits/losses.
2. Master Basic Blackjack Strategy
Statistics show that, for a single round, there is only one optimal way to play, which we call basic strategy. Proficiency in this basic strategy is important for every player because all successful systems are based on it. If a player can execute basic strategy perfectly, their position is very close to that of the dealer, or even equal, in the game. Typically, they have a disadvantage of about 1%, but in more favorable rules, they may even have an advantage. Make sure your basic strategy aligns with the specific gaming rules of the casino.
3. Learn to Manage Your Bankroll Wisely
Even the best blackjack players in the world have gone through losing phases; this is a scientific fact that no one can avoid. Many capable players are also unfamiliar with this "destructive element," using too much of their bankroll for card counting, without setting a limit. In bad times, they will inevitably lose all their savings, even though they made all the right decisions while playing. A wise player will know when to leave the casino. They will not stay in the room after losing a certain number of chips. For example, a rule like using only 1% of your total wealth to play - if your total wealth is $10,000, then you can only use $100 to play. Of course, you should establish your own rules, but remember to strictly adhere to them. Even if your skills give you a 1.5% advantage, there is still about a 5% chance you will lose all your chips. When you increase your bet, you have the chance to win more money, but at the same time, you can also lose more money. Conversely, when you decrease your bet, the expected amount you win will decrease, and the amount you can lose will also decrease.
4. Choose a Card Counting System and Master It
Most players play blackjack without surpassing basic strategy. But for professional players, there are many ways to gain an advantage beyond basic strategy. By applying card counting systems, you can gain additional advantages and indeed maintain this edge over the casino, as many players have proven. There are many card counting systems to choose from, and it is generally believed that the more comprehensive the system, the better. However, this does not mean that only complex card counting systems can gain an edge over the casino. The more comprehensive the card counting system, the harder it is to master. You must be aware that if you make 2-3 mistakes out of 100 rounds, you will lose your advantage. If you use a complex system that you have not fully mastered, it is better to use a simple system that you can already use perfectly.
The simplest card counting is defined as follows: assign a value of 1 to cards 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; assign a value of 0 to cards 7, 8, 9; assign a value of -1 to cards 10-A. This system is called the HI-LO system. By continuously recording the cards dealt by the dealer, you can determine when the cards are favorable or unfavorable to you. When you need to keep track, just remember one number. After shuffling, you need to clear the accumulated numbers and start counting cards again. When the dealer deals cards, add up the values of the cards and record them. For example, if the first round dealt by the dealer is 7, 10, 2, 5, 9, then using this card counting system, the calculation would be: 0 + (-1) + 1 + 1 + 0 = 1. This 1 is the number you need to remember. The next round dealt is A, 2, 5, 10, 2, 8, then it would be -1 + 1 + 1 + (-1) + 1 + 0 = 2. Then add this 2 to the accumulated number from the previous round, which would be 2 + 1 = 3. This 3 is the accumulated value you need to remember. Repeat this process for each round. If this accumulated value is positive, it indicates that the remaining cards are more favorable to the player than average. A negative value means it is less favorable to the player. You should learn how to continuously count cards and keep up with the dealer's pace of dealing cards. If you know how many decks the dealer is using, that's even better. You can |
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