If you are like
average, recreational Blackjack player, you may play Blackjack in a casino a few times per year and you want to play in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and have fun. But at same time, you don't want to play a game where odds are greatly against you and you want a good chance of beating house on any given day. And you're willing to invest a reasonable amount of time learning to play properly.
Does this describe you? If so, you're not alone. About 99% of Blackjack players can very likely be described as "recreational" players. If you invest few hours it takes to lean Basic Strategy and good money management you will reduce casino's edge down to about a half percent. This is closest to playing even with house that you'll find in any game in casino.
However, for those of you for whom playing almost even with house is not good enough and you want edge, you must become a card counter.
It is an irrefutable fact that you can have an advantage over casino in Blackjack by counting cards. There are dozens of books this subject and card counting has been mathematically proven - literally thousands of times - as a method to more accurately determine odds that your next hand will have favorable cards.
The long-term advantage gained by card counting is about 1%, versus one half percent disadvantage from simply playing Basic Strategy.
So why isn't everyone a card counter and why are casino Blackjack profits at an all- time high and climbing?
Two reasons: * Casinos have made playing conditions very difficult for card counters. * Becoming an expert card counter requires hundreds of hours of practice and a monstrous bankroll. Even then, a small lapse in concentration at table will wipe out small advantage gained by counting.
This does not mean there aren't professional Blackjack counters who make a living playing Blackjack - there are.
However, to be able to make a full time living by counting cards, you'll need to be able to do following:
* Spend hundreds of hours, and play thousands of hands, to learn to count cards expertly, plus learn many subtle variations to hitting and standing that vary with count.
* Play 100 hours plus per month of actual table time, with average bets of $50 - $100. You can probably double this amount of time - or more - to allow for breaks, finding good tables, changing tables and casinos frequently, travel, etc.
