How to win at Blackjack without card counting?

In this highly strategic and mathematical gambling game, both land-based and online Blackjack players are always seeking methods to defeat the odds. Card counting is one of the most effective Blackjack methods for increasing a player’s chances of winning. Which begs the question…How to win at Blackjack without counting cards? Can you beat Blackjack every time with it?

What is card counting?

One of the most well-known advantage-playing strategies in gambling is card counting. Card counting is featured in or is wholly based on several Hollywood films.

Skilled counters may achieve a 0.5% to 1.5% advantage over the casino, resulting in significant long-term earnings. Because of its popularity, the general public and even many Blackjack players believe it is the only technique to get an advantage.

To beat blackjack, though, you do not need to count cards. You can instead win by employing one of numerous alternative advantage-play strategies.

How does card counting give an edge to advantage players?

In Blackjack, counting cards allows players to retain a Running Count and a True Count of the cards dealt with them. Expert card counters can tell which cards are being dealt. In addition, they can also tell which cards are still in the deck by counting them.

Based on this count, the player will anticipate a specific hand and make strategic moves based on that hand. Because Blackjack is a mathematical game, if done correctly, this strategic calculation can provide you an advantage over the house.

Card counting is a term that refers to a group of tactics for counting cards in the game of Blackjack. Furthermore, there are several methods for counting cards, all of which adhere to the same principles.

It takes a long time to perfect the art of card counting. Furthermore, it is not always applicable in multi-deck or online Blackjack games. However, in the long term, it is still an excellent way to increase your Blackjack odds. This is because card counting allows players to adjust their wagers based on the cards remaining in the deck. Real skilled Blackjack players may even beat the house edge in some games by counting cards.

Casinos have used a variety of measures to deter card counters, both online and offline. The most common indicator is the major presence of automated card shufflers, which effectively make each hand brand new. As a result, Blackjack card counting applications became irrelevant.

How to win at Blackjack without card counting?

There are a few exciting ways that can provide players an obvious advantage without needing any card counting system. This can range from following the basic Blackjack strategy to sticking to more complicated techniques. So, how to win Blackjack every time?

Winning at Blackjack #1: Using Basic Blackjack Strategy

How to win Blackjack every time?

Playing with the basic Blackjack strategy is arguably the safest approach to maximize your winnings. Based on your hand and the card the dealer is presenting, this strategy helps you choose what decision to make. By flawlessly executing the method, you may reduce the casino’s edge to less than 0.5 percent. The following are some of the most basic Blackjack strategies:

Basic Blackjack Strategy

• On hard 11, you should always double down. The only exception is when the dealer must stand on soft 17 in a multi-deck game. In such a case, you have a slightly higher chance of striking against the dealer’s ace.
• On a pair of 8’s and Aces, you should always split regardless of the dealer’s upcard.
• It is better to draw one more card closer to a 10 than splitting a pair of 5’s or 10♠.
• If the dealer’s upcard is 2 or 3, then you should hit on hard 12.
• When the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, 9, or 10, then you must hit on Soft 18 or Ace-7.
• If the dealer’s upcard is a 9 or less, then you must double down on 10.
• When the dealer’s upcard is a 7, then you must stand with a pair of 9’s.
• If the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, 9, or 10, then you must always surrender on hard 16. Likewise, you should surrender on hard 15 when the dealer’s upcard is a 10.
• Unless it’s a single-deck game and you mastered counting cards, you should always avoid the insurance bet.

How to beat Blackjack #2: Hole Carding

Do you want to play at top Live casinos in Singapore? Why not use the hole carding technique to win at Blackjack?

Hole Carding refers to the players’ ability to try to identify the dealer’s face-down card (hole card). If used correctly, this approach or strategy can give you a significant advantage over the house. The question now is, how is hole carding accomplished?

In certain casinos, flashers are dealers who display the hole card before placing it down. Surprisingly, they will not do so on purpose, but rather by accident. If you have a great sense of observation and are quick enough to catch a peek of the hole card, you can take advantage of this error.

How to beat Blackjack with hold carding?

Without a doubt, the dealer’s error will be too slight for newbie players to notice. On the other hand, professional Blackjack players must maintain a high level of vigilance. In addition, these Blackjack pros will notice and will be able to tell when the dealer peeks at his hole card.

The term “first basing” or “third basing” refers to this type of “peeking” or “spotting“. However, the effectiveness of this technique depends on where you sit at the table. Furthermore, depending on whether the dealer is left-handed or right-handed, the first base is to the dealer’s left. While the third base is to the dealer’s right. In short, the third base sitter has the edge against a left-handed dealer and vice versa.

When using this hole carding tactic, you must avoid leaning back on the table. This makes it obvious that you are attempting to use certain methods to gain an advantage in the game.

How to win at Blackjack #3: Edge Sorting

If you’re looking for a way on how to win at blackjack without counting cards, you should explore edge sorting. Edge Sorting is a tactic popularized by poker legend Phil Ivey. This strategy also aided some professional gamblers in winning millions of dollars at casinos.

The process entails looking for weaknesses in the deck, however not every deck will have one. In addition, players must be extremely vigilant to detect a weakness. Furthermore, edge Sorting gets simpler when the cards are rotated 180 degrees. Flaws can take numerous shapes, including uneven patterns of half-diamonds on the back or edges. The capacity to thoroughly examine and detect such flaws is vital to the successful implementation of this technique.

Advanced Blackjack Strategy #4: Don Johnson Method

Winning at Blackjack without counting cards is now possible, all thanks to Don Jonhson. He demonstrated that there are other ways on how to win at blackjack without counting cards. Don Johnson is a high roller who won over $15 million in Atlantic City casinos in 2010 and 2011. What’s more, he does it without using a card counting strategy.

In reality, casinos like Atlantic City prohibits card counting. Therefore, the house makes sure that the cards are shuffled every time. He used a few methods and executed them flawlessly.

For starters, he negotiated a loss rebate. It means that if he lost money on a trip, then he would receive a part of the loss back. As a high roller, he was entitled to this reward.

On the other hand, he was exempted from the requirement that high-rollers play for at least 12 hours to qualify for the reimbursement. As a result, the highest bet at the table was $10,000 and there was no minimum bet. Moreover, Johnson was eligible for a 20% refund on his losses if he lost $500,000 or more.

How to beat Blackjack using the Don Johnson method?

Jonson’s winnings were maximized by establishing his win/loss quit points. After applying the “Loss Rebate Theorem” to Johnson’s 20% loss rebate scheme, it shows that he would leave after winning $2,411,000 and losing $2,597,000.

In a given session, the likelihood of reaching the win-quit point is at 49.07%. As a result, he had a 0.26% advantage over the house. The projected number of rounds to reach a quit point was 481. On average, Johnson’s predicted daily winning was $125,000.

Winning at Blackjack #5: Shuffle Tracking

Las Vegas casinos began to use shoe games in the 1960s and 1970s. The goal was to make it hard for card counters to count through numerous decks in each shoe.

Casinos believed that shoe Blackjack tables would address their card counting problem. However, card counters simply changed their tactics. Rather, they use new techniques like shuffle tracking.

What is shuffle tracking?

Shuffle tracking is the process of following a set of cards or a sequence of cards through successive shuffles. Then, the shuffle trackers will keep track of where the 10s and face cards (high cards) are in the shuffle.

Your goal is to gamble more when the shoe is full with high cards, which is similar to card counting. Shuffle tracking is far more effective than counting when done correctly. However, because you must know an advanced strategy in addition to card counting, this approach is exceedingly tough to utilize.

Shuffle tracking is based on the premise that shuffles aren’t random. As well as, you can monitor certain cards after they’ve been shuffled.

“Can’t dealers just shuffle more to make decks more random and halt shuffle trackers?” you might wonder.

Many casinos, on the other hand, don’t appreciate their dealers wasting too much time with shuffles. This is because it slows down the game and reduces earnings.

How to win at Blackjack using shuffle tracking?

Blackjack dealers frequently utilize a “zero shuffle“. In zero shuffle, the cards are sorted into piles and only the heaps are shuffled. For example, the dealer grabs two piles and shuffles them. This means that the Ace of hearts, for example, is likely to appear in only one or two areas of the shuffled shoe.

Because you want to maintain track of the count in distinct discard areas, card counting comes in handy. I’ll begin by discussing the point values used in the Hi-Lo counting method.

• From cards 2 to 6, you need to add 1.
• In cards 7 through 9, it is equivalent to 0.
• From card 10 through Ace, you need to subtract 1.

Shuffle Tracking and Hi-Lo Method

With shuffle tracking, you can use various card counting methods. The Hi-Lo, on the other hand, is a popular and simple counting approach.

High cards, as you may know, benefit the player by increasing the possibilities of a natural Blackjack payoff. This advantage stems from the fact that with a natural, players receive a 3:2 or 6:5 bonus.

Low cards, on the other hand, diminish the dealer’s chances of busting while attempting to achieve a hard 17. Anything that gives the dealer a better chance of winning is negative for the players.

How does it work?

When the shoe has a lot of Aces and 10-value cards, you should bet more. It means you have a positive count. On the contrary, if the shoe contains a lot of low cards, then you should wager the table minimum. It means you have a negative count.

A “running count” refers to the overall positive or negative count. However, the Hi-Lo system players translate this to a “real count“,  which accounts for the number of unplayed decks in the shoe.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say your running count is +8 while 4 decks are remaining. Then, you should divide 8 by 4. It will yield you to a true count of +2.

When players have a solid sense of what card values are left in the shoe based on their count, card counting and shuffle monitoring come together. They get an even bigger edge if they can take it a step further by visually tracking high cards and discovering them clumped together.

How to win at Blackjack: Advantage of Shuffle tracking

Shuffle tracking has the advantage of being more difficult to detect than card counting.

Sure, you’re still upping your stakes when things are going well. However, as clusters of 10-value cards and Aces appear, your higher bets will be spread out over a shorter time.

Another benefit is that flawless shuffle tracking can give you a 50% edge.

This advantage will not be available to every player all of the time. However, it depends on the dealer and shuffling strategy used. A professional shuffle tracker might gain between 10% and 30% in the long run.

Shuffle tracking, on the other hand, is incredibly difficult to pull off. You must not only have a solid count but also keep an eye on the deck. In addition, you also must comprehend how high cards will scatter following shuffles.

To become an experienced shuffle tracker, be prepared to train for a long period. Even so, you’ll need to be confident in your ability to pull this off.

To put it another way, some players delude themselves into believing they are getting an advantage when they aren’t.

Another disadvantage is that not every casino teaches its blackjack dealers in an exploitable shuffle. Some casinos utilize a two-pass shuffle, which involves riffling and restacking twice.

During a shuffle, 2-pass shuffles make it more difficult to keep track of cards. A one-pass shuffle is ideal since it reduces the shoe’s unpredictability.

Another aspect worth mentioning is that a continuous shuffling machine cannot shuffle track (CSM). Look for one-pass shuffled sneakers that have been hand-shuffled.

How to Win at Blackjack #6: Ace Sequencing

Ace sequencing is a form of card tracking in which you try to recall which cards in the discard pile are on top of the Ace. When you watch these cards come out, you increase your stakes in the hopes of getting an Ace.

Ace sequencing, like shuffle tracking, is a challenging task. The strongest Ace trackers can recall up to a dozen card sequences for every shoe. In addition, they can increase their odds of spotting Aces significantly.

How to win at Blackjack every time using Ace sequencing?

You can get up to a 50% edge on the house if you know you’re about to be dealing an Ace. Also, you have a 31% probability of landing a 10-value card and completing a natural Blackjack when you’re dealt an Ace.

However, unlike card counting, being an excellent Ace tracker is difficult. This is because there are few resources available. Furthermore, learning how to effectively execute this approach takes time.

Ace sequencing starts with keeping an eye on discard segments to see whether clusters could appear intact after a shuffle. Moreover, yo0u should also keep an eye on where Aces go into the discard tray. So, you know when will you be dealing an Ace in a sequence.

Finally, in the discard tray, you want to recall 2-3 cards that are put on top of the Ace. These are the “key cards” that you should look for after shuffling the deck.

When you see the key cards and know you will be dealing an Ace, you boost your stake.

Take note, though, that Ace sequencing, like shuffle-tracking, is ineffective when your table has a Continuous Shuffling Machine.