Why is Using a Strategy Card Better than Card Counting?

The last time we spoke directly about playing blackjack at an online casino, we went into great detail about best blackjack strategy using the top blackjack strategy card or chart.  Now, we want to go beyond the strategy chart into an area of playing blackjack online that few bloggers ever talk about.

A Variety of Blackjack Games

At Everygame Casino, you have the choice of playing a variety of blackjack games.  You need to know every game you play well.  If you know one game well, you should play that game for real money, if you want to make some bets.  Play all the other variations in our unlimited free play mode until you are ready to play any of them for real money.

So, in reality, there isn’t just one strategy card that works for all blackjack variations.  Each one has its own bets strategy card and you can find a good strategy card for all blackjack variations online.

The Random Number Generator

In previous blogs, we have spoken a bit about card counting.  This works only for a very few blackjack players and almost exclusively at land based casinos.   At a land based casino, you might get a single deck blackjack table.  This is the best kind of game in which to count cards.  At an online casino, the Random Number Generator shuffles the cards after every hand.  So, counting cards online is impractical.

An obvious question arises: Why is Everygame Casino talking about a blackjack technique that works well only at land based casinos?

The reason lies in the overwhelming advantages of playing blackjack online over playing blackjack at a land based casino! 

Overwhelming Force

In military tactics, generals often talk about using overwhelming force in battle.  We are here talking only about a game but the tactic of card counting requires “overwhelming force" within the context of the card counting strategy.

You assign a plus or a minus for every card.  The cards from 2 to 6 count as +1.  All 10-point cards and the ace count as -1.  The cards from 7 to 9 count as 0.  It is difficult enough when you are playing at a full table at a land based casino to keep an accurate card count.  Although counting cards is a learnable skill it is not a skill that you can maintain easily.  In other words, you have to practice it a lot.

Few Players Benefit from Card Counting

We stated above that it is hard to keep an accurate count of cards at a land based casino.  There is another reason why card counting is vastly over-rated as a strategy in blackjack.   Most card counting blogs tell players to wait until they have a count of +3 or -3.  When the count is +3, the player has the advantage since it means that there is an abundance of high point cards in the deck.  The strategy advice is to increase your bet,

When the count is -3, the house has the advantage because there are many more low count cards in the deck so the dealer can hit with 16 points and stay at or under 21.  In that case, players are told to decrease their bets.

All of this is fine in theory.  There are two holes in the theory, however.  First, how often will the count get to +3 or -3?  Second, even if you increase your bet when you are supposed to or lower it when you are supposed to, the result of the next hand is never guaranteed. 

Travelling Often

We have said that it is genuinely not realistic to count cards at an online casino so in order to stay in top card counting “shape” you’ll have to travel often to a land based casino and play a lot of blackjack!  Even if you live “next door” to a land based casino, the time you invest playing at a land based casino may be excessive. 

Online blackjack is a lot more flexible; you can play for a relatively short time and then go on to any number of other activities you want to do.

The Casino Knows

Any observant dealer will quickly see that you are counting cards and will notify the pit boss usually with an eye signal.  The pit boss will keep his or her eyes on you.

Good card counters are not welcome at land based casinos. 

The Other Players Know

In addition to the casino knowing that you are counting cards, all the other players will also know because of how you are keeping such close watch over every card dealt.  New card counters usually count out loud in a very low whisper to themselves.

Blackjack players don’t like card counters either. 

Card counters “ruin the game” for most players because they make such unusual plays.  The same is true, by the way, for any blackjack player who hits with 12 points instead of standing like most players do!  So, skillful blackjack players will be unpopular at any land based casino!

Why Should You Pay to Practice?

Travelling to a land based casino has costs.  All of the money you spend getting to the casino, staying in the hotel, eating in restaurants and so on is a cost that you are unlikely to ever recoup.

Blackjack as Practice for Your Profession

Some players say that using a strategy card takes a lot of the fun away from them.  There’s a very good reason to play without a strategy card in front of you but with the strategy in your head.

We all need to stay sharp when we are challenged in our professions.  People who have to make business presentations and answer tough questions can use blackjack as a means of keeping their minds sharp!   This means that learning the strategy chart and using it in the moment without referring to it is similar to making a presentation without consulting your notes even though you made the notes, studied them, and committed them to memory!

Blackjack as Mind Training

It has taken us some time in this blog to get to the bottom line of this idea generated from blackjack.  So, let’s review the concept.

As a Strategy

Card counting is a good strategy but it works only in limited circumstances and primarily at land based casinos.  You need to be really good at it and get lucky at the perfect moments for card counting to work.  Even then, the casino may ask you to leave if you are winning too much while counting cards.

Learning the basic blackjack strategy is a surer way to win or at least stay close to a 100% return to player rate. 

Online Blackjack Has No Side Costs

This aspect is obvious.  Online means no travel, no hotels, no unnecessary costs at all!

Train Your Mind for Your Profession

We need to stay sharp in order to excel in most professions and learning the blackjack strategy card and playing without looking at it is a great way to keep your mind sharp!

This, then, is the ultimate bottom line: we play blackjack because we love the challenge, we learn the best strategy in order to win, and then we play as a really powerful way to strengthen our cognition and to keep it strong!