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Card counting in Blackjack used to be easier back when the cards were dealt with slowly at online casinos. These days, you have to look hard for a machine that isn’t protected against counting. But if you’re wondering how to play Blackjack like a pro, you need to know some of the basics of card counting, and with practice, you can master the rules. Then you can begin to take advantage of the very popular Red 7 counting system. Here’s a look at the finer points of this way to beat the house edge.

Learn how to Play Blackjack with Card Counting

Arnold Snyder is the man who invented the Red 7 card counting method. Before you use the system, let’s quickly go over the basics of how to play blackjack with card counting. Card counting is, to put it simply, keeping a tab on certain cards while the live dealer (or online automated dealer) is burning through the deck. With a little memory action and quick thinking, you can tell when the deck is in your favour and play accordingly.

What is the Red 7 Counting System?

The Red 7 system revolves around a running count and basic blackjack strategy to make careful decisions at the table. There are many versions of this method, but beginners who are learning how to play blackjack should use the method below.

First, the cards are assigned integer values between -1 and +1. Red 7s are assigned +1 and black 7s are assigned the value 0. This system gives the method its name. Aces receive a value of -1. Cards between 2 and 7 receive positive values. 8 and 9 cards receive values of 0. 10 and up receive values -1. With a little practice, you can learn to count cards easily with this system.

How to play Blackjack with the Red 7 Counting System?

Along with the Red 7 counting system, it’s useful to know how to play blackjack strategies. For instance, you need to know about the concept of the pivot point – the point at which you must increase your bets so you make the most of a deck that’s in your favour.

During your running count with the Red 7 system, you’ll reach the pivot point when your running count goes positive. Instead of starting the counting at 0, as you do with many methods, you start at the number of decks multiplied by -2.

Depending on the running count, make certain decisions. For instance, when the count is equal to or higher than +2, you’ll want to use the double down Blackjack strategy for a total of 10 against the dealer’s Ace, 15 against her 10 and 12 against her 2. When the count is 0 or more, stand with 12 against her 3 and 16 against her 10.

If you play with a live dealer, you may find that it takes a while to go positive with a six-deck game. In such cases, you may want to turn to other kinds of counting systems.