Blackjack Classroom

Raising the Stakes

In order to take advantage of card counting, a player must increase the size of his bet when the count is good and bet the table minimum when the count is bad. The house is going to win more hands than you, but if you bet more when the odds are in your favor, over time you will win more money than you lose. The difference between your minimum bet and your maximum bet is called the spread. The spread needs to be at least 3 to 5 betting units, but the larger your spread, the more advantage you can take. Having too high a spread will tip off dealers and pit bosses that you are a counter. Card counting is not illegal, but the casino values its money and can choose to disallow you from playing. A betting spread of 5 units is easy to get away with especially if you make sure not to look like a card counter. Being talkative, showing emotion, expressing the fact that you are feeling lucky, or any number of acts can help you avoid getting identified as a counter using much larger betting spreads. This part of the counting game is more about acting and your own personal style than anything else. A good actor with a large bankroll can get away with a 12:1 betting spread.

People use a lot of different betting schemes, but an easy one to use is as follows: When the true count is negative, 0, or 1, bet one unit (the table minimum - $5 or $10 depending on your bankroll). When the true count is 2, bet two units. When the count is 3, bet three units. So if your betting unit is $5 and the true count is 4, you would bet $20. Make sure you understand the concept of true count discussed in the previous article. In order to take full advantage of the count, you must also learn a few variations in basic strategy as discussed in the next article.