The Truth About Blackjack Calculators

Everybody wants to be a winning player. And, according to much of the literature, using a blackjack calculator can transform your fortunes overnight. The idea behind a calculator is simple – you enter your card and the dealer’s card, and the program considers all the possibilities, and tells you how (and how much) you should bet.

On the face of it, the offer seems too good to be true. But there is some logic there. After all, in contrast to most casino games, blackjack is theoretically beatable – many professionals have demonstrated an ability to take considerable amounts from the house before being effectively banned from playing. And while the game is far more complex than it appears to be on the surface, it would be possible for somebody with genuine expertise to list and simulate all of the factors, creating a realistic estimate of what the optimum bet should be under any circumstances.

So are they effective?

Well, to a point. What they can do rather well is to instruct you in good ‘basic strategy’. Most sites will tell you that, when you play blackjack, the house edge over you is only around 0.5%. For new players, though, the truth is rather different. That’s because the 0.5% figure implies that you’re already playing perfect ‘basic strategy’. Every single card you play, there’ll be an ‘optimum’ strategy that you should follow if you want to win long-term. Every time you make a bet that’s less than optimal, you’re increasing the house’s edge over you. That’s not just about hitting when you should be standing, but also covers situations when you’re hitting when you should really be doubling down or splitting the cards, for instance. If you want that house edge to be as low as possible, you need to be playing perfect basic strategy.

It is true that you don’t need to calculate this information for yourself. Indeed, you don’t even have to pay a penny for it, as many sites offer free basic strategy charts. As long as you know the value of your card and of the dealer’s, you can get an almost instant verdict on how you should bet. Blackjack calculators can simplify the process though, relieving you of the need to use a big chart. To that extent, they work, and we found that Blackjack Sniper, for instance, allowed us to play pretty efficient basic strategy. We don’t know exactly what rules the program used, so we couldn’t say precisely how strong their implementation of basic strategy was – even hardened blackjack pros will argue with one another about how to bet in specific situations, and there is no truly definitive definition of basic strategy. However, Blackjack Sniper is certainly good enough to have newcomers betting with an edge very close to that fabled 0.5%.

But what about eradicating that House Edge?

iphone_blackjack_calculatorHere’s where the truth about blackjack calculators start getting murkier. Keeping the house edge down to 0.5% is all very well, but it still means that you’re effectively agreeing to lose money over the long-term. Even if you play a version of blackjack that uses fewer decks, it’s hard to cut that house edge to 0%, let alone give yourself an advantage. So how do professional players turn a profit? Well, in blackjack, they probably do it by learning how to count cards.

Counting cards means that you’re applying values to every card in the deck. This allows you to keep a running check on what cards have come up. The more low number cards that have been turned up, the more likely it is that the next few are likely to be higher numbers. (And vice versa.) This information is particularly useful in blackjack, as the player will generally get a generous 3:2 payout when they turn up a ‘blackjack’ (a hand consisting of an ace and another card with a value of ten). If there’s a greater probability of drawing some high cards, your chances of getting a blackjack (and its 3:2 reward) will be increased. Play higher stakes at these times, and you can not only wipe out that house edge, but can possibly even turn it into an advantage of a percentage point or two.

Learning to count cards isn’t easy though. Even simple systems (such as the famous Hi-Lo) take many hours of training. More complex (and profitable) approaches generally require a much greater investment of your time, and the mental concentration needed to implement them can turn enjoyable blackjack sessions into gut-wrenching tests of endurance. For many card counters, even if they’re successful, the long hours and hard work won’t be worth it given the relatively small advantage they’ll eke out.

The Calculator as Master Card Counter?

This is where many calcuator sellers will try and make their money. The card counting may be relatively awkward for a human, but it’s a cinch for any modern computer. So feed the values of the cards in, and let the calculator work out what the current count is, and whether the bet stakes should be increased. Computers are more disciplined, and won’t lose their way or start to fumble under pressure. In theory, then, you can rely on one of these calculators to arm you with the skills of a polished card counter – while only spending a fraction of the time or effort. There are, though, a few flaws.

The first big problem with these calculators is that no casino is going to allow you to stand there typing card combinations into a program or app. Quite simply, you won’t be able to use the device in a land-based casino.

But what of online casinos? After all, the gaming software can’t see what you’re doing, so how can you be prevented from card counting? Well, you can’t, but online casinos still have ways of stopping you in your tracks. Card counting relies on the same cards being used all of the time. As you play and play, many of the cards get discarded, and it becomes easier to tell what’s likely to be left. Online casinos, though, effectively reset the decks after every single card. Most of these casinos use RNG (Random Number Generator) games, where a number is picked at random, and that number will determine the value of your card. If your game uses eight decks of 52 cards, that means there are 416 different cards to pick from. Every time you deal, the game will pick one number from 416, and that’ll translate into a card value.Since you’re always picking a random card from a choice of 416, card counting can be of no use.

If there is one small chink of light, it comes from Live Dealer games. These are online, but use ‘live’ video feeds. Theoretically, the cards are picked from proper decks, and card counting should be possible. However, even here, the decks are generally refreshed at very regular intervals, effectively eradicating the use of card counting. In short, if you want to count cards, you’ll need to go to a land-based casino.

The Calculator as Teacher

bj-calculatorThese programs aren’t entirely useless, though. If you’re just looking for an easy way to make money, they aren’t the answer. But what if you do want to learn advanced card counting techniques (for use in a land-based casino), but don’t find it very easy to learn? That’s where a brilliant software package like Qfit’s Casino Verite comes in. Priced at around £55, it isn’t cheap, but it’s a very effective way of learning how to count cards using a variety of different counting systems. It employs a range of methods, from tough fast drills to full simulations that allow you to test how you would do in a real-time situation. Programs like this really are an excellent way of honing your skills before you switch to a daunting real-life casino. Nothing, of course, can totally prepare you for the move to reality.

But a program like Casino Verite goes further than pretty much any other training method.

A more affordable, but less comprehensive title, is the iPhone/Android app Blackjack Expert (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/blackjack-expert/id394174699?mt=8, which costs between £22 and £26, and gives you some nice drills in card counting. You can buy additional systems for it, so it’s reasonably versatile, even if it lacks the in-depth precision and intensive training of Casino Verite.

In conclusion, calculators can be a slightly expensive way of getting up to speed with basic strategy. However, if you want to play the game seriously, you really need to develop knowledge of basic strategy sooner rather than later. For that reason, we wouldn’t recommend these even to begin with. Also, forget about them as card counting machines. You won’t be able to use them anywhere they might be effective, so you’ll be wasting your money. The best tutors, though, are a rather good way of drilling yourself so that you get card counting polished to near perfection. For such a purpose, and only for that purpose, we can recommend titles like Casino Verite and Blackjack

0saves
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.