Card counting

Card counting is not memorizing every card - it is keeping one number. High cards (tens, aces) favor you: more blackjacks, more dealer busts. Low cards favor the casino. Counting tracks which kind is left in the shoe.

Each card gets a value (see the systems section). You add them up as cards appear - that sum is the running count. Positive means the remaining shoe is rich in high cards.

A +6 with six decks left is a weak signal; +6 with one deck left is a strong one. Dividing the running count by decks remaining gives the true count - the number all decisions are based on.

The payoff is the bet ramp: bet the minimum when the count is neutral or negative, and scale up when the true count rises.