Blackjack has always been one of the most exciting games available in casinos. It is dynamic and attractive in its simplicity: the rules can be memorized in just a couple of minutes. However, it’s more complex. Blackjack is a casino entertainment, which means that in the long run, the gambling establishment will always be in the black. But there are ways to beat the casino. For example, begin to count cards. In this article, we will look at how to calculate EV in blackjack and increase your chances of success?
Types of expected value calculations
Before starting to play for money, it’s important to understand the rules and features of blackjack. If there are several hands in a row from the same deck, the gambler has an advantage because he can determine the approximate number of high and low cards that are left in the deck. The more live “tens” in play, the more chances a player has to win. And vice versa – when there are only small values in the set, the casino gets an advantage.
«Plus Minus»
It’s important to monitor all open cards by assigning a certain value to each one and adding it to the previous ones:
- 2-6 — plus one
- 7-9 — zero
- J-A — minus one
Provided the card score is negative (-2 or below), bets should be lowered or temporarily skipped a few hands and continue to monitor the other players’ cards closely. If the score is positive (+2 or higher), bets should be raised. If the count moves away from zero, the underlying strategy must be corrected. The bigger the point count, the better the odds of winning. By doubling up on a six or five, we give up half a bet on the picture of our dealer. And the higher the real card count, the less likely we are to take cards from 12. Also, a profitable action would be to divide big cards.
A classic deck of 52 cards, if you add up all the cards according to this scheme, will give a total of 0. This makes the count “plus-minus” balanced. Knowing the current state of the deck, experienced players can easily determine how to calculate EV in blackjack.
«Wong Halves»
“Wong Halves” can be considered an improved version of “Plus Minus”. This system was described by Stanford Wong in his book “Professional Blackjack”. The advantage of this system is its high accuracy. It is more complicated and requires good counting skills because it does not work with whole numbers, but with halves – hence the name.
- 2 – plus half
- 3 and 4 – plus one
- 5 – plus one and a half
- 6 – plus one
- 7 – plus half
- 8 – zero
- 9 – minus half
- from J to А – minus one
Some craftsmen simplify the calculation by multiplying all values by two. The player’s expected winnings are calculated according to the same scheme as in the “Plus Minus” system. The higher the score, the more favourable the situation for the player.