In the Introduction, I touched briefly on what is required to play blackjack at the professional level. And earlier in this chapter, we talked about how slightly start playing blackjack more red jellybeans than black jellybeans represents the card counter’s advantage over the casino. But let’s not forget about the basics. Learning the best possible way to play each hand, otherwise known as Basic Strategy, is the first step on the road to becoming a pro. The next step involves learning how to actually count the cards by assigning a point value to each, and then keeping a running total.
Before we go on, let’s tackle somewhat of a misnomer. Card counting isn’t that difficult in casino games. What it does take is perseverance, along with a good deal of practice. In college, I went through four years of electrical engineering. Now that was difficult. (At least to me it was.) But card counting? In fact, if I had to guess, I’d say that most people have the mental capacity necessary to become professional-level players—and good ones at that. Whether or not these same people have the perseverance or discipline necessary is probably the bigger question.
To be honest, I don’t understand why more people don’t. What I find amazing is the number of players who have obviously mastered Basic Strategy, but do nothing to further improve their game. Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of playing alongside physicians, entrepreneurs, investment bankers—businessmen and -women of all types—bright people definitely capable of winning in the long run about online casino blackjack. And yet when the count goes negative, these same people often are, unknowingly, “betting the ranch.” I see it time and time again. And, of course, when the count goes through the ceiling, they’re usually betting the table minimum. It never fails: a classic example of just not being aware of what’s going on behind the scenes.
