In Blackjack, low cards favor the dealer, while high cards favor you, the player. This is because the dealer relies on the low cards to make the necessary winning totals on his or her hand when he or she is “stiff” (has a 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 on the first two cards dealt) - a dealer must hit on such a hand when playing casino blackjack, while a player may stay on such a hand, all depending on the player’s calculation of the number of high (and low) cards that have already been dealt. High cards will not only bust the dealer when they become stiff, but tens and aces add up to 21.

Card counting has been proven to work and work very well for those who are involved with the right blackjack strategy and card counting systems. Quite simply put, card counting is a method for legally beating the casinos by the player keeping track of the most favorable cards to both him or herself, other involved players, and the dealer. By keeping a running tally of the cards already played, a card counting player basically knows when and when not to bet on their current hand. And it’s all legal.