Winning Blackjack with Cluster Counting Strategy

Blackjack is, just like any other game, a game of chance. But there are ways of increasing one's chances of winning the game. Card counting is a popular practice among expert blackjack players. There are many ways of card counting, but the best method will vary with each player and will depend on the innate talent of the player. One such strategy is called Cluster Counting.

Simply put, cluster counting strategy involves establishing the odds that a bigger percentage of higher cards remain in the deck. The more high cards there are remaining in the deck, the higher the chance that the player wins. Similarly, the more low cards there are in the remaining deck, the higher the chance that the dealer wins.

Cluster counting is oftentimes also called shuffle tracking. This method is used in a multi-deck shoe. The trick of this strategy is to monitor the shuffling of cards in a shoe. This is based on the premise that cards tend to cluster together in different parts of a multi-deck shoe. This method helps the players to determine which parts of the shoe will have higher cards such as tens, face cards and Aces.

When a new shoe is being shuffled, mentally take note of the flow of cars while also taking note of the number of decks. As the shuffling is being done, visualize the shoe divided into the number of decks, then take note or make an estimate of where the tens, face cards and Aces went.

The next step in this strategy is to take note which decks contain the tens, face cards and Aces, then rate each deck as either rich or poor depending on the number of high cards. Remember, the higher the cards in a deck, the more chances of the player winning the game. In the instance of more high cards remaining in the deck, one can then place higher bets.

Take note also of the discard box. The more high cards there are in the discard box, then it follows that the low cards are still in the deck. This increases the dealer's odds of winning. In this instance, one can minimize bets as the chances of winning are lessened.

This blackjack strategy is repeated over and over with the shuffling of each shoe. Pay close attention to the shuffling of the cards. Then, take note of where the high cards landed in each deck. This will help a player envision where the high cards will land in the next shoe. After mentally taking note of the placement of high cards, adjust bets depending on whether the deck has higher or lower cards.

Cluster counting, as a strategy for winning in blackjack, is not easy to master. It does take a lot of practice by observing a blackjack session in a real live casino. Note that most casinos have employed counter measures to minimize the effectiveness of this strategy. These include using two discard boxes instead of just one, and constantly altering shuffling patterns. The key to effectively make use of this method of winning in blackjack is by practicing it in a casino.