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Dr. Edward O. Thorp is considered to be one of the fathers of card counting. His 1962 book, Beat the Dealer sketched out not just what became somewhat of the foundation of card counting, but also several theories on how to play strategically correct blackjack. In many ways, Thorp was ahead of his time, at the very least he was one of the first who published his theories and presented them to a wider audience.

Another famous name in the card counting business is Andy Bloch, today maybe most known as a very successful poker player. But he was also part of the M.I.T. blackjack team and released an instructional card counting DVD called Beating Blackjack. Bloch was also featured in the 2005 blackjack documentary The Hot Shoe, by David Layton. In the movie, Layton interviews card counters such as Edward Thorp and Andy Bloch. During the making of the movie, Layton used the knowledge he got from the interviews and gambled with , 000 of the budget for the film as a case study.

Thoughts on Card Counting

We would like to stress that in by publishing this article we in no way advise our readers to try any of these card-counting techniques at a real casino. Even though card counting is no more illegal than calculating your outs at the poker table, many casinos sure like to act as if it was. Since casinos are considered as private property (at least within the US), they have the right to refuse anyone admittance to the casino (and thereby suggest that card counting should be an illegal activity). And trust us when we say it; they WILL use this right the minute they think that someone is keeping track of the cards dealt at the tables.

To us, card counting is nothing more than strategic thinking while you are playing. If you learn to combine good blackjack strategy with bullet-proof card counting strategy, you will have a great edge over the casino, and a good chance of turning your knowledge into a substantial win at the blackjack tables.

Just like a poker player who decides to move all-in when he or she has calculated the odds of winning the hand to be in his or her favor, we believe that a blackjack player has the right to increase the wagers in situations where a positive outcome of the game is to be expected.

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