Card Counting - The Ace-Five System

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The ace/five count is probably the simplest method of card counting around and has been used by many blackjack players to their advantage. It requires a lot of concentration and for it to be effective you should not leave the table mid-shoe. It’s based on the best thing that a blackjack player can do is to remove all fives from the deck and leave all aces.

How Does the Ace/Five Count Work?

The ace/five count is simple to do, with just a few things to make sure of before you begin playing.

  • Before playing you need to establish what your minimum and maximum bets will be. Your maximum bet needs to be at least between X16 and X32 your minimum bet.
  • Before the cards are dealt you you place your minimum bet and you start with a count of 0.
  • Whenever a 5 is dealt to you or any other player at the table you add 1 to the count.
  • Whenever an ace is dealt you minus 1 from the count.
  • When the count stands at 2 or above you will need to double your last bet, and as long as the count stay at 2 or above you should keep doubling until you reach your maximum bet. Remember that the size of your bet is determined by the count and is totally independent of whether or not you won your previous bet.
  • When the count is 1 or less than you bet the minimum and stick to it until the count returns to 2 or over. Also keep in mind that the count may go into minus numbers.
  • You must play blackjack optimal strategy at all times.

The Advantages of Using the Ace/Five Count

The ace/five count does have advantages, but like all card counting techniques it is not perfect. When used correctly and optimal blackjack strategy is played however, it does actually reverse the house edge and gives the player a slight advantage over the casino. The key to the ace/five count is its simplicity however you’ll need to watch for table limits as for example you start with a minimum bet of $5 then you’ll need a table with fairly high limits to be able to use the count successfully, you’ll also need a decent bankroll to get you going too. These two things combined will allow you to use a maximum bet of X32 which gives you a bigger advantage due to the wider spread, meaning the ratio between the minimum and maximum bets. All told however the ace/five count can be used to successfully turn the odds in the players favour and as it’s easy to use many players will at least give it a try.
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