Card Counting: extra enlighten
Some myths about card counting needs to be dispelled. One of them is that players are keeping track of specific cards. It is not so instead, experts in card counting assign a value to each card which they see. A card counter is not mathematics, but successful at the art.
Values usually take in the Hi Low system in form of +1, -1 or 0. Example: cards from 2 to 6 is counted as +1. Cards 7, 8, 9 are zero, and 10 through aces are -1. Each time the card counter sees a card - he subtracts or adds number based on the seen card. Note, that there are other card counting systems, but the plus-minus system is considered as one of the most basic, accurate and powerful.
If the current count is positive, the player will increase the bet. This is due to the fact that more high cards are left in the deck. When the count is negative, the player will lower the bet, as the odds of getting a natural are far less.
Using a card counting system on an 52-card deck and end up with 0, then that system named "balanced". If the resulting count not equel zero, then the blackjack counting system named "unbalanced".
There are exist more advanced blackjack counting systems, they may assign values such as +2 or -2 to cards. Many blackjack players believe that these advanced systems improve the accuracy of card counting, some other players think that the additional numbers are distracting. Ultimately, anyone who is planning and counting cards will experiment for finding the system which works best for him.