There isn’t as much interest in card counting these days as there was back in the 1970’s and 1980’s. But yet this does not alter the fact that blackjack is still a very popular activity worldwide. But card counting is an art form and one that is very heavily skill based and with anything that is skill based then you are only going to become very good at it by actually doing it. One thing is clear though and this is that you are never going to be a top player by just reading books.

Also being a top player basically means never talking about what you do unless your career has ended and you are doing something else. Some novices think that they have mastered card counting simply because they can use a high-low count. I have known some supposed “card counters” personally who didn’t even know about true count conversions. This is a staggering oversight and it highlights someone who is nowhere near good enough to make the game pay even remotely.

But the exact same thing happens in poker as well. The average person simply does not want to work hard on their game. People see a game like poker and think “oh I would like to play that game” and so they set out to learn more about it. But once they reach a certain level then they stop convinced in their own mind that they know the game and are good enough.

So players never get to learn the real nuances of the game and it is exactly the same with blackjack. Players don’t set out to learn the psychological side of the game and how to evade detection. They don’t know about ramping or concealing their identity or how to conceal cash outs. It is no point having all of the technical ability if the moment that they try to execute it…..they get caught. With good preparation and training then a player can become a good card counter in a relatively short space of time.

But once again the connection with poker is clear because good “poker players” are not always money making poker players and there are lots of reasons behind why that is that go way beyond the scope of this article. If you are poor at money management or you are mentally idle or you are too lethargic to put the hours in then how can you possibly expect to play blackjack for a living or even as a secondary income?

Taking this further then what if you simply cannot be bothered to conceal your identity or interact with casino staff or you are mentally crushed by losing runs? All of these factors contribute to making a blackjack player and there is a world of difference between someone who knows how to card count and a professional blackjack player. Just like there is a world of difference between someone who knows an awful lot about poker from someone who plays professionally……they are not essentially and automatically the same thing.