Red Seven
Regardless of which tactic of card-counting you choose to use, mastering the basic strategy would be a must prior to counting.
Card-counting strategies only have one goal: to find out when many low cards are left (advantage to the dealer), and when many high cards are left (advantage to you). Since this is all you have to be worried about, you don't need to remember how many cards of each particular value is still in the deck.
Counting Cards
Counting cards with the Red 7 Easy Count happens to be exceedingly simple. First of all, you need to memorize each card's associated count value. Red 7s and cards 2 to 6 count as +1. 10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces all count as -1. Black 7s, 8s, and 9s all count as 0.
Let us pretend that these cards came out:
Black 7, 5, 3, 10, Red 7, Ace
If you start with a 0 count, the count would end this way:
0 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 1 - 1 = 1
You started with 0. You ended with 1. To practice card-counting well, just grab a regular card deck and flip a card over each time while counting through the whole deck. Correct counting should always end a deck with +2. After you can count down a whole deck in half a minute with continuous accuracy, you can begin practicing with more realistic gaming scenarios. You may come to find that it's harder to keep the count going while thinking about the basic blackjack strategy, but remember: keep practicing and you will perfect it in no time.
Another thing to remember would be that, while playing in casinos, you don't have to begin counting at 0. Instead, begin with -2 times the amount decks. This means that, in single deck games, you should begin with -2 and in six-deck games; you should begin with -12.
Taking Advantage
Taking advantage of card-counting is quite easy. Bet more with higher counts and bet less with lower counts. If the minimum betting amount is $5, here is an estimate on what your bets should be like during different counts in the game:
<0 ----- $5
0 ----- $10
6 ----- $15
8 ----- $20
12: ----- $30
16: ----- $40
Here are more tricks on how to get a higher advantage:
- Take insurance every time the count stands at +2 and up.
- With a 0 count and up, stand against the dealer's 10 at 16 and against the dealer's 3 at 12.
- With a count of +2 and up, stand against the dealer's 2 at 12 and against the dealer's 10 at 15.
