Ace tracking is a system used by blackjack players to keep track of where clumps of aces are hidden in the cards, even after the decks of a shoe have been shuffled. This is a way of increasing your chances of making money at blackjack by using your brain. That's legal.
You might have heard this called ace-steering because you will cut the cards with the clumps of aces in your mind. Again, it's legal (although the casinos don't like any edge they lose and will watch you with the eye-in-the-sky!).
Just don't confuse this with the cheats who bend the aces in a single or double-deck game of blackjack and then cut the cards with the bends leading the way. That will get you thrown out of the casino, and maybe even arrested. Don't do it!
Key Carding
To be successful, ace trackers memorize the cards that are picked-up by the dealer around aces. In a single or double deck game this can be quite simple. If a single ace is on the layout, your "advance" knowledge for the next shuffle is limited, but when there are two aces, especially in the same hand, then you can note exactly where they are by the surrounding cards and gain an edge.
Suppose you are playing a single deck game and sitting at first base, just playing basic strategy. This will keep you nearly even with the house while making the same flat bet each hand. Then, you are dealt a hand with two aces. When the hand is over and the dealer scoops the cards up you memorize them: 2 of clubs, 4 of spades, ace, 8 of hearts, ace, king of diamonds.
You finish the deck and the dealer shuffles. All the while you are repeating the key cards: 2 of clubs, 4 of spades, ace, 8 of hearts, ace, king of diamonds.
The dealer finishes the shuffle and you cut the cards. During the second round the dealer hits out their hand with a 4 of spades and an 8 of hearts. If all goes well for you in Ace Tracking Land the next few cards will include two aces, so, you spread to two hands and increase your bet.
Depending on the dealer's ability to shuffle, you may find that the exact cards that you memorized will hit the table on the next round. Ideally you will get both the aces, one in each of your two hands, and your second card for each will be a 10-value card. When this happens you get two blackjacks and the get very happy.
Heartbreak
Unfortunately, there will be times when the dealer gets one of the aces - and a resulting blackjack beats both your hands. However, since you get paid 3 to 2 for each blackjack and the dealer only gets even money from you, your long-term prospects are very good. Shuffle tracking and ace tracking work best with new, inexperienced dealers. Well-trained, experienced dealers who shuffle the cards well and employ a riffle and a strip of the deck (where clumps of six to eight cards are taken off the top of the deck to enhance the shuffle) are likely to be hard to take advantage of. Pick your spots.
Subtlety is Your Friend
As with blackjack card-counting, the use of cover plays and a gentle, subtle increase in your betting will help you keep from being detected. Playing dozens of decks with a single $10 bet and then suddenly jamming out two bets of $200 will get you noticed. If you catch a blackjack on one of the hands, even a poorly-trained pit boss is likely to snap to your action. Bummer! And, a replay of your system is likely to lead to your removal - out the door you go, barred from ever playing at the casino again!
Remember that casinos love gamblers, but they love system players even more! That's because they know that for every dozen players who start gambling with a sure-fire system, less than one will have mastered the system. And, less than 10-percent of those will be able to make any money consistently because card-tracking and card-counting take a lot of practice, disciple, and a bankroll.
Multiple Decks
Ace-tracking can also be accomplished when casinos use multiple deck shoes if they shuffle by hand or use poor shuffling devices. Scout around and your might find some in your area. Keep in mind that if you are playing a 6 or 8 deck shoe you can memorize several clumps of aces. That's a good thing, since you will be waiting a long time between shoes to use your knowledge. However, if you watch the shuffle, you might even know exactly where a clump of cards is, and cut the deck to your advantage.
Multiple decks will also require you to increase your bets more substantially when your key cards appear. And, that means you will be more noticeable and will need a larger bankroll. Even if things go well you can't really expect to find yourself with much more of an overall advantage than a card counter experiences. Expect that edge to be somewhere between .7 percent and a full 1.5 percent.
Notes
You must play perfect basic strategy to survive the many hours of play at the blackjack tables and still show a profit. If you do, your ace-tracking can net you a nice return on your bankroll. If all conditions are good, your dealers are poor, and you have a standard bet of $10 and come off-the-top with two hands of $50 at the right time, you can expect to make $35 to $50 an hour, more than what you can make counting cards.
If you make mistakes and the dealers are pretty good, you may break-even, if you are lucky. It all comes down to practice, ability, and the casinos' desire to provide you with a beatable game!
You might have heard this called ace-steering because you will cut the cards with the clumps of aces in your mind. Again, it's legal (although the casinos don't like any edge they lose and will watch you with the eye-in-the-sky!).
Just don't confuse this with the cheats who bend the aces in a single or double-deck game of blackjack and then cut the cards with the bends leading the way. That will get you thrown out of the casino, and maybe even arrested. Don't do it!
Key Carding
To be successful, ace trackers memorize the cards that are picked-up by the dealer around aces. In a single or double deck game this can be quite simple. If a single ace is on the layout, your "advance" knowledge for the next shuffle is limited, but when there are two aces, especially in the same hand, then you can note exactly where they are by the surrounding cards and gain an edge.
Suppose you are playing a single deck game and sitting at first base, just playing basic strategy. This will keep you nearly even with the house while making the same flat bet each hand. Then, you are dealt a hand with two aces. When the hand is over and the dealer scoops the cards up you memorize them: 2 of clubs, 4 of spades, ace, 8 of hearts, ace, king of diamonds.
You finish the deck and the dealer shuffles. All the while you are repeating the key cards: 2 of clubs, 4 of spades, ace, 8 of hearts, ace, king of diamonds.
The dealer finishes the shuffle and you cut the cards. During the second round the dealer hits out their hand with a 4 of spades and an 8 of hearts. If all goes well for you in Ace Tracking Land the next few cards will include two aces, so, you spread to two hands and increase your bet.
Depending on the dealer's ability to shuffle, you may find that the exact cards that you memorized will hit the table on the next round. Ideally you will get both the aces, one in each of your two hands, and your second card for each will be a 10-value card. When this happens you get two blackjacks and the get very happy.
Heartbreak
Unfortunately, there will be times when the dealer gets one of the aces - and a resulting blackjack beats both your hands. However, since you get paid 3 to 2 for each blackjack and the dealer only gets even money from you, your long-term prospects are very good. Shuffle tracking and ace tracking work best with new, inexperienced dealers. Well-trained, experienced dealers who shuffle the cards well and employ a riffle and a strip of the deck (where clumps of six to eight cards are taken off the top of the deck to enhance the shuffle) are likely to be hard to take advantage of. Pick your spots.
Subtlety is Your Friend
As with blackjack card-counting, the use of cover plays and a gentle, subtle increase in your betting will help you keep from being detected. Playing dozens of decks with a single $10 bet and then suddenly jamming out two bets of $200 will get you noticed. If you catch a blackjack on one of the hands, even a poorly-trained pit boss is likely to snap to your action. Bummer! And, a replay of your system is likely to lead to your removal - out the door you go, barred from ever playing at the casino again!
Remember that casinos love gamblers, but they love system players even more! That's because they know that for every dozen players who start gambling with a sure-fire system, less than one will have mastered the system. And, less than 10-percent of those will be able to make any money consistently because card-tracking and card-counting take a lot of practice, disciple, and a bankroll.
Multiple Decks
Ace-tracking can also be accomplished when casinos use multiple deck shoes if they shuffle by hand or use poor shuffling devices. Scout around and your might find some in your area. Keep in mind that if you are playing a 6 or 8 deck shoe you can memorize several clumps of aces. That's a good thing, since you will be waiting a long time between shoes to use your knowledge. However, if you watch the shuffle, you might even know exactly where a clump of cards is, and cut the deck to your advantage.
Multiple decks will also require you to increase your bets more substantially when your key cards appear. And, that means you will be more noticeable and will need a larger bankroll. Even if things go well you can't really expect to find yourself with much more of an overall advantage than a card counter experiences. Expect that edge to be somewhere between .7 percent and a full 1.5 percent.
Notes
You must play perfect basic strategy to survive the many hours of play at the blackjack tables and still show a profit. If you do, your ace-tracking can net you a nice return on your bankroll. If all conditions are good, your dealers are poor, and you have a standard bet of $10 and come off-the-top with two hands of $50 at the right time, you can expect to make $35 to $50 an hour, more than what you can make counting cards.
If you make mistakes and the dealers are pretty good, you may break-even, if you are lucky. It all comes down to practice, ability, and the casinos' desire to provide you with a beatable game!