Card counting is a technique where you keep track of cards in a game of blackjack. Doing this should give you an idea of what cards are yet to come up. With this knowledge, you supposedly have an advantage and can make better decisions concerning your hand.
Omega II is a card counting technique that some people use when playing blackjack. There are many top blackjack sites where you can practise Omega II and other types of card counting. If you want to join one, choose one that Gambling Zone recommends. You will be in safe hands with any blackjack casino site we suggest.
The Omega II Technique
There are two categories of card counting techniques. Omega II belongs to Level Two as it is somewhat complex and is not suitable for beginners. By contrast, techniques that belong to Level One are easier to understand and put into practice. Even though Omega II can be difficult to master, it is more accurate and effective than other techniques.
The values for each of the card ranks are in the table below.
|
Ranks |
Value |
|
4, 5, 6 |
+2 |
|
2, 3, 7 |
+1 |
|
8, A |
0 |
|
9 |
-1 |
|
10, J, Q, K |
-2 |
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How to Use Omega II
If you are familiar with blackjack card counting techniques, Omega II should seem easy to use at first. However, it may take a while to master it since it has five different values for the cards; this is more than other card counting techniques.
To use Omega II, you start with a running total of 0. You adjust the running total each time you find out what a card’s rank is. When a blackjack game starts, you find out the ranks of your own two cards and one of the dealer’s, so you would apply these values to the running total.
To give an example, we will say your first two cards are 7 and 9, and the dealer’s face-up card is a 10. Looking at your cards first, the 7’s value is +1 and the 9’s value is -1. These effectively cancel each other out, so the running total remains at 0. When you take the dealer’s face-up card into account, the running total becomes -2 because 10 has a value of -2.
When the running total is a positive number, there are more high-ranking cards in the deck(s) and the player has the advantage. On the other hand, when the running total is negative, there are more low-ranking cards and the dealer has the advantage.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Omega II
Advantages and Disadvantages of Omega II
The main disadvantage of the Omega II system is that it is slightly more complex than other blackjack card counting systems. This is because there are five different values a card can have (-2, -1, 0, +1 and +2). However, it is still easy to master, especially since all you are doing is adding or subtracting numbers whenever a card comes up.
Some would suggest trying other blackjack card counting strategies before attempting to master Omega II. This is a good piece of advice. You might find Omega II easier to use if you have some experience with other systems. Having said that, if Omega II is your first card counting system, you can still master it easily enough.
The main advantage of Omega II is that it gives players a more accurate indication of who has the advantage (the player or the dealer). It is one of the most common card counting systems in blackjack and is the go-to strategy for many players, including professional ones.
If you are keen to use the Omega II system, it is best to practise using it when playing free blackjack. Build up your confidence and improve your ability to use the system before playing for real money. All the leading blackjack online casinos let you play demo versions. With these, you can practise as much as you like and test out card counting systems like Omega II with no need to worry about money.
