To a blackjack player, gaining an advantage over the house is possible by using a well-established and proven effective method. The result will be a reduction of the house edge making it much easier for any player to earn a profit playing blackjack.
Edward O. Thorp thought of strategies which are dependent on the count of the cards of a player as well as that of the house. Majority of the strategies that he conceived can be applied to games involving multiple decks of cards. Using the shoe, the player will modify the cards in bunches. When playing with a shoe, the player will monitor the shuffle and from there will make a corresponding bet based on the new cards that emerge from the shoe during a game of blackjack.
This technique, known as shuffle tracking, is much harder than card counting because more than just monitoring the cards, it likewise requires a keen eye and exceptional ability to estimate. This can give the shuffle tracker a huge advantage because in certain occasions they would even bet against a card counter.
It was courtesy of a magazine article written by Arnold Snyder that the idea of casino shuffle tracking was introduced to the public. Likewise, Snyder wrote the book The Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook. He was recognized as the first author who gave an analysis of the advantage of a shuffle tracker based on the size of the slug being monitored.
Compared to card counting, shuffle tracking is much harder to detect because it is the identification of patterns and clumps and not the counting that have revealing signs.
There are various legal techniques which a blackjack player can use in order to gain an advantage over the house. These methods include obtaining information about the dealer's hole card or what card is due to emerge.
Casino shuffle tracking can be limited when the house uses a half-cut, or what is known as 'The Big C.' The situation occurs when the shoe will be broken down at the midpoint, which means that only half of the shoe will be played.
If you are confused, think of a game using eight decks. This means that only half will be played and shuffled. Shuffle tracking is based on the process of elimination. Using only half of the shoe will make it unlikely for the cards left in the hand to be eliminated. The shuffling device will likewise make it impossible to monitor the cards because this will pave the way for a non-stop shoe.