You’ve likely seen movies where card counters make big profits. Although such film scenes are unrealistic, they at least show that skilled counters do win money.

1. To keep track of and count all the dealt cards in blackjack, all the cards in the deck have particular values which are different from the traditional values used for counting the hand total. Blackjack card counters use the following values of cards: count as +1 count as 0.
2. Counting cards is one of the easiest ways to become an advantage gambler. You don’t have to be a genius or a savant. All you have to do is be able to add 1 and subtract 1 from a running count in your head. How Card Counting Works.
3. As each card is dealt you will either subtract 1 or add 1. For example, if the dealer deals a Jack, which is a high card, you will subtract 1. If the next card dealt is a 3 (low card), you would add 1 making your total 0. This process is called a running count.

One of the most popular, and easiest blackjack card counting strategy is the Hi-Lo Count, the reason this strategy is so popular is that it is simple to learn and easy to implement. Each card in the deck is given a value of either -1, +1 or 0. The total value of a 52 card deck is zero. The system also known as the Plus/Minus system was originally introduced by Harvey Dubner as remake of Edward. If you want to learn how to count cards, take advantage of our unique card counting app. Our online assistant will help you learn how to count cards like a professional, and boost your chances of winning. This is what you’ll learn: Assign a value to each card. Keep a running total. Calculate the count per deck.

But one thing you never see in these movies is somebody sitting at home and making thousands of dollars through online blackjack. In fact, it’s widely assumed that card counting doesn’t work at online casinos.

You may be surprised to find out, though, that card counting actually is possible at gaming sites. However, the real question is if it’s profitable.

I’m going to cover the stigma against online card counting and why it’s feasible in certain cases. I’ll finish by discussing if the profits make it worth your time to be an internet card counter.

What Are the Basics of Card Counting?

The very essence of card counting is to determine when you have a stronger chance of getting a natural blackjack. Assuming you’re playing at a table with favorite rules, then you’ll receive a 3:2 payout on your original bet (some tables only offer 6:5).

Your chances of getting a natural blackjack increase greatly when the shoe has a larger percentage of aces and 10s compared to other card values. You’ll theoretically gain more value by increasing your bet size at this point.

Of course, you won’t naturally know when these situations are present. But card counting gives you a tool for figuring out when the shoe is rich in aces and 10s.

The Hi-Lo offers a happy medium between accuracy and ease of use. But the jest of the Hi-Lo is that you assign values to each card that comes out. Here are the point values for each type of card:

• Aces, face cards, and 10s (high cards) = -1
• 7, 8, and 9 = 0 (neutral)
• 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (low cards) = +1

You want fewer low cards in the shoe, which is why your positive count increases when they come out.

The Hi-Lo also calls on you to account for how many decks are left in a shoe with a “true count.” You do this by dividing your “running count” by the estimated amount of remaining decks.

Here’s an example:

• Your running count is +6.
• You estimate that two decks are left.
• 6 / 2 = +3 true count

You can increase your bet size as the positive true count grows. A simple way to do this is by:

• Flat betting with a count of 0 or +1.
• Increasing your minimum bet 5x with a count of +2.
• Increasing your minimum bet 10x with a count of +3 or higher.

Why Online Card Counting Usually Doesn’t Work

One more aspect to card counting in blackjack that I haven’t discussed is deck penetration. This term refers to how many decks a casino deals before reshuffling the shoe.

Here’s an example:

• You’re playing at a table with an eight-deck shoe.
• Five of the eight decks have been dealt.
• 5 / 8 = 62.5% deck penetration

You want higher deck penetration, because this allows you to place bigger bets with more confidence. A +2 or +3 true count is much more accurate when only one deck remains, versus five or six.

Of course, many casinos reshuffle before this point in order to thwart card counters.

Other casinos allow more deck penetration, because they don’t want to slow down games by constantly reshuffling. They figure that lost hands are most costly than simply giving a few counters a bigger advantage.

Online casinos don’t have to worry about lost hands when reshuffling decks. Their software-based (a.k.a. virtual) tables can automatically reshuffle a shoe with no time wasted.

Online gaming providers program their blackjack games to reshuffle with very little deck penetration. You have absolutely no chance to gain an advantage in these cases.

Of course, you could slightly improve your odds if a casino allowed, say, 25% penetration. But this amount isn’t enough to count with any confidence and swing the odds in your favor.

The low deck penetration in online blackjack games is why card counting doesn’t work at virtual tables.

Some Live Dealer Casinos Allow More Deck Penetration

Many online casinos offer live dealer blackjack, which features a human dealer and real cards. These tables operate just like a normal land-based casino would, with the exception that the action is being streamed through your internet device.

Assuming the conditions were perfect, live blackjack would be the best way to count cards. After all, you could sit at home and count without drawing as much suspicion from pit bosses and floor supervisors.

Of course, online casinos aren’t dumb. They know their live tables are susceptible to being beaten through card counting.

Dealers are instructed to shuffle shoes before too much deck penetration is allowed. They’re not going to deal through 75% of the shoe and give you an easy chance to count.

Some live dealer casino games allow up to 50% deck penetration before reshuffling. You can theoretically gain a tiny advantage in these situations.

I mentioned earlier that at least 75% penetration is ideal. But 50% is just enough to where you can earn a little money over time.

You can visit different live dealer casinos and watch their games to figure out the deck penetration. Take notes on the different percentages in order to find sites that are more susceptible to counting.

What Is the Profitability of Live Dealer Card Counting?

The problem with counting in the aforementioned live blackjack games is that it’s just not very profitable. At best, you’re looking at earning a small amount of profits over time.

You also need to be able to use a large “spread,” which is the distance from the minimum bet to your highest wager.

Here’s an example:

• You’re playing at a table with $5 minimum bets.
• You increase your wager to $75 with a true count of +3.
• 75 / 5 = 15
• Your bet spread is 1-15.

Pro counters generally use between a 1-10 and 1-15 bet spread. But they must be careful, because such large spreads are a telltale sign of a counter.

You need to thoroughly research which land-based casinos allow this type of action without immediately tossing you. Some Las Vegas casinos are more lenient than others.

Gaming sites with live blackjack are generally very lenient with bet spreads. After all, they’re not allowing enough penetration to where you’ll gain a big advantage.

But you need around a 1-30 spread to get an edge with just 50% penetration. If the table minimum bet were $5, for example, you’d be betting $150 with a +3 true count.

Some online casinos might allow this. Others may eventually ban you if they monitor your play and deem you to be a bad customer.

You can of course “wong in,” which involves counting while sitting out and entering games at favorable points. “Wonging” prevents you from having to play unprofitable hands until detecting a positive count.

Another problem is that you’ll have to dedicate a lot of time for such little payoff. Online card counting is nothing more than a low-paying hobby in the long run.

Conclusion

Counting cards at live dealer casinos can result in minimum profits with 50% deck penetration. But you’ll never make any serious money with this practice.

You might be lucky to earn a few dollars an hour, even with a 1-30 bet spread and wonging. These tiny profits hardly seem worth the effort.

Live dealer counting can be a fun hobby. It’s also a nice way to prepare for counting cards at a brick and mortar venue.

Just be aware that you won’t be able to use such large spreads at a land-based casino. You might even attract suspicion at some live dealer tables for doing so.

Also, wonging isn’t permitted at most brick and mortar establishments. Casinos have a “no mid-shoe entry” rule to prevent this from happening.

Nevertheless, land-based casinos are better for profitable card counting. Live dealer sites, meanwhile, are just fun places to hone your counting skills while potentially earning a little money.

Counting cards is one of the most well-known ways of tipping the gambling scales in your favour. Gambler’s myths are full of skilled players using card counting strategies to beat the odds. From the outside, it may seem like a complex game of controlling probabilities – and it is. However, that doesn’t mean that a beginner can’t figure out the basic principles and even use them.

The Basic Principles

The biggest myth about this practice is that it’s about memorizing each card in a blackjack shoe. The reality, on the other hand, is a bit different. Don’t get us wrong – paying attention and memory play a part, but those are merely the means to an end.

It’s all about gauging whether the remaining cards are favourable to the player or the dealer. In general, the more Aces and 10-value cards there are in the shoe, the better. As such, you’ll want to pay attention to the ratio of high cards compared to low cards. How do we do that, you might ask? Thankfully, hundreds of gamblers in the past have figured out simple systems of keeping track.

Counting Cards – Card Values and the Running Count

How To Do Card Counting In Blackjack

The system we are about to talk about is often called Hi-Lo card counting. If you’ve been paying attention, it’s easy to figure out why. The first thing you’ll want to do is assign a certain “value” to each card based on whether its “Hi” or “Lo”. It generally goes like this:

• 2-6 = +1
• 7-9 = 0
• 10 – Ace = -1

After each hand is played, you’ll want to adjust the “score” based on which cards were dealt. For example, if a Queen is dealt, that means that there are fewer high-value cards in the shoe. This, in turn, means that the ratio of high-to-low cards goes down. As we’ve already mentioned, that’s bad for the player.

All the card values of each blackjack hand then combine into the so-called “running count.” This essentially represents how favourable the remaining cards are. A high running count means that there are more high cards than low cards left and it might be a good time to wager aggressively. Conversely, if there are more low cards left, the outcome is less predictable. Moreover, your odds of getting blackjack go down significantly.

Knowing how to use this information is a complex subject. Experts and professional gamblers have even developed more than one card counting algorithm. The idea is to know exactly how high the probability of a win, bust, or blackjack are. That’s a bit more than a beginner may need, though.

For now, all you need to remember is that all card games are a game of chance. Skill is a major factor, of course, but no card counting betting strategy can guarantee success. Just because you’ve made the odds favour you instead of the house doesn’t mean you’ll automatically win. Long-term experimentation is required if you want to see results – so keep practising!

Counting Cards and Multiple Decks

It should be clear by now how easy it would be to gain an advantage with single-deck blackjack. A running count of just +2 would mean a significant increase in your odds of winning. This is exactly why casinos have started using multiple decks a long time ago.

Luckily for us, gamblers are a crafty bunch. Although the card counting advantage is significantly reduced with more decks, you can still keep track of said advantage. All you have to do is take into account the multiple decks and how they affect the odds.

This is what’s often called a “true count” because it more accurately represents the high-low ratio of cards remaining. Remember, you’re not interested in the total number of high cards. All you care about is if there are more of them than low cards.

With that in mind, just divide the initial running count with the number of decks remaining in the shoe. For example, if your running count is +10 and there are 5 decks left, your “true” count is +2.

Card Counting Systems For Blackjack

Of course, this means that you’ll also have to count how many decks have gone by. Counting to 52 is easy enough by itself, but that’s not all you have to do. You’ll need to juggle between the running score, the total cards and decks, and whatever betting strategy you’re using. Additionally, casinos don’t like counters, so you’ll have to do it all discreetly.

How To Use Card Counting In Blackjack Games

The only advice we can give you on that end is to practice. The task may seem daunting at first, but it’ll become a lot easier just few games down the line.