True Count Blackjack

True Count Method in Blackjack. True Count Method in Blackjack. Up until now, we have discussed the cumulative count of all the cards that have been. In a nutshell, card counting is a tracking system where players use their memory to keep track of what cards have been dealt in blackjack. Since the game is dealt from a shoe (in most casinos). Learn how players keep track of the blackjack cards to win games of blackjack online. Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, is the most popular casino card game as it's fun and easy to win. Knowledge of Blackjack basic strategy is essential. The basis of virtually all Blackjack card counting systems is the count. We can see that for six decks (red line) we have a true count of zero or lower.

  1. Blackjack True Count Frequencies Double Deck
  2. Basics Of Card Counting
  3. Blackjack Running Count


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.

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 first thing you need to count cards is a system. Many different counting systems exist, and they differ based on their accuracy and complexity.

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.

Generally, 75% deck penetration is considered ideal for placing big bets with a positive true count.

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.

On the other hand, live casinos also need to worry about over-shuffling. Too much shuffling costs hands, meaning the casino has fewer chances to let its house edge take effect.

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.

Count

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.

Even if you wong in and use a 1-30 spread, you won’t make much money with live dealer card counting. 50% deck penetration is just too low to earn reliable profits.

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.

Blackjack True Count Frequencies Double Deck

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.

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Blackjack is a staple of both bricks and mortar casinos and online casinos. It is a table game played with cards. At the start of the game, each player decides how much they want to bet. The amount it costs to bet on the hand varies from casino to casino. The croupier, or machine, then deals each player a hand. They are then given various options such as to stick, hit or double down. The objective is for the total value of your cards to get as close as possible to, but not exceed 21.

Blackjack is a fun game with a low barrier of entry so it can be enjoyed by experienced gamers and new players alike and it is a popular choice at many sites such as http://www.anniston-k12.org/. As you can win cash by playing, players have looked for ways in which they can improve their chances at winning. One of these methods is by counting cards, which works as follows:

  1. Assign a value to each card;
  2. Keep a running total of the values of each card dealt;
  3. Use this information to work out the value of the actual count of the deck;
  4. Change your bets accordingly by increasing them as the count rises.

While some methods of attempting to implement systems to games in casinos are illegal or barred by the casinos, counting cards is in no way either as it is simply paying attention and attempting to use what is taking place to your advantage. It can take time for players to be able to count cards effectively, but some say it akes the element of luck out of blackjack.

How Does Counting Cards Work?

The first stage of counting cards is to assign a value to each card in the dek. In the most commonly used method, 'Hi-Lo', as each card is dealt the player either adds one, subtracts one or does nothing based on the card's value. The player will then keep a running count of cards dealt and update the value as each card is dealt.

Once the running count is complete, the player will calculate the true count or the true value of per deck. The most important information the player is looking for is the concentration of high compared to low cards and the number of high cards. Finally,teh player will use this information when placing their bets. As the true count rises, the player increases their bets.

Can You Count Cards Playing Online Blackjack?

Running

Card counting is thought to be successful in bricks and mortar casinos and can determine the probability of the next card dealt being high or low. However, online casinos obviously work in a different way. The most important and problematic difference when it comes to card counting is the difference in the way that the cards are dealt and shuffled. This makes card counting difficult to successfully achieve.

In a bricks and mortar casino, a croupier will typically shuffle between six and eight decks together and load them into a dealing shoe. By using the shoe the croupier can deal more games faster and reduce the risk of the decks being tampered with. When the cut card appears it is clear that a new deck will be dealt shortly ending the current game.

Why Is This a Problem For Card Counting?

When card counters are counting the cards they are looking for the indication that the face cards are together. The more high-value cards together the higher the chance of being dealt a high-value hand. This is the objective of card counting, once the player knows the chances of landing high-value cards has increased, they know to increase their bet. Online casinos make this difficult in a series of ways.

  • The player cannot see the cards being dealt.
  • The player cannot tell when the next deck of cards starts.

Basics Of Card Counting

Online casinos also use 'deck penetration' to prevent card counters. Blackjack players know that in a brick and mortar casino, the deck is cut approximately one deck's worth from the end of the stack. In online casinos, the deck can be cut in half, meaning there is more chance of high-value cards ending up on the wrong side of the cut and out of play.

Is It Worthwhile to Attempt Card Cutting in Online Casinos?

True Count Blackjack

With these measures in place online casinos have effectively neutralised card cutting. While keeping track and counting can still be attempted, it will not work as well in an online casino as it does in a bricks and mortar casino. As technology continues to improve the chances of card cutting effectively are likely to disappear and players attempting it will just be mentally taxing themselves unnecessarily.

Blackjack Running Count

Playing blackjack is fun, and even without counting cards winning is still possible. When gambling you should never bet more than you can afford to lose, and accept the amount you are gambling with is the cost of playing. Then, if you win, it is a bonus and a surprise. Luck can still be on your side, and more enjoyment is to be found in just playing the game.