Bet Smarter, Win Bigger: The Ultimate Blackjack Card Counting Guide

If you play blackjack online for fun and want to be more successful, there’s a technique you can learn to help you navigate the blackjack tables with confidence. Our guide to blackjack card counting will give you a secret weapon for success.  

Essentially, card counting is what it says it is: you count the cards. However, it’s all about deciphering the cards dealt and those that remain in the deck. This strategy is useful in determining whether the next hand dealt will be to your advantage or to the dealer’s. 

Card counting is a methodical approach to playing blackjack. Players using the technique will keep track of the proportion of high-value and low-value cards that remain in the deck. The concept revolves around giving each card a point value. Then, as cards are dealt, the player keeps a running count of the ‘points’ dealt so far. This means that they can determine where in the game they are and whether or not there are more high-value or low-value cards remaining in the dealer’s hand. 

The most common (and the most beginner-friendly) strategy is the Hi-Lo system. This is really simple and requires little thought or training. Here are the steps: 

• Any card that is dealt between 2 and 6 is assigned a value of +1. These are the ‘low cards.’ 
• Any card that is dealt between 7 and 9 is assigned a value of 0. These are ‘neutral cards.’ 
• Any card that is dealt between 10 and Ace is assigned a value of -1. These are ‘high cards.’ 
• As the cards are dealt, the player keeps track of the current standing, which helps get a snapshot of the composition of the remaining cards in the dealer’s deck.  

Beyond this basic technique, you can then refine accuracy with more advanced methods. Some players go from a running count to a true count, which means dividing the running count by how many decks of cards are remaining. This will compensate for different deck sizes and makes the indication more precise.  
 
Other advanced techniques involve shuffle tracking and ace sequencing. But these require skill as well as discretion. The former requires players to keep tabs on where groups of cards are in the deck and clock them during the shuffling process. They do this by observing the dealer’s shuffling techniques to identify shuffle weaknesses and patterns so that they can anticipate where the more favourable cards are in a newly shuffled deck. 
 
Ace sequencing involves a player predicting when an ace will be dealt based on its historical deck position. They try to remember where the aces are so they can predict when the next one is due to land and alter their betting decisions accordingly. This requires an exceptional memory. 

Tips 

• Master basic strategy first before you start thinking about card counting.  
• Start simple. Until you’ve grasped the Hi-Lo system thoroughly, don’t think about moving on to more advanced techniques. 
• Practise regularly and discreetly.  

Though there are no specific laws banning card counting techniques, it is frowned upon by most casinos. Casinos, both physical and online, are able to make their own rules and policies and many of them explicitly ban card counting. Players who are suspected of using such techniques might be refused service or banned.  
 
Casinos see card counting as a threat to their profits. Though you’re not guaranteed to win with this technique, you’re definitely swaying the odds of winning more in your favour. Casino staff are trained to observe player behaviours and they’ll be looking out for people who are card counting.  

Card counting is a technique that anyone can learn and with practice at home or with online simulations, it can be an easy way to have more success at blackjack tables.