Card counting in blackjack is used as a way of improving your odds. Counting blackjack may help you measure the strength or weakness of the cards that are dealt. It’s a fairly easy concept to learn if you’re keen to flex your blackjack muscles at the best online casinos in Asia, and we’ve put together this guide to help you learn.
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How Does Counting Blackjack Work?
Counting blackjack may help you increase your bets at the right time and minimise your losses during cold streaks.
Card counters in online casinos use card reading to change up their play depending on the cards left in the dealer’s shoe. This can help you reverse the house edge, too.
Essentially, this is how counting blackjack works:
Counting blackjack takes practice, patience and attention to detail, but anyone can learn to do it. Considering that this is one of the most effective ways to boost your winning chances, it’s well worth the time and effort.
A Basic Strategy For Counting Blackjack
The most basic strategy for counting blackjack is called a Hi-Lo strategy. With this strategy, the high cards, which are 10 – Ace and face cards, are assigned a value of -1.
Next, low cards between 2 – 6 in any suit are assigned a value of +1. The rest of the cards from 7 – 9 count as zero.
As the blackjack dealer deals a card, you make a mental note of its assigned value. So, if the card is a 10, for instance, it counts as a -1. If the next card that’s dealt is a 3, it’s given a value of +1. Now your total adds up to 0.
You continue to count the cards like this for every new card dealt. The total is your running count. Don’t break your sum until the deck is shuffled.
That’s all there is to the Hi-Lo strategy for counting blackjack!
How to Use Hi-Lo
| Assign each card a value | Either -1 or +1 |
| Keep track of your sums | Remember the values of your cards |
| Add the values together | Determine the value of the cards in the deck (the running count) |
| Bet according to your card count | Increase the bet if the count is negative or lower it if the running count is positive |
Counting Blackjack For Advanced Players
One of the best things about playing blackjack online is that there are plenty of different ways to play and to count cards, and some of those strategies are a great dealer more complex than the Hi-Lo method.
Keep in mind that in online blackjack, there’s no dealer and no shoe. Rather, the cards are randomly generated for each round and with a Random Number Generator at play, cards are shuffled between every round. So, there’s no shuffle order and no cut card most of the way through the decks. What’s more, your card counting attempts from the previous round must be thrown away and you start again before each new round.
As a result, it’s difficult to effectively count cards when you play traditional online blackjack.
Counting Blackjack Strategies
| Strategy | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Omega II System | This strategy forms its values across +/-2, creating a multi-level system. Players keep a running count and calculate a true count in multi-deck games. To do this, divide the running count by the number of decks left in the shoe. A side count for Aces dealt must be kept to determine the number of Aces left in the shoe. |
| Wong Halves System | A multi-level system that uses 3 value levels. This system uses fractions and is considered one of the most difficult options for counting blackjack. You need to keep a running count of the cards in play and incorporate true count whenever the deck is shuffled. |
Counting Blackjack In Live Dealer Games
Is counting blackjack possible when you place Live Casino games online? Yes. But it’s a little more complicated.
Live blackjack is played with multiple decks of cards that are reshuffled after every round. While the cards are reshuffled less often than at traditional online tables, deck penetration in Live Casino blackjack is less than 50%.
What’s more, there are other factors at play, like auto reshuffle and burning of the cards – both of which decrease the possibility of counting blackjack cards in a Live Casino.
As if that doesn’t complicate matters, Live Dealer blackjack also employs ways to identify players who are trying to count cards. For example, there is a software monitoring the game and keeping count of the shoe.
A Few Tips For Counting Blackjack At Online Casinos
While you need to pay attention to the cards that are drawn, it’s just as important to keep track of your bankroll. Never make any drastic or sudden moves and always play responsibly.
Count cards in your head. No matter which method you use, you’ll want to be discreet.
There are various strategies out there for counting blackjack. Practice different ones to find one that works for you, and then put your skills to the test at the top online casinos in Asia.
Should You Try Counting Blackjack Online?
Counting cards can lead to small profits, but it’s not going to make you serious money.
That said, think of counting blackjack cards at online casinos as another weapon in your arsenal as you hone your skills and learn different strategies. If you get it right, it could well make the difference between winning and losing in the long run.
FAQ
Betting sizes and styles depends on your bankroll, the rules of the game, the strategy you use and your appetite for risk.
It depends on your dedication to practice and your accuracy. Practice different strategies to find one that works for you.
It’s not illegal, but it’s also not possible when playing RNG blackjack against the casino. You may be able to discreetly try your luck with different counting blackjack strategies at Live Casino tables.
The technique isn’t difficult, but it takes practice. You need a grasp of blackjack and an understanding of the counting system before you can put your practice to the test.
There are online card counting simulators to help you practice. You can also try playing demo-mode blackjack games for free while you practice your strategies.
It’s up to you. You won’t go from zero to pro in a few days, but with practice, you might just get there.
Yes, card counting is popular amongst baccarat players but requires quite some skill to get the hang of the strategy and implement it.
Perhaps, but there’s no benefit for the dealers when it comes to counting blackjack. Live Casinos must adhere to strict rules, too, and there are repercussions if dealers are caught counting cards to influence player behaviour.
