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Using card counting when playing blackjack at online casinos

Using card counting when playing blackjack at online casinos

Using card counting when playing blackjack at online casinos

Mon Nov 30 2020 02:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

There is no doubt that using an online casino is a very different experience from visiting a “real world” physical location. For many, the online experience has much more to offer, as overall it is more convenient, costs less, and offers the kind of flexibility that an old-school casino could only dream about.


Add to that the options of using crypto betting, up-to-the-minute slots, and an even wider range of traditional games than many physical outlets could offer and you've got a winning combination. However, one question that some blackjack fans have about playing online is: can you use card counting, and if so, is it worthwhile?

Is card counting legal?

Although most major jurisdictions don't actually make card counting in a casino illegal, casinos in general try to prevent it and use various techniques to try to determine if a player may be using the system. Of course, most casinos are free to ban people for almost any reason, but in the US, Atlantic City casinos in New Jersey are forbidden from doing so after a high-profile Supreme Court decision in 1979.

Even if it were actually illegal, there isn't really much that an online casino could do to stop a player card counting in the privacy of their own home while logged on through whatever device they chose. Is it worth your while to think about using card counting as part of your online gameplay?

What is card counting?

Card counting is a fairly self-explanatory term. It's a strategy used by card game players and is found to be popular with online casino blackjack games, and the aim is to work out whether the next hand dealt is likely to be in the player or dealer's favour.

The subsequent advantage means that there is a dip in the odds towards the person placing the bet, so people who use the system are known as “advantage players”. Essentially, the practice involves keeping a record of all high and low-valued cards that can be seen by the player, who can then make educated guesses or assumptions about the composition of the remaining cards in the shoe.


There are many stories, some of them very famous, about people who claim to who have won large fortunes using card counting techniques. The fact that some casinos go to great lengths to ascertain whether or not a player may be card counting suggests that it is a viable way to tip the balance of probability in your favour. Therefore, it is not surprising that many online blackjack players wonder if it is a process that might enable them to be more successful.

Real-world casino counting

In the real world, casinos can have a live dealer or a non-live dealer just as online casinos can. The latter usually make it clear that they shuffle after each hand, making counting virtually pointless.

For card counting to work, a lot of play has to go down, because counters work out the ratio of good cards to bad cards and this knowledge needs to be built up over a succession of hands. The time that it takes is called the penetration ratio, and in a six-deck shoe game, 75% penetration will come after four and a half hands are played.

Online casino counting

With no casino staff to check whether you are card counting, it seems like a no-brainer that if it really works, it could be something applied easily by a dedicated digital gamer. Online casinos mainly use eight decks, and six to seven decks need to be played for card counting to be effective. However, live dealer games often also shuffle after half the cards are dealt, which makes the process unworkable.

In non-live dealer online games, software does all of the work, including shuffling, so you don’t see anything in person. This approach, with its continuous shuffle process, makes it impossible to have any realistic chance of making a difference to gameplay success in blackjack with card counting.


How to beat blackjack


The conditions needed to beat blackjack by using card counting revolve around deck penetration ratios and also by the time that it takes to play a round. This aspect of adequate rounds per hour is another drawback for online players looking for an advantage. Because players need to click to make decisions and also because tables are often full, online blackjack games can be much slower than live ones.


A professional card counter may play between 100 to 300 rounds per hour, whereas even a fast live online dealer game is likely to be less than 50 rounds per hour. This is actually why many people prefer online blackjack – the slower pace makes it more enjoyable and also cuts down on making big dents in your bankroll if you happen to be on a losing streak.

If it is nigh on impossible to count cards profitably as a blackjack strategy when playing online, then why is it such a popular game?


Bonus difference


The cyber version of the game is in most ways a replication of the live real-world experience, especially if you use a casino that offers human dealers over a webcam. Even so, the frequent shuffling of decks makes card counting redundant. However, knowing how to use a casino bonus can more than make up for this.


How many bonuses you receive is a big factor in choosing an online casino for most gamers, and some are far more generous than others. By factoring in bonus allocations to your overall blackjack strategy, you can actually make more of a difference to the overall outcome of your gameplay than you probably could by card counting anyway.


Hard work


The truth about card counting is that it takes a lot of work, a great deal of mental concentration, and only starts to work at all after a lengthy period of time on the tables. All in all, it can be an extremely tiring and exhausting thing to try, and for most people, this actually detracts from the experience they want to have when using an online casino.

By playing to the odds and taking advantage of bonus offers, you are far more likely to gain a bigger edge for yourself than card counting could provide at all, and you'll also have a much more relaxing and fun time.


Live online


There are other advantages that you can put to good use playing online blackjack, and they mainly come from choosing a live game with a human dealer. A live dealer as opposed to a computerised one means that there is much more atmosphere in the gaming environment, and you can really get a feel of what's going on in a much more exciting way.


As the dealer deals out the cards from the shoe, just as they would in a brick-and-mortar casino, you can see what’s happening and put some sophisticated player routines into action. The biggest one is looking for dealer tells, which is watching for the occasional accidental clue from the dealer that gives away what kind of hand they have.


Counting, one, two, three...


Although the idea of card counting in casinos has been glamorised in films and on TV, when it comes to online experiences with blackjack, it really is something of a non-starter in terms of giving a player an edge over the house.


As a computer program randomly generates and selects cards from a full deck for every blackjack game, each hand bears no relation in terms of card counting to the one that went before. Even though a live dealer may add a human element, shuffling in online environments is far more frequent than in traditional casinos, so once again, card counting is made redundant.


As land-based casinos don't welcome card counting players, online casinos have found an easy way to navigate the problem without any unpleasantness or fuss. Ultimately, that's why playing blackjack online is such a popular pastime for so many people – it is enjoyable and fun.


Maybe that's a good enough reason to miss out on all the hard work that counting cards entails. Why not find out for yourself today?



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Using card counting when playing blackjack at online casinos


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