• Online Casino Card Games
• Live Gambling Online Casino
• Counting Cards In Blackjack
• Online Live Casino Card Counting Cards

I had no idea that live blackjack online tables feature a “shoe” and not an automatic shuffle machine! I noticed it today when I checked my balance of my (almost forgotten) account at an online bookmaker that advertised their live casino games in their home page. I thought that maybe skillful gamblers can make money by card counting at these games, so I joined and tried my “luck”. The short answer is that card counters may be able to make money in the long run playing live blackjack online, but due to the slow speed of the games and the very bad penetration, they should better look for better investments elsewhere.

At first it was a pleasant surprise to find out that I could once again practice my card counting skills! It has been 10 years since the last time I visited a real casino and counted cards (read some stories about my blackjack career). Fortunately I still remembered the basic strategy and the Hi-Lo counting system, although I seem to have forgotten all the variations according to the true count. Anyway, long story short, I decided to sit down at one of those live blackjack tables, while I would be searching online for other card counters’ opinions related to these games.

1. Card Counting in Online Casinos. Honestly we would never encourage any attempt to count cards, but let’s say you were looking to do this. The only real place where it could be possible is in the Live Dealer suits because the dealers rarely shuffle there, and so there is a better chance of counting, but they still do take time outs for shuffles; therefore, card counting.
2. A card counting trainer is a program that allows you to practice your counting skills. You had to pay for programs in the past, but now you can find them completely free online. Trainers deal cards like a normal real money online blackjack game would.

Ultimately, counting cards online is pretty much pointless because of the random number generators used at online casinos. Nonetheless, in Live Casinos, where several hands of blackjack can be played before you reach the cut-card and the dealer has to shuffle the deck, card counting can be really effective!

It turns out that most of them complain about the speed of the games. True, just 20 hands had been dealt during the hour I spent playing live blackjack online. What is even worse is the fact that the 7-seat tables are usually full, even the ones of high stakes (50 euros minimum!). That really slows the game down.

Another discouraging fact is that players are only allowed to bet on their own hand or spot. At real casinos card counters usually bet the minimum on their hand when the odds are against them and place more bets (bigger as well) on other people’s hands when they have an edge versus the casino. In order to make money at blackjack, we need to increase our betting substantially when the “true count” number is more than two. At live blackjack online tables I wasn’t able to place bets to hands dealt next to me, or open another spot (or “box”).

To get you an idea, I would very much like to bet 5 euros per round when the casino’s edge is 0.5% against me (costing me about 2.5 cents per hand) and bet 50 euros at 3 different spots (for a total of 150 euros) when my edge is 0.5% against the casino (winning 75 cents per round). If the true count reached over 4 (more than 1% edge versus the casino), I would be willing to risk 300 euros on a single round for a nice 3-5 euros net profit in the long run!

True count is the number card counters calculate when they divide the “running count” by the number of the remaining decks. For example, if the running count is +8 and there are 4 decks still in the shoe, the true count is +2. Card counters use that number to decide how much money they would bet and whether they need to change the basic strategy. Hitting or standing on 16 against the dealer’s Ten is one of the changes that comes to mind.

Therefore, one of the most important parts of the game is knowing how many decks there are on the blackjack table. I estimated that it must have been 6 decks of cards at the table I was playing at. What’s even more important though is where the dealer places the cut card, which will signal the end of dealing the “shoe”. If they place the cut card towards the bottom of the shoe allowing 5 decks of cards to be dealt, the penetration is 16.6% (1/6) and is considered a favorable situation for the players. Depending on the penetration, the players’ edge vary accordingly.

Penetration is important because if the running count is, say 12 and the cut card is about to be dealt before the last remaining deck, we know that there are a lot of high-value cards (tens, kings, aces, etc.) in the remaining 52 cards. On the other hand, if the cut card is placed at the last 2 remaining decks, the high-value cards are scattered over 104 cards. For all we know, they can all be found at the last deck!

Online Casino Card Games

It turns out that when I compared casinos, most online casinos set the penetration of their live blackjack games at 50%! That means 3 decks of cards won’t be dealt out of 6! If the decks were 8, four decks wouldn’t be dealt! That is a very big disadvantage and combined with the slow speed of the games, it made me stand up and leave the table. Not before though I was dealt three 7’s!

The odds of that happening is 0.04%! Once upon a time when I was playing blackjack at brick and mortar casinos, I was dealt that very same hand twice the same night! The casino was offering a bottle of wine to any player hitting three 7’s, so I and my friend certainly didn’t leave the blackjack room empty-handed!

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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 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.

Live Gambling Online Casino

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 In Blackjack

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.

Online Live Casino Card Counting Cards

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.