Being able to count the cards can really help you to work your way around a deck of cards in gameplay but it isn’t alway possible to keep track. Some games move too fast and online versions make it that much harder. But before you get counting in your head let’s look at the basics of card counting.

What is card counting?

Exactly what it says on the tin. The most basic concept behind card counting is to know when there are more high cards than low cards on a blackjack table. It’s as simple as that. It has been mastered on tables with 4 decks of cards but it usually works better on a table with 1 deck.

The idea of tracking the number of cards is to know the odds of the dealer going bust. Obviously the reverse is true for the player. More higher cards in the deck means it is more likely the dealer will bust, opening the gameplay to higher bets.

How to count cards in blackjack

Keeping an accurate count of the cards in blackjack can be tricky. Knowing a strategy and way of keeping track is one thing, but keeping on track while enduring the pressure of betting is a different game.

Losing track of ‘the count’ can be costly but once you know there are more high than low cards remaining in the deck you have the player’s edge. Being a disciplined player will give you the upper hand, though it won’t work every time, when you are in the know of what cards are left. The house may no longer have the edge but it’s at this point youn need to keep your cool more than ever.

Assigning values to cards

Values for the cards in a blackjack deck are as follows:

1. Cards 2 to 6 = +1
2. Cards 7 to 9 = 0
3. Cards 10 to Ace = -1

Keeping a constant tab on a running total is cruccial to gaining the player advantage. As the deck is never shuffled, once a high total emerges it becomes clear that there are many high cards left in the pack. Once again this menas that the dealer is more likely to go bust and you, as a player, are more likely to win. With the remaining deck unshuffled as by the rules the dealer may go bust more than once on the same running total.

Card counting online

Trying to card count during a game of online blackjack is a plain no. Don’t try it.

Online blackjack games have a continuous shuffle going on behind the scenes even when cards are being dealt. This alters the odds enormously and the card counting practice won’t be worth executing here. The only times a shuffle takes a quick pause is when a card is being laid down on the virtual table.

An alternative semi card count may work in some scenarios however it is not fool prrof and it is not a guaranteed way to win at the blackjack table.