Counting Cards in Blackjack: Is It Possible?

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Blackjack Card Counting

The appeal of card counting in blackjack is quite obvious – you gain a real advantage over the casino – and there’s no doubt about it. But with the live dealer set-up and popularity of Live blackjack variants, many people are now asking if they could also count cards in live dealer tables, like how Edward Thorp and Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man) do. Live blackjack works exactly how you play it in land-based casinos, and it makes you feel that the card counting strategy will work, too. The real question, though, is whether card counting will be possible in an online live casino Singapore such as BetVision88? Let’s find out.

What Exactly Is Card Counting?

Counting cards in games like Blackjack Switch is a famous strategy that advanced 21 players use to gain an edge over the casino. And it’s not a way of memorizing all the cards on the table, but rather it’s about keeping track of whether the remaining deck in the shoe has more high-value cards than the low ones. Through card counting, you’ll be able to estimate if this will be the best time to make big bets and remain at low bets.

Assigned Value To Each Card

Cards 2 to 6+1
Cards 7 to 90
Cards 10 to Ace-1

The blackjack card counting strategy works by assigning a value to each card, and you mentally keep a running total. And when your running count has a positive value, then it means that the remaining cards on the shoe will be advantageous to you. You can increase your bet size because there is a high possibility that you can make a natural 21. On the other hand, if the current count is negative, then the shoe will be more favorable to the dealer, and this is a sign that you keep making low bets.

Popular Card Counting Systems AP Players Used

  • Hi-Lo system
  • KO (Knock-Out) system
  • Omega II

Will Maintaining Count Work in Live Blackjack?

Well, with some AP (advantage players) such as Edward Thorp, Ken Uston, and Stanford Wong being able to win a great amount of money from the casino through card counting, it will be much harder to execute this strategy in a live casino like BetVision SG.

  1. One great reason for its failure is the use of a continuous shuffling machine. Most live blackjack tables use this automatic shoe machine that holds six to eight decks of cards.
  2. The other reason is the low deck penetration and the use of 6 to 8 decks, especially with Evolution’s Live Blackjack variants, where you could only penetrate almost 40%-50% of the deck. Simply put, if only four decks are remaining on the shoe, the shoe will be replaced, and the remaining cards will be reshuffled.
  3. Card counting won’t work in live dealer blackjack online because some players are not playing according to standard blackjack strategy.

Wrap Up

Technically speaking, you can try counting cards in live dealer blackjack games at an online casino since the basic principles are simple, especially with the Hi-Lo system. However, do bear in mind that the casino and game providers are making their best to ward off card counters and make this strategy nearly impossible to succeed. It’s better that you stick to and master the basic blackjack strategy to gain an edge. You can also claim the no deposit bonus casino Singapore live casino, like BetVision88 SG, is offering to play the game and improve your skills.

FAQs:

Why Hi-Lo Is The Easiest System For Card Counting?

This strategy is simple and effective for newbies, as you will be assigning +1 value to cards 2 to 6, while assigning zero to cards and -1 value to cards 10 to Ace. And as these cards are drawn from the deck, you’ll mentally keep a running count. 

How Does CMS Make Tracking Count In Blackjack Impossible?

After the played cards are burnt, they will be returned to the CSM to the shuffling chamber, making it meaningless to count cards.

How Does Shuffling Affect Your Card Counting Strategy?

It’s because shuffling of the cards is completely resetting the shoe and makes any running count worthless.