Why Not to Bother Counting Cards in Online Blackjack

On 02.11.11, In Blackjack Tips, By Vivi

Card counting is a very popular blackjack strategy that has a high place in blackjack culture. It is a mark of a pro player and one of the most prized skills in the game. While basic strategy will drop the house edge to 0.5%, when combined with card counting, players can actually tip the odds in their favor.

But there is bad news for online blackjack players: card counting does not work in online blackjack.

Sorry, everyone, but it just does not. This can be owed to how the game of online blackjack actually functions. While the rules of a game of online blackjack do not differ from the rules found in a basic game of blackjack in a brick and mortar casino. The difference lies in how the game itself is actually conducted.

A live game of blackjack in a brick and mortar casino will be dealt by a dealer from a deck that is played almost entirely through with cards being discarded after they are played. Unless you are playing at a table with a CSM, which you should not be in the first place, but that is another story. The point here is that cards are discarded from play once they have been played.

In online blackjack, the Random Number Generator (RNG) will pull from all possibilities when dealing a new round and hitting hands. And when I say all possibilities I mean it. This has the effect that no cards are discarded.

And since card counting depends on cards being discarded from play it is fairly useless in online blackjack simply because of the RNG, which is necessary for a game of online blackjack to actually function. So the best piece of strategy that an online blackjack player has in their corner is basic strategy.

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Online Blackjack and Insurance

On 01.06.11, In Blackjack Tips, By Vivi

There are some blackjack strategies floating around out there that can help players know when to take insurance, when it might be profitable or when it can cause a positive shift in their odds. But such strategy tips are meant for blackjack played in a brick and mortar casino, and not in online blackjack.

This is not to say that such strategies for blackjack and insurance are not accurate—I am sure they work just fine in a brick and mortar casino…if the person expounding upon said strategy does indeed know what he or she is talking about. But when it comes to online blackjack, the strategies can work a bit differently.

For example, the most common insurance strategy for blackjack revolves around card counting. And card counting does indeed work in a brick and mortar casino. But card counting—and ergo the insurance strategy that uses such a skill—will not work in online blackjack.

The reason card counting will not work in online blackjack lies in the very construction of the game, and by that I mean in the programming to make online blackjack an electronic game playable online—not in the basic rules of the game.

Online blackjack games are essentially run by an RNG. The RNG is programmed with every possible way the cards could be dealt, and each time a player clicks ‘Deal’ the RNG pulls from all possible ways the cards could be dealt, and I do mean all.

Because each round begins with all possible outcomes of the cards being dealt it is like no cards have been eliminated from play. And if no cards are eliminated from the possibilities to be dealt it is impossible to count cards, as counting cards is all about tracking the kinds of cards—low or high—that have been removed from play.

If all cards are possible, then counting in online blackjack is futile, and it likewise makes using card counting to tell if insurance is a good bet or not futile. Your best bet when it comes to online blackjack and insurance it to just say no.

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Learning How to Card Count

On 02.10.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

If you play blackjack in a land-based casino, you can card count. Well, you can use it but casino staffs frown on it and you can get thrown out of the casino if you are caught. So while you can employ this skill, it is best to make sure that you have practiced it well enough before attempting to do so. You certainly do not want to get thrown out of a favorite casino.

That being said, the first thing you must know about learning to count cards in blackjack is to be patient with yourself. This is not a skill that is learned over night. It requires practice.

Next you must learn the counting values of a card counting system. The Hi-Lo count is one of the easiest to use. The counting values are as follows:

2-6 = low cards, counted as +1
7-9 = neutral cards, counted as 0
10, face, Ace = high cards, counted as -1

Begin practicing by counting your way through one deck. Once you can count through it quickly and in our head with no outward signs, practice counting with two decks. Once you have two decks down turn a TV or stereo on. Give yourself some distractions because casinos are full of them. You need to be able to count when surrounded by distractions. Start again with one deck and distractions. And then continue on to two.

It sounds really easy, but this is one of those easier said than done blackjack skills. You must practice. Yes, it will take time but the time will be well worth it once you start to use your card counting skills in a blackjack game.

The running count you have in your head during a blackjack game reflects the cards that have already been played. When your count goes positive, like a +3, it means that a good number of low cards have been played; they have to have been since they were played in order for you to count them. If you count goes negative it means that a larger number of high cards have been played.

Counting gives you the idea of how rich the remaining deck is in high or low cards. You can then adjust your betting accordingly. It is like a gauge. If your count is reflecting that many low cards have been played, then the remaining deck is rich in high cards. This is a good time to raise your wager. Conversely you would lower you bet when your count goes negative.

But what you need to keep in mind when teaching yourself how to count cards for blackjack is to be patient with yourself while learning. This is a skill not a trick after all.

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