If not, you’ve got some tragic flaws in your game. WARNING: This may cost you thousands of dollars. Train with a Friend. If you know someone else interested in card counting, you can train together and test each other. If you can play 5 shoes at home and 10 shoes in a casino without making a single mistake (counting, basic strategy. Using one hand, look at your hands one at a time. Players with a blackjack may also take insurance, and in taking maximum insurance they will win an amount equal to their main wager. Fully insuring a blackjack against blackjack is thus referred to as 'taking even money'.

Card counting is a system that experienced blackjack players use to get a profitable advantage over the casino. There are many individual “counts” or systems. Many of them are named after colorful professional gamblers from times past.

The 2008 movie “21” bought card counting to the attention of the general public. It followed the true story of members of the MIT blackjack team as they won millions from casinos in LasVegas. This movie also highlighted the key challenge faced by card counters. To make a profit using these systems, you need to bet significantly more when the odds turn in your favor. Casinos are aware of this — and will quickly ban players they believe are counting cards.

This page has everything you need to know to get started with card counting. Below you will find the basics of how it works. Famoussystems, the ideal games for counters and how online blackjack can help you learn to count are also covered below.

How to count cards in blackjack

Blackjack is a game of incomplete information. Players act based on their own two cards and the single dealer up-card. Players must risk busting in many situations, even though the decisions are mathematically correct.

Small cards are the enemy of blackjack players. Values of two through six can make for the trickiest decisions. In fact, if you remove any significant number of small cards from the shoe, blackjack not only becomes easier, the player gets a mathematical edge over the house.

This is where card counting comes in.

Counters track the proportion of small cards to face cards and aces. At a certain point, the deck turns “positive.” The higher proportion of face cards means every hand played will generate long term profit for the player — not the house. This is because profit comes from doubling, splitting and hitting blackjack (natural21). All of these are more frequent when there are more high cards in the shoe.

To take advantage of this edge, counting players must boost their bet size. Without this bet size boost, money spent playing while waiting for the deck to turn positive would cancel out any wins.

There are multiple factors that affect whether a specific game is a candidate for card counting. The number of decks of cards in play, the rules on splitting and doubling down, and how the dealer reacts to a soft 17 all come into play. To get the best from counting cards, you need to find the games with the lowest house edge.

Level 3 card counting systems & true count explained

Card counting systems have three levels of complexity. The simplest systems are Hi-LoCounts. You count low cards as +1 and high cards as -1. The higher the count, the bigger the proportion of high cards to low cards.

Advantage players will increase their bets once a specific count is reached. To be sure that they have an advantage, they need to translate the current total into the “true count” first. This involves dividing the count by the number of decks still in play. If the count is +10, with five decks remaining in a six-deck shoe, then the “true count” is 10/5 = 2. This means games like double-deck blackjack are better for counting. Players do not need to play through those first decks in the shoe while waiting for the true count to be positive.

Level two and level three counting systems are more accurate. They assign +2 to some cards and +1 to others. This splits the twos and sevens from cards three throughsix, with some systems also counting nines differently. There are systems with separate counts for aces. Your bet sizes need to increase in line with the positive count — for example adding a unit every time the true count increases by two points.

If you are new to cardcounting, then a simple Hi-Lo Count is the place to start. Once you have mastered keeping track of the count while playing each hand perfectly and chatting with the other players, you will be ready to move to the next level.

Examples of card counting systems

The systems below range from level one to three. These are five of hundreds of possible systems, giving you an overview of how different systems vary in their complexity.

Can You Look At Your Cards In Blackjack

• Hi-Lo Count: This is a balanced count and is the first system that new counters use. You add one to the total for each card value from two through six — and subtract one for 10s through aces. Seven, eight and nine are neutral. You then divide this count by the number of undealt decks and round up as needed. You should increase your bets when the count is positive — betting more the larger the positive number that you count. The advantage of the Hi-Lo system is simplicity. Compared with other blackjack counts, Hi Lo card counting does lackprecision.
• Hi-Opt1 and 2: These systems were developed by LanceHumble, though they can be traced back to the 1960s. There are many more“neutral”cards compared to the Hi-Lo Count. Hi-Opt 1 uses aces, twos, sevens, eights and nines as zero for the count. Three, four, five and six are +1, and 10s through kings are -1. This system works best for single deckgames. Hi-Opt 2 makes 10s through kings -2 on the count, with +2 for fours and fives, +1 for twos, threes, sixes and sevens. Aces, eights and nines are neutral. These are accurate systems, though with single deck games rare (and closely watched), it can be difficult to find a suitable game to use them.
• Ace-Five System: You will need to double your bet repeatedly as the count increases to make the Ace-Five System work. This is a simple count, involving only aces andfives. Every time a five is dealt, you add one, and every ace you see removes one. When the count is +2, you double your bet. Increasing it again for every +2 that gets added. If the count reverts to +1 or less, you go back to your initial bet size. The key advantage of this system is the simplicity. The always-changing bet size is likely to attract the attention of casino pit bosses.
• Uston Advanced Count: Ken Uston was a famous card counter, known for his flamboyant lifestyle. His most complex system is the “Uston Advanced Count.” Aces count as zero in this system. Fives are +3; 10s through kings are -3; nines are -1; twos and eights are +1; and threes, fours, sixes and sevens are +2. As with the other systems, you increase your bets in line with how positive the count gets — keeping the number of decks in mind. This system is designed to work best with a separate count of theaces. The complexity means that it is for experienced card counters only.
• KO Counting System: This system works like Hi-Lo, with an extra feature involving the insurance against dealer blackjack bet. It counts cards two through seven as +1, eight and nine as neutral and 10 through ace as -1. You should increase your bet at +2 or more (based on the true count). At +3 or greater, the insurance side bet becomes profitable and should be taken.

Which blackjack games are best for card counting?

Big casino resorts in Las Vegas, AtlanticCity, downtown Detroit and elsewhere run a wide selection of blackjack games. At the lowest buy-ins (typically $5 and up per hand), the rules give the casino a huge edge over theplayers. Examples include paying 6:5 instead of 3:2 for blackjack, limiting doubles after splits and having the dealer hit on soft 17. These unfavorable rules can easily boost the house edge to 3% or even more. With six or eight decks, getting a true count can be difficult.

Contrast this with the best games. An ideal setup is a single deck game, with liberal splitting/doubling rules, dealer standing on soft 17, late surrender and 3:2 for blackjack. With a house edge of 0.5% orless, these games are restricted to the high-limit rooms. This type of game is most likely to be closely monitored. Suddenly increasing your bet would be an instant trigger for experienced casino staff to watch closely.

Successful counters look for games with the lowest natural houseedge. They know the basic blackjack card counting strategy perfectly, so as not to give any edge back to the casino in the form of mistakes. If you do not know how to adapt blackjack strategy to subtle differences in the rules, then you are not yet ready to learn card counting techniques.

Is counting cards illegal in the US?

Counting cards is legal, unless you are using a mechanical or electronic device to help you keep track of the cards. Casinos do not want card counters in their games. People who are suspected of counting will be asked to leave the casino. Repeat offenses can see players banned — with trespass laws coming into effect if they attempt to return.

In 1979, Ken Uston took a casino in Atlantic City to court, challenging its right to ban “skilled” players. The court found in his favor. Rather than banning players, AC casinos now implement measures to stop card counting from working. They include regularshuffling, limiting players to flat bet sizes on each shoe and not allowing players to join a game mid-shoe.

Elsewhere, casinos will quickly ban players caught counting. This was the reason that the MIT team played in pairs. One player (betting small) would keep count, then signal to the big bet player when the count was positive. This player could then join the table, betting big amounts, while the original counter continued with smaller bets.

Card counting in other casino games

Do You Look At Your Cards In Blackjack

Very few casino games use a shoe containing several decks of cards. Casino poker variations like Caribbean stud or Ultimate Texas Hold ’em have a continual shuffle system, where a fresh shuffled deck is used for each hand. Baccarat does use a shoe, though it is not suitable for counting due to the complex scoring rules. Edge sorting is used in baccarat, though it is considered illegal in many jurisdictions.

This leaves blackjack variations like Spanish 21 and Free Bet Blackjack as the only candidates for card counting systems. Many variations of blackjack have a higher house edge than the main game. Spanish 21 removes 10s from the deck — starting the count on a negative.

Experienced advantage players use card counting to beat optional side bets. This requires a separate understanding of how each side bet works, with a counting system developed separately. Separate aces counts in blackjack can determine when the insurance against dealer blackjack bet becomes profitable.

Is it possible to count cards online?

Online casinos in regulated states have both live dealer and software-based blackjack options. They also have a range of games with different rules and side bets. Add in the game variations based on the 21 concept — and you will find a wide array of choices.

Can You Look At Your Cards In Blackjack Game

Advantage play through card counting is not possible at online casinos. Software based games use random number generator software to shuffle the cards for every hand. This means no count is possible. Live dealer games that are dealt in real time use eight deck shoes. What they do differently from brick and mortar casinos is reshuffle after around half of the cards are dealt. This makes it hard to spot situations where there is a positive true count. Add to this software that will instantly detect the bet sizing changes associated with counting.

What you can effectively do online is practice your counting skills. There are live dealer rooms at many of the biggest online casino brands, including Golden Nugget and BetMGM. You can enjoy a game and learn to keep score of the count while you play. Starting with simple systems like Ace-Five and Hi-Lo is ideal — you can move on to the more advanced systems as you gain experience.

If you live in a state with legal online casinos, make sure you keep a close eye on the casino bonus and promotion offers. You never know when a bonus aimed at blackjack players will become available.

Wrapping up: Card counting in blackjack

Card counting has been a part of blackjack since the1960s. Famous players including Humble and Uston published books on beating the house. Many of them are now considered among the classics of gambling literature.

Counting cards in blackjack gives you an edge over the house when there are relatively more high cards in the deck. This takes advantage of the player’s option to split, double down and to take insurance against dealer blackjack. Counting systems are graded into three levels, depending on their complexity. More complex systems are more accurate — though harder to use.

There is an Achilles’ heel for card counters. To make your knowledge of the count profitable, you need to significantly boost your bet sizes when the odds are in your favor. These bet size increases are a flag to casino staff to watch your play closely — which leads to card counters being banned. Card counting is not illegal, unless you use a device to help you keep track.

Online casinos are the perfect place to practice your card counting skills. You will not be able to get an advantage from them — as safeguards are in place. Live dealer casinos show a real table, making this the ideal way to find the right card counting system for you ahead of your next visit to a brick and mortar casino.

Card counters aren’t welcome in casinos, at least not successful ones, anyway. You’ve likely heard that these advantage players get thrown out of gambling venues when they’re caught.

This is true to a certain degree. However, the problem with kicking every suspected card counter out is that some people might not actually be counting.

Seeing as how casinos don’t want to throw out potentially good customers, they simply back off certain players.

What exactly does being “backed off” mean, and what can you do to avoid it? You can find out, as I cover more on this topic, including the signs of an impending back-off and tips for preventing it.

What Is Getting Backed Off?

When the casino backs you off, they’ve identified that you’re an advantage player and want you to quit counting cards.

If you’re backed off, the pit boss will probably ask you to stop playing blackjack temporarily and chat with you on the side.

The pit boss won’t necessarily kick you out of the casino or even force you to quit playing blackjack. Instead, their goal is to simply ensure that you stop playing with an advantage.

Possible Scenarios When You’re Backed Off

Keep in mind, getting backed off doesn’t play out the same way in every situation or casino. Several possibilities can occur when the pit boss chats with you.

Potential scenarios include:

• They might ask you not to come back to the casino.
• The pit boss asks for your ID and permanently bans you from the establishment.
• They permanently “trespass” you from the casino and all associated properties.
• The pit boss asks you not to play blackjack but allows you to play other games (e.g. roulette, slots).
• They let you keep playing blackjack under the condition that you don’t spread bets.

If a pit boss wants to throw you out, they’ll usually ask for your ID first. Contrary to public opinion, you’re not required to show casino employees your ID in every state.

They have a right to ask if they can see it. However, these aren’t officers of the law who can force you to produce an ID. Assuming you refuse to show identification, you’ll likely be asked to leave and never come back.

If you do show an ID, then the pit boss can enter your information into an advantage player database. You’ll also be banned from all associated properties and be charged with trespassing if you try to reenter.

If the pit boss is really nice, they’ll let you keep playing the game. However, they’ll force you to use the same bet size for the entire shoe. This simple action prevents you from taking advantage of favorable counts.

How to Tell If a Back-Off Is Coming

Each pit boss handles suspected card counters in their own way. Some come up to you, ask for your name, and say hello.

This simple method can either be construed as a simple greeting to a non-advantage player or scare away a counter. In any case, you can guarantee that they’ll be scrutinizing your play from then on.

Other pit bosses walk up to the table and watch your play closely. Their mere presence lets you know that they may suspect you’re a counter.

They might even count cards as well to determine when you’re increasing bets. This way, they get a better idea on whether you’re raising bets when the shoe is rich in aces and 10s.

The pit boss could even approach you in the friendliest way possible, asking you to join the VIP program. In this case, they can let you know they’re watching without saying so and convince you to produce identification.

Tips to Avoid Getting Backed Off

You can’t change a pit boss’ perception of you once they start monitoring your play. Your best bet is to stay ahead of the game and avoid being looked at as a counter in the first place. Below, you can see some tips that’ll help you blend in and not look like a counter.

Tip #1: Don’t Spread Bets Wildly

You must spread your bets at some point to take advantage of favorable counts. However, you don’t want to go from $10 to $200 in an instant.

By starting with $10 bets, you’re essentially announcing that you’re a low roller. Jumping up to $200 later in a shoe seems like a stretch.

Most experienced card counters don’t go above a 1-15 spread (e.g. $10 to $150). You may even start with a smaller spread (e.g. $10 to $40) until you get the hang of things.

Tip #2: Get Out After a Few Shoes

One of the biggest card counting myths is that advantage players sit at tables for long hours. In reality, skilled gamblers hit a certain table or casino for a few shoes and then leave.

They don’t want to give the pit boss time to heavily vet their play. Even if they lose money during the shoe(s) they play, the player moves on.

Tip #3: Play at Various Casinos and During Different Shifts

You may have a favorite casino, but you don’t want to utilize this same venue for all your card counting efforts. Instead, you should switch locations frequently.

Ideally, you’ll count cards in Las Vegas. Sin City offers well over 100 casinos where you can count cards and (hopefully) fly under the radar.

But you can still count in other areas as long as you’re willing to travel. For example, you can find plenty of Midwestern casinos that are spaced out within 50 to 150 miles from each other.

You should also keep a journal of what shifts you’ve been counting during at each gambling establishment. Casinos have two or three different shifts that you can take advantage of to avoid becoming a familiar face.

Tip #4: Wear Disguises

Card counting isn’t all about wearing Groucho Marx glasses and other goofy disguises. However, you should at least consider changing up your appearance from time to time.

Good ways to alter your appearance include growing a beard, growing your hair out, going cleanshaven, or wearing glasses.

The key is to make yourself look different without becoming a spectacle. For example, you don’t want to don a pink fro-hawk while playing.

Tip #5: Work in a Team

The team-based approach is nothing new to card counting. Blackjack teams have existed since Al Francesco invented them in the 1970s.

However, working with a team does improve the chances that you can spread bets without getting caught. As you may know, teams employ spotters to make minimum bets at tables and count cards.

Once a spotter gets a favorable count, they (secretly) signal the “Big Player.” The Big Player can then sit down and bet big immediately without drawing scrutiny for spreading wagers.

Casinos are still pretty adept at catching counting teams. However, they have a tougher time doing so versus spotting solo counters.

Are Back-Offs Inevitable for Card Counters?

Pit bosses are pretty good at their jobs. They know what signs to look for when it comes to card counting.

Of course, you can boost your chances of not getting caught by following the previously discussed tips. Nevertheless, you’re likely to get backed off at some point.

Given that you have to spread bets at some point, you always run the risk of getting caught. Assuming you count long enough, then you’ll be backed off one or more times. The key is what happens when you are backed off.

Are you invited to play anything other than blackjack? Did the pit boss demand your ID and kick you out when they didn’t receive it? Did you voluntarily offer your ID and get banned from all associated properties?

Depending upon the severity of the back-off, you may or may not want to revisit the same casino. Assuming you’re trespassed, then it’s wise to stay away from that particular casino.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that casinos don’t want action from card counters. But pit bosses all deal with this issue in different manners.

Some merely observe your play, others introduce themselves, and some are trigger-happy when trespassing you. You want to keep all signs of a back-off in mind just in case you want to leave beforehand.

The worst that can happen involves you being trespassed from a casino and their associated properties. In this scenario, you’ll be arrested for visiting any of the casino corporation’s (e.g. MGM properties).

Luckily, you can take steps to avoid getting backed off in the first place. Maintaining a narrow bet spread, quitting after a few shoes, playing at different casinos, wearing disguises, and working in teams can all help.

You’re still going to get caught sometimes no matter how skilled you are. But the goal is to minimize these instances so you continue profiting from card counting as long as possible.