Counting cards is one of very few things you come across during searching for methods to gamble with an edge. Lots of articles, as well as a few videos, have been published that explain how blackjack players earn millions by counting cards. It seems to be an effective strategy to gamble while making large sums of money.

Card counting, in fact, sounds suspiciously like a get-rich-quick gimmick. There is some truth to the claims of counting cards, like with other get rich fast schemes, but there are also many misleading claims and smoke and mirrors being used.

What is card counting?

Card counting is an approach used to predict whether the player or the dealer will have the edge in the upcoming hand. It enables players to place more bets with little risk when the account displays an advantage, as well as limit losses when the account is unfavorable. Card counting also enables you to change game outcomes relying on the cards still being in game.

Is it possible to count cards in live online blackjack?

Almost every online casino has live online blackjack, which is blackjack in a casino environment with a real dealer and, more significantly, a genuine shoe that users can play online via video feed. So, in live online blackjack, you should be able to count cards, right? No, not exactly. Although live online blackjack is dealt from a shoe, the key distinction between live online blackjack and brick-and-mortar casino blackjack is where the dealer lays the cut card.

Keep in mind that, in a live casino blackjack game, the dealer hides the cut card under around 80% of the cards? In live online blackjack, the cut card is put after around 40% of the cards, which means you only get to view 40% of the cards well before dealer reshuffles, significantly reducing the benefit you would get from counting cards in a live game.

The amount of cards shown before the shuffle is known as “deck penetration,” and it has a significant impact on your edge. You’re also unlikely to have much luck counting cards in live online blackjack. Save that for the live games, maybe.

Is it possible to win at online blackjack?

If you use basic technique, the house edge in blackjack at a casino is roughly 0.5 percent. However, many casino users like Online gambling in the genuine sense of the term, and by depending too much on chance and hopes, many players accidentally boost the house edge to as much as 2%.

In almost every brick-and-mortar casino, the dealer will be required to stand on 17. The house advantage is bigger, though, when the dealer must strike on a soft 17 (Ace and 6) but stand on a hard 17. (any other two combinations that make 17, such as 9 and 8.)

There’s also a 0.11 percent increase in the house edge if you bet at a blackjack table with no dealer hole card, since players won’t have any knowledge on the dealer’s cards to affect their bets. More information on the house edge in blackjack can be found here.

In summary, although it is possible to win in blackjack, just as it is possible to win at any casino game, you will almost certainly lose money over time. Counting cards and using a decent fundamental technique might help you lower the house edge, however playing online blackjack will just increase it.

Counting is difficult to Master

First, you must get familiar with the various rule variations (things like “double after split”, “late surrender” and so on). Then you must understand the fundamental strategy for the game(s) you will be playing. Fundamental strategy entails remembering 250 different playing options. Following that, you must learn a card counting system, such as hi-lo.

Learning how to maintain a running count and divide by fractions to reach the real count are also part of mastering card counting. You’ll need to master at least 18 playing indices, which are numerical numbers that indicate when you should change your approach. You’ll also need to figure out how much to bet according on your bankroll, risk tolerance, and the count.

To begin, you will need a large sum of money.

Many individuals believe that counting cards guarantees earnings, however this is only partially true.

When counting cards in an online casino or land based casino, you’ll only be shifting the house edge in your favor by a few percentage points, so there’s no assurance you’ll start winning right away. Instead, you may have to wait weeks, months, or even years to break even.

It’s important to understand that card counting is a long-term game, and if you don’t prepare for it, you can run out of money before you reach your goal.

It is difficult to find a good game

We at Goa 247 are aware that card counters will attempt to beat the games. Casinos understand that they have been in business to earn a profit. For all these factors, many games are likely to have poor rules (like “blackjack pays 6-5” or “dealer hits on soft 17”). They may even put the cut card 1.5 or even 2 decks from the end of the shoe, making counting practically worthless.

Back counting the shoe is difficult due to rules such as “no mid-shoe entering” (enter the shoe when the count gets high). As a consequence, you’re more likely to waste your time searching for good games than actually playing decent casino games.

The profit is low

There is a practically common misconception that in online gambling card counting can make you a lot of money. That is just not true. You will not earn a fortune. Most likely, you will not even earn thousands of dollars.

Assume In an online gambling you uncover a great six-deck game with late surrender (LSR) and the dealer stands on soft-17 (S17). Furthermore, assume the online casino or land based casino is extremely generous and puts the cut card one deck from the end of the deck (52 cards).

Then your win rate per 100 hands is approximately $27.25. Most games are being played without surrender, with the dealer hitting on soft-17 (H17) and the cut card put at 1.5 decks (78 cards). In this situation, your win rate per 100 hands is just $15.50. At a regular playing speed of 60 hands per hour, you will make less than $10 per hour.

You could be pleased with $10, but that is just for the time you are playing.

The bankroll swings can be irritating.

If you read message boards where expert card counters of online gambling share their experiences over months or years, you will often hear stories about losing streaks that last hundreds of hours of play.

Card counters often talk about playing tens of thousands of hands in order to be relatively convinced that they are ahead of the game.

Big losses have an effect on both the financial and psychological levels. Few new counters realize how awful things may go. To put it simply, card counting is not a money-making machine.

The Cards Will Be Reshuffled

Assume you ignore the recommendations in this article and go on to become a master card counter. Sadly, there is still a major issue.

Online Casinos and online gambling operators know all about card counting, and you can bet the dealer or someone behind the ‘eye in the sky’ will see what you’re doing. The consequences of being discovered will be discussed in the next point. Even if you aren’t forced to pay out your chips and leave, the dealer has an easy way to beat even the most skilled card counter: they will use a new deck.

One of the major reasons why card counting is a pointless exercise is because the dealer will change things up as soon as a player has a decent read on how many cards have been played. All the time spent counting is now wasted. Many casinos are aware of this, therefore even those that offer single-deck games reduce their payoffs to 6:5. That is, if you stake $5, you will only get back $6.

The Grinding

You can start and stop playing blackjack for fun whenever you want. If it’s not entertaining, you can switch to another Online gambling game. When counting cards, though, you must play as often as possible when you come across ideal counting circumstances. Once you start counting, you never play blackjack for enjoyment again. You are now in charge of the Online gambling game of blackjack.

Some blackjack players have no issue making a career at the tables, but many counters burn out because it’s not pleasant. They learned to hate blackjack as much as they did any other job. Many poker players can earn money playing poker, but when they discover they need to grind out a few dollars per hour for 80 hours per week, they quit. This is something that many card counters experience.

Take a moment to review the data in the first section and compare them to your bankroll. How many hours of poker do you have to play every week to earn a livelihood, and is it really realistic when you have to swap tables and casinos frequently?

Better Alternatives

Online gambling players and land based casinos gamblers looking for a way to get an advantage only have a limited number of options. Card counting is the one that can work, but as you can see, it’s difficult to win enough to earn a decent living. You do, however, have a few other options. None of your advantages are simple, but the ones described below do have the opportunity to earn money if you put in enough effort.

The best solutions are those that do not place you against the house and have a built-in home edge. However, there are a few alternatives where the house has an overall advantage that can still be overcome.

Poker is the best alternative for many people. Many former blackjack players have switched to poker since they can learn how to play with an edge and the casinos don’t mind. No matter how much money you win at the poker table, the casino will not prohibit you from playing unless you are making a commotion.

To be honest, learning how to count cards is simpler and quicker than learning how to play winning poker. However, after you understand how to beat poker, you may win more money, play for longer periods of time since you don’t have to move casinos and tables, and will never have to stress about the heat.

You can focus on cash games or tournaments, and you can play a variety of games and variations. If you become tired with cash games, you can join a tournament or switch from Texas hold’em to Omaha. Poker, like blackjack, can be a grind, but it gives additional variety.

Sports betting is also another alternative for those searching for an advantage. Sportsbooks and bookmakers impose vig on bets, therefore you must offset this advantage, which clever sports bettors can achieve. Even if you aren’t skilled at handicapping games, you can hunt for opportunities when sportsbooks give various odds and you can bet on both sides of a game.

Other opportunities include daily fantasy sports, esports betting, money backgammon and rummy, and complex strategies such as shuffle monitoring and hole carding.

Shuffle monitoring and hole carding are difficult since they cannot be used all of the time. Shuffle trackers must play hand-shuffled games, while hole carders must locate dealers to exploit. These are two approaches that can be used in combination with card counting, so they’re both worth investigating if you’re certain you want to be a counter.

Many of these approaches, like card counting, have been questioned. Even the best gamblers only win slightly more than half of their bets, thus sports betting takes a substantial bankroll to earn decent money. This implies you’ll have to place massive bets in order to earn a livelihood off your little advantage.

To ensure that they can ride the ups and downs without running out of money, poker players should have 20 to 30 times their buy-in amount in reserve. And if you want to earn a decent livelihood, you must either play a lot of hours per week or play at a high buy-in level.

Poker tournament players can win a large reward for a tiny buy-in, but even in a large event, if you don’t finish in the top five or ten places, you’re not earning much money.

Playing with an edge is difficult, but many players can do it. You can join their ranks if you’re committed to becoming an advantage player and prepared to put in the effort. Only you can determine which path is best for you, but in the long run, I believe poker or sports betting provide more opportunities.

Conclusion

Card counting is a difficult skill to master, so you’ll need to put in a lot of practice time before you’re ready to do card counting in a casino. Card counting is unlikely to earn you a lot of money, so is it really worth the risk of being  blacklisted from the casinos? It is up to you to consider the upsides and downsides of card counting in Online gambling or land based casinos.

That doesn’t mean we believe  new gamblers can’t do it, but the statistics demonstrate that counting for a livelihood is hard. Casinos like Goa 247 are always using new techniques to make counting less lucrative and barring counters from the tables.So, as always, stick to your budget, play only with money you can afford to lose, and have fun!