Card Counting in Online Blackjack

For decades, blackjack has captivated gamblers looking to outsmart the house and turn the odds in their favor. Films like 21 and Rain Man popularized the idea that by counting cards, skilled players could reliably win at blackjack. However, most of these stories focus on beating the game in brick-and-mortar casinos. When blackjack transitioned online, many wondered if the same card counting strategies could still help players win.

How Card Counting Works in Theory

Keeping Track of the Remaining Cards

The goal of card counting is to keep track of the ratio of high to low cards remaining in the deck. Systems like Hi-Lo assign a positive, negative or zero value to each card. As high cards are dealt, the count drops. When mostly low cards have been seen, the count rises. This allows players at MrZ Casino NZ and on other websites to bet more when the odds tilt in their favor.

Calculating the True Count

Card counters also track the number of decks left to calculate the “true count.” With fewer cards remaining, the impact of the count is higher. A true count above 2 is considered quite favorable. Of course, the mental effort to continually track the count makes errors likely, undermining the system’s edge.

Why Card Counting Fails Online

Unlike live dealer blackjack, RNG blackjack relies on random number generators to instantly produce each card dealt. As online tables use far more decks, tracking the ratio of high to low cards becomes unrealistic. Players also can’t calculate the true count properly. For these reasons, traditional card counting cannot reliably work online.

Virtual Card Shuffling Defeats Counting

Even if you tracked the count accurately, online casinos shuffle virtual decks very frequently. Brick-and-mortar casinos might get through 2-3 decks before shuffling manually. Online games instantly reshuffle after every hand or few hands. This shuffling frequency ensures card ratios never favor the player enough to overcome the house edge for long.

Limited Bet Spreading Possible

Card counters raise and lower bets based on the advantage shifts of a positive or negative count. Due to online table limits, the betting range card counters require to capitalize simply isn’t possible. Making the huge bets during short-lived true counts above 2 can’t overcome losses over time from the house edge.

Other Blackjack Strategies with Better Chances

While card counting won’t help you beat online blackjack, some other advantage play strategies actually can shift the odds in your favor. These methods are statistical or exploit specific rules rather than tracking cards dealt. Used correctly, they can reliably produce profits over hundreds of hands.

Finding Bonuses and Promotions

Signup bonuses, deposit matches, rebates and other promotions give you extra money to boost potential payouts. Make sure to understand playthrough requirements before claiming bonuses. Additionally, find games offering bonuses like lucky ladies to increase your expected return per hand.

Practicing Basic Strategy Flawlessly

While simple, making no errors in basic blackjack strategy enables reducing the house edge to around only 0.5%. Use free online trainers and blackjack simulators to drill the optimal moves for every possible hand vs the dealer’s upcard until responses become automatic. This difference can quickly add up over a full session.

Targeting Advantageous House Rules

Certain rule variations change blackjack odds in the player’s favor. For example, early surrender cuts the house edge nearly in half. Other helpful rules include late surrender, dealer standing on soft 17, double after splitting and blackjack paying 3:2 rather than 6:5. Finding such rules gives you an inherent mathematical advantage.

Final Thoughts

In summary, card counting cannot reliably help you in online blackjack. However, advantage players have discovered other ways of gaining an edge by using bonuses, promotions, perfect basic strategy, and targeting good house rules. While the virtual card deck itself remains unbeatable, you can still find ways to come out ahead in online blackjack through research and statistical analysis.