Card Counting and Why it Will Not Work Online

Card counting has been glamorized in movies over the years and is seen by some blackjack players as the ultimate skill and the perfect way to beat the house. In 1962 Edward O. Thorp published a book called Beat the Dealer which showed exactly how card counting worked and how it was mathematically proven to be possible. When done correctly, anyone could take on the casino and win. The book was a huge success, even making the New York Times bestseller list—unheard of at the time for a book that is basically mathematical theory. Although card counting has been around much longer than the book, it was Beat the Dealer that brought it into the limelight and led more than a few blackjack players to try their luck in Vegas casinos.

How Card Counting Works

Card counting is indeed possible and has been used by many players throughout the years. Card counters have been a thorn in the casino's side before tactics to counteract them were developed.

The basics of card counting involve the effect of removal. This stipulates that the best way to determine which cards are more likely to be dealt next is to mentally “remove” cards from the deck such as 5s and 6s, leaving the good cards such as aces and tens.

One of the most popular techniques is the Ace-Five count, which is very simple. It involves keeping track of aces and fives remaining in the deck and has been practiced for many years by card counting aficionados.

Countermeasures in Land-Based Casinos

Land-based casinos caught up to the card counters and started using multiple decks. This all but canceled out even the most complex counting systems. Then came the online casino.

Why Card Counting Will Not Work Online

Sadly, every card counting technique known to humankind is pretty much useless in an online casino simply due to the way the cards are dealt. Cards are shuffled after every single hand, making it impossible to keep a count going. The random number generator (RNG) that all online casinos use means that each hand is totally random and played with a fresh deck.

This is not to say that you cannot beat an online casino. You can—and many online blackjack players do. You simply need to play optimal strategy and reduce the house edge as much as possible.

Online casinos are random and fair. The RNG makes it so. Playing blackjack online is exactly the same as playing in a land-based casino, should the cards have been shuffled just as you took your seat.