A game with a live dealer – is it effective to count cards in blackjack?
It’s no secret that, precisely because the advantage of a gambling house is reduced to zero, the casino is trying by all means to identify and get rid of those visitors who count cards. After all, no one wants the customers who will cause serious damage and loss to the gambling establishment in the long run.
Be prepared for the fact that in real gambling establishments the security representatives and the bit-boss will approach the player and politely ask you to leave the hall. And such decision is made by the manager even on the basis of suspicions that the player is counting cards. But in order to get rid of the rumor and not to risk the reputation for nothing, the gambling establishment can create really unbearable conditions for the player, which stimulate him to leave the institution.
Everything described above is totally irrelevant for virtual casinos – it is not possible to keep track of each client (and clients in general) here, so the card count problem is solved radically – the cards involved in the game are mixed after each deal, so the card counting technique becomes simply ineffective. Regardless of how many decks are used in the game (even if just one), it’s simply impossible to calculate anything.
Has the situation changed today?
Just a few years ago the gaming industry gave players a new lease of life by offering them the option to play blackjack with a live dealer. If you’ve encountered it, you probably have an idea that the shuffle after the deal is done by live people standing in front of a webcam does not do and generally the rules of a real casino apply. If you think logically – you can still count cards here.
But it’s just a theory, what happens in practice, what are the pitfalls? Let us turn to the essence of the method – in what cases does counting cards show effectiveness? In fact, it’s about the depth of the cut of the decks before they are put into the shouz. Thus, the more cards that are in play after the cutscene is made, the greater the chance of winning the card count.
Does this apply to online play?
Well, here’s an interesting nuance – if you play blackjack online with live dealers, then, in this case, cutting takes more than half of all cards out of the game. To give a simple example, if you’re playing blackjack with eight decks, then the shuffle doesn’t start until half of the cards in the game are drawn. And these are very disadvantageous conditions.
By the way, pay special attention to the rules of blackjack, they can undergo serious changes. It’s not uncommon to see blatantly vague wording about shuffle at certain time intervals. It won’t be hard to guess that no more than half of all the cards are left in the game, in that case.
It all boils down to one thing – the card counting technique when playing with live dealers in a virtual gambling establishment is simply ineffective. You won’t be able to get accurate data and you won’t be able to increase or decrease your bets, nor will you be able to make any changes to your basic strategy. Yes, the cards will give you some effect, but it won’t be the same as it could be in a real casino and you won’t gain any advantage over the gambling establishment.
What’s the result?
Counting cards in online blackjack with a real dealer is simply inefficient. It does make some sense, of course, but it won’t have the effect you’re looking for. Yes, as long as you’re proficient in the card counting techniques of the existing system, the score will help you make good decisions on basic strategy, but you shouldn’t expect too much, that’s for sure. You won’t be able to break even if you’re counting on the advantages of a live dealer online casino.