Guides
Card Counting Guides for Beginners
16 plain-English guides, in the order we would read them. Each one cites its sources and links to the drills and quizzes that practice it.
Start here
What counting is, and the game underneath it.
- 01How Card Counting WorksWhy the cards already dealt change the odds of the cards still in the shoe, what a count actually measures, and what counting can and cannot do.
- 02Blackjack Basic StrategyThe full basic strategy chart for six-deck blackjack, the reasoning behind every group of plays, the most common mistakes and a plan to memorize it.
- 03Rules and House EdgeHow each blackjack rule moves the house edge — 6:5 payouts, soft 17, doubling, surrender, decks and penetration — and how to read a table before you sit down.
Core counting skills
The numbers you keep in your head, and how to train them.
- 04Hi-Lo Card CountingLearn the Hi-Lo card counting system step by step: card values, keeping the count, true count conversion, bet ramps and the most important strategy deviations.
- 05Running Count vs. True CountThe difference between the running count and the true count, how to convert with deck estimation, worked examples, and common mistakes.
- 06Deck EstimationHow to estimate the decks left in a shoe from the discard tray, how precise you need to be, and a conversion table from running count to true count.
- 07How to Practice Card CountingA realistic training plan for card counting with clear benchmarks for each stage: values, speed, true count conversion and counting while you play.
Other systems
Unbalanced and higher-level counts.
- 08KO Card CountingHow the unbalanced KO count works: card values, the initial running count for each number of decks, the key count, the pivot point and how Red 7 compares.
- 09Counting Systems ComparedSide-by-side card values and efficiency figures for seven counting systems, what levels and balance mean, and how to choose the system that fits you.
Using the count
Turning a number into bets and decisions.
- 10Bet Spread and BankrollWhy the bet spread is where a counter's edge comes from, how variance works, and how bankroll size and risk of ruin are estimated, with worked examples.
- 11Illustrious 18 DeviationsThe eighteen index plays and four surrenders that capture most of the value of strategy deviations, with Hi-Lo index numbers and the reasoning behind them.
Outside the textbook
The law, the casino's side and how we got here.
- 12Is Card Counting Illegal?Counting cards in your head is not a crime in the United States, but casinos can respond. What is legal, what is not, and where devices cross the line.
- 13Casino CountermeasuresHow casinos protect blackjack from card counters: continuous shufflers, shallow cut cards, 6:5 payouts and back-offs, and why counting fails online.
- 14History of Card CountingFrom the first published basic strategy and Edward Thorp's Beat the Dealer to Hi-Lo, team play, hidden computers and the modern casino response.
Reference
Look things up quickly.
- 15Card Counting GlossaryPlain-English definitions of the blackjack and card counting terms used in books, forums and this site, from back-off and balanced count to wonging.
- 16Card Counting FAQShort, honest answers to the questions beginners ask most: whether counting works, how hard it is, how much it can earn, and whether it is allowed.
Prefer to learn by doing? The six interactive lessons cover the same path in shorter steps, adapted to whichever counting system you choose.