Open academy · Hi-Lo
Six short lessons connect the logic of card counting to hands-on practice. Follow them in order or jump straight to what you need.
0 of 6 concepts mastered
01
Understand what every dealt card tells you.
When low cards leave the shoe, proportionally more tens and aces remain. That means more blackjacks, better doubles and bigger player payouts. Counting doesn't predict the next card: it estimates what's left.
Rule to remember
The cards already dealt change the quality of the cards still to come.
02
Learn the system's language until you answer without calculating.
Group cards by how they behave. Remembering three groups is faster than memorizing thirteen separate values.
Rule to remember
Recognize the group first; add second.
03
Update a single number as each card appears.
Start at 0. Add each card's value and look for cancellations: a +1 card next to a −1 card leaves the count unchanged.
Rule to remember
Cancel pairs before adding; never recount the whole sequence.
04
Measure what's left with useful approximations.
Read the discard tray in fractions of a deck: whole, half or quarter. You don't need perfect precision, but you do need to use the same yardstick every time so your conversion stays stable.
Rule to remember
Estimate the discards first; then subtract them from the starting total.
05
Turn the visible count into a real edge.
Divide the running count by the decks remaining and round down. The true count lets you compare your edge no matter how deep into the shoe you are.
Rule to remember
Running count ÷ decks remaining = true count.
06
Press your edge only when the signal is clear enough.
Basic strategy is still your starting point. The count changes some decisions and your bet size, but it never turns a bad hand into a good one on a hunch.
Rule to remember
Play perfect basic strategy first; then apply measurable deviations.
How this tool works
The lessons cover why counting works, the card values of your chosen system, keeping a running count, estimating the decks left, converting to a true count (or using the key count and pivot for unbalanced systems like KO and Red 7), and how the count changes bets and a few playing decisions.
Pick a system from the menu at the top. Read a lesson, tap the cards in the values lesson to check what each one counts, then use the practice button to jump straight into a matching drill or quiz. Mark a lesson as understood when you can explain it without looking.
It counts the lessons you marked as understood for the current system. Nothing is locked: skip ahead whenever you like. Marks are saved separately for each system in your browser.
The How Card Counting Works guide explains the reasoning behind the lessons, and the Hi-Lo guide walks through a complete system with worked examples.