Card Counting

Card counting has been around for many years. The first official publication on the subject was in 1957 by a group of United States soldiers who called themselves the “Four Horsemen.” The title of the publication was ‘Playing Blackjack to Win’. However, it was five years later, in 1962, when a mathematician named Ed Thorpe published a book that proved card counting was a strategy that could genuinely give the player an advantage over the dealer. The book was aptly entitled ‘Beat the Dealer’.

63 years later, card counting is firmly entrenched in blackjack lore and is becoming increasingly popular. But how is it faring against the modern casino technology of 2025?

Card counting has been around for many years. The first official publication on the subject was in 1957 by a group of United States soldiers who called themselves the “Four Horsemen.” The title of the publication was ‘Playing Blackjack to Win’. However, it was five years later, in 1962, when a mathematician named Ed Thorpe published a book that proved card counting was a strategy that could genuinely give the player an advantage over the dealer. The book was aptly entitled ‘Beat the Dealer’.

63 years later, card counting is firmly entrenched in blackjack lore and is becoming increasingly popular. But how is it faring against the modern casino technology of 2025?

What is Card Counting? – A Definition

There are many definitions of ‘card counting’, but the one used by Wiktionary sums it up nicely when it says it’s a strategy, in Pontoon or Blackjack, where the player keeps a mental tally of the cards played so they can work out the likelihood of certain cards being dealt, thereby gaining an advantage.”

Before we go any further, let’s clear up the difference between Pontoon and Blackjack. Both are games of 21, which is the top score you can reach without going bust. Pontoon is a British invention, whereas blackjack is believed to have originated in the United States. The differences between the two games are as follows:

• With Pontoon, the two cards dealt to the dealer are dealt face down.
• A ‘natural’ is worth 2:1, as is a 5-card trick. The dealer wins if hands are tied.
• The dealer is constrained to hit on a soft 17
• The player can only stick or stand with 15 or more.
• The dealer checks for Pontoon after the deal before the game continues.
• The player is able to double on any 2, 3 or 4 cards and can hit after doubling.
• The house edge is usually lower in Pontoon.

Apart from these differences, the games are virtually the same, and card counting is a valid strategy for both.

How Card Counting Techniques Work with Blackjack

A basic game of blackjack is played with only one deck of cards, and the House edge changes from casino to casino, but the lowest is around 0.5%. It means that in the long run, the House always wins. However, using this strategy can tweak the odds in your favour. Blackjack is the only card game of which this is true.

Key Facts To Bear in Mind About Card Counting.

Anyone can learn card counting, it’s hardly rocket-science. The key is to be able to utilise it correctly, for which you need an agile brain and good concentration skills. When done correctly, it can improve your odds of winning by 1% and bearing in mind that the House edge can be as low as 0.5%, that’s all you need to make it a profitable venture. Here are some important facts to bear in mind.

• You need to master basic blackjack strategy before you learn to count cards.
• Start with the Hi-Lo card counting method – it’s the simplest to learn.
• Concentration is key.
• Be careful about your body language.
• Count discretely.

Despite what you might have seen in the movies, card counting isn’t that much fun. It’s more of a chore.

The Easiest Strategy – Hi-Lo Card Counting Explained

Card counting basics are most clearly illustrated through what’s known as the Hi-Lo variant, which also happens to be one of the easiest systems to learn.

• Cards with a number value of 2 to 6 are allotted a value of +1.
• Cards with the number 10 and face cards, Jacks, Queens, Kings and Aces are allotted a value of minus 1.
• All other cards are allotted a value of zero.

The person doing the counting uses this card counting formula to keep a running total.

Useful Tips for Mastering Card Counting

It is said that practice makes perfect, and if you want to learn card counting, getting in lots of practice is essential.

Bricks-and-mortar casinos are the worst places for learning or mastering card counting. No traditional casino welcomes card counters because, done correctly, it shifts the advantage from the House to the player. So, practising at an Irish online casino has to be favourite because there’s no one there to keep an eye on you. However, the computer programming that online casinos use can detect card-counting-like patterns, so you do need to take care, even at an Irish online casino no verification platform.

Here are some more tips.

1. Choose the right type of counting system.
2. When you start playing for real money, keep the stakes low.
3. There is no guarantee that you’re going to win every deal, so don’t expect to.
4. Master the Hi-Lo system first, as it’s the easiest.
5. Practice keeping a true count.
6. When using Hi-Lo, look to increase your wager when the count gets to +2 or more.
7. Take all of the cards on the table into account.

How long to learn card counting depends entirely on your mental capacity, how much practice you are prepared to undergo, and your powers of concentration. It also depends on the type of card counting you want to do. As we’ve already said, the easiest system to learn and perform is the Hi-Lo variant. Other, more variants include:

• The KO (Knock Out) system.
• Red Seven System
• Zen Count System
• Wong Halves System
• Uston SS System

Some are more complex than others.

The Bet Spread Technique – Cases For and Against

Over or under-betting can cause problems when card counting, which is what employing the card counting bet spread technique attempts to correct. These are the problems associated with over-betting.

• Being overconfident with your edge. If you have a high true count, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a win. A true 10 only gives you a 4.5% advantage. Across a long duration, a true 10 can earn you a lot of money, but in the short term, there’s no guarantee.
• Chasing losses. Studies reveal that we humans are averse to losing. Even if you’re the best at card counting, you’ll still lose 40% of the time. If you attempt to compensate, you stand the risk of losing more. You have to go with the flow, or you risk losing your entire bankroll.

The problems associated with under-betting.

• Backing off. This refers to being afraid to lose what you’ve won. It can also relate to being on a losing streak and not wanting to lose more. For example, it’s when your bet spread indicates betting €200, but instead, you only bet €100 to reduce your loss. It’s undisciplined and will cost you. If your bet spread isn’t big enough, you could be playing a losing game.

Bet spreading is for card counting professionals and teams. There are specialised websites out there that deal with it, but it’s not something that the average punter needs to worry about.

Why is card counting illegal? It’s a question that many players ask the casino when they’re caught. The answer is that it is not. It’s simply a policy that casinos choose to adopt because it passes the advantage over to the player. In a way, you can’t blame them. They are businesses, after all, and therefore, they exist to make money.

The fact of the matter is that card counting is not illegal anywhere in the Western world, and that includes the Bitcoin casinos Ireland offers. But casinos themselves do consider it to be cheating, and if you’re caught by any of the brick-and-mortar establishments anywhere, you’re likely to get banned and may have your photograph distributed to other casinos, which may also bar you entry.

That’s why online casinos real money platforms are preferred by most serious card counters. The software that online casinos use, in effect, uses a completely reshuffled pack every time. It makes it much more difficult for card counters; therefore, the casinos aren’t as worried as their brick-and-mortar cousins are.

Methods Casinos Use to Catch or Prevent Card Counting

If you are considering becoming a card counter, the answer to the question of how do casinos prevent card counting is something you need to know. Here’s what you have to be aware of.

Your Body Language

Body language can be a dead giveaway to someone trained on what to look out for. Make sure you act naturally. Strike up casual conversations with those around you. It’s not so easy to do, but it’s something that comes with practice.

Don’t stare too intently at the cards. Ignore the first card dealt, and don’t start counting until the second cards are out.

Using More Than One Deck

Casinos know that the more decks they use, the more difficult it is for counting cards. It’s why blackjack software providers have developed multi-hand variants of the game, which even a €5 deposit casino will include in its blackjack library as a way of countering card counting online.

The Use of Continuous Shuffling Machines (CSMs)

Shuffling the cards is a card counter’s nightmare. Knowing this, many casinos now use CSMs (Continuous Shuffling Machines) that shuffle the deck as the game progresses. These machines use multiple decks, and after each hand, the cards are returned to the machine straightaway and are shuffled, ready for the next round. Casinos might tell you that they use CSMs to speed up the game, and while that might be true, it’s not the prime reason. It’s to prevent card counting.

The Use of RFID Technology

The initials RFID stand for Radio Frequency Identification. It relates to the use of electromagnetic fields. It’s used in everyday life for tracking tags, preventing people walking out of stores with hidden items, and in the casino world to identify, quantify, and track the movement of chips.

When casinos employ RFID technology, each chip contains a microchip that stores data. This data can be used to verify authenticity and track chips; when linked to the casino’s computer systems, it can identify patterns that could indicate potential card counting.

Casino Surveillance Systems

With all the cash they have on hand, brick-and-mortar casinos are prime robbery targets. State-of-the-art surveillance systems are their first line of defence when it comes to spotting and recording potential crime situations.

Of course, as far as casinos are concerned, potential crimes include card counting, too, which is why they place cameras that the playing public cannot see in strategic locations. This allows the staff to perform covert surveillance, looking out for potential card counters.

Take the Money and Run

The great thing about playing online blackjack and card counting is that it’s very easy to take your winnings, get out fast, and move on to the next online casino. It’s where playing on the fast withdrawal casino Ireland network comes in handy.

The Case Against Card Counting

You have to begin by asking yourself, by how much does card counting increase your odds? The answer is by approximately 1% at most. So, is it really worth it? Statistically speaking, 1% isn’t much unless you are wagering huge sums of money. For example, a wager of €100 would only generate a profit of €1, and a wager of €1,000 would only generate €100. You also run the risk of being banned from the casino that catches you and any other casinos they care to share your photograph with.

Our Conclusion Regarding Card Counting

Why Is Card Counting Illegal At Casinos in Ireland? It’s because of all the reasons discussed above, and it begs the question: is it worth it? Bearing in mind the length of time, concentration and discipline it takes to become proficient at card counting, for the average player, with the average size bankroll, it hardly seems worth all of the effort and risk of being banned for a meagre 1% profit at best. In other words, we come down firmly on the against-card-counting side.