Most online blackjack games use a random number generator to deal cards, making counting impossible. But there is more to the online game than you realize.

If you want to consistently win at blackjack, learning advantage play is a must. This term includes blackjack tricks which are not cheating but give the player an advantage over the house not found in basic strategy. It includes things like shuffle tracking, reading dealer tells and most importantly, using card counting systems.

This means counting every card that comes out of the deck (or shoe) for the purpose of anticipating which cards will be dealt subsequently. As a deck has a fixed amount of each card (2, 7, king, ace, etc.), each hand is related to the previous one.

So counting is part of the arsenal of any expert blackjack player. While the online version of this classic table game is growing in popularity, most pros steer clear of it out of the belief that online casinos make card counting impossible. Let’s find out once and for all.

Online blackjack and random number generators

Standard online blackjack sites deal cards not from physical decks of cards but by using random number generators (RNGs), computer programs which deal cards according to a pre-determined formulas. Essentially the cards are re-shuffled after each (virtual) hand.

Thus online blackjack dealing works the same way as slot games, in which outcomes are determined by mathematical formulas. Some serious players distrust the online version for this reason, suspecting that algorithms are designed to give the casino an unfair advantage. We disagree, given that regulated online casinos publish reports on their RNGs, but the issue remains.

The RNG means that in contrast to land-based casino blackjack, each hand is completely independent from the ones coming before it. Counting doesn’t work because the player has to start again from zero each time a new hand is begun.

In this style of online blackjack, no advantage play techniques are possible, just sound basic strategy. However, online casinos are appealing in that they offer special player-friendly bonuses and promotions that can’t be found in land-based casinos.

Live dealer online blackjack

Sorry folks, its impossible to count cards while playing online blackjack. Except when it is possible. When you play live dealer online blackjack. This ingenious innovation combines the convenience of playing from home with the authenticity of live casino play. It isn’t quite the real thing, but it’s the closest thing that the iGaming industry has to offer.

You watch via live stream as a real human being deals cards out of a physical deck. You can watch the dealer shuffle, cut and deal the cards, cutting out the lack of transparency in RNGs. In effect, the only difference is that you place bets electronically rather than using chips. You can even choose the dealer you want and interact with the other players using chat features.

The best part is, you can count cards! Like in casino blackjack, the dealer slings a certain amount of cards from the shoe (stack of decks, usually between 2-6) before re-shuffling. During the time between shuffles you can count in order to give yourself an advantage over the house. Its just one of the many reasons more players now prefer live dealer online.

Casinos do their best to exclude counters

Just as land-based casinos do their best to weed out counters, online casinos offering live dealer games do the same. They keep records of each player’s betting behavior (which is obviously easier to do online) and ban those they’ve labeled as users of card counting systems. If caught, you’ll be kicked off of the site and ineligible to receive the bonuses you signed up for.

Some users also complain that live dealer games move at a slower pace than land-based and RNG blackjack games. For this reason, it is not very lucrative to count because the player has to spend too much time counting before they can start raking in the benefits.

Conclusion

The standard line that card counting is only possible in a land-based casino is not entirely true, but it holds up for the most part. The only way to do it online is in a live dealer game. There is a reason that live dealer is the fastest-growing segment of the online casino game; it blends the convenience of playing online with the authenticity of the land-based experience.

We recommend you play live dealer for a variety of reasons, the opportunity to count being only one of them. Be careful to disguise your behavior so as to avoid the notice of the casino. While there is no pit boss, there is a host of digital information collected on you, and that can make you even more vulnerable to back-off.

So play away, but remember that counting cards in live dealer is essentially the same as in an online casino, but your chances of being caught may be even greater.