A press release came out last week announcing the release of an online blackjack card counting tool called ABCCounter. According to the software’s website, the tool automates the process of playing online blackjack, making decisions and performing basic actions on the player’s behalf. It essentially takes over for the player, counting cards to make the best choices possible.

In this respect, it is similar to online poker tools that attach themselves to internet poker games, analyzing hands and giving players calculated device.

One potential problem with ABCCounter is the fact that most online blackjack games are designed to shuffle decks between every hand, rendering card counting completely useless. This means that the software will only work with a few select games. The website talks about using ABCCounter with Live Dealer games, which is probably the best option for players, since these games are dealt out of shoes of multiple decks that don’t get shuffled between hands.

The software is currently in beta testing phase, and players can download it for free to try it out. There is no mention of the purchase price for the full version once it is made available. The website also says nothing about the legality of the software, and it is possible that blackjack online casinos will soon begin blocking the program, like some poker sites do with the more popular poker tools. Only time will tell.