Learn the fundamentals of blackjack card counting, then run the shoe yourself. Deal cards, track the count in your head, and check your work.
Card counting is a way of tracking which cards have already left the shoe, so you can estimate whether the cards remaining favor the dealer or the player. It doesn't require memorizing every card — just keeping a running tally as each card appears.
A shoe rich in tens and aces favors the player: blackjacks pay more often, dealers bust more often on stiff hands, and doubling down is more profitable. A shoe rich in small cards favors the dealer. The count is simply a proxy for that balance.
Hi-Lo is the most widely taught counting system because it's simple: every card is worth +1, 0, or −1. As each card is dealt, add its value to a running total.
| Cards | Reasoning | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Low cards — removing them helps the player | +1 |
| 7, 8, 9 | Neutral — little effect either way | 0 |
| 10, J, Q, K, A | High cards — removing them helps the dealer | −1 |
The running count is just the sum of every card value seen so far. But a count of +6 means something different in a single deck than in a six-deck shoe — the same number of high cards is diluted across more decks.
The true count adjusts for how many decks are left unplayed, and it's the number that actually tells you how favorable the shoe is. Most players estimate decks remaining by eye, rounding to the nearest half deck.
1. Card by card. Get the +1/0/−1 values automatic with no time pressure.
2. Hand flash. Real hands don't show cards one at a time — you see 2-4 land together and have to sum the group fast, before they're taken away.
3. Full table. At a real table you're also counting player hands you're not even playing, and the dealer's hole card doesn't count until it's flipped at the end of the round. That habit — not counting a card you haven't seen — matters as much as the arithmetic.
4. True count drill. Isolates the division itself — you're given a running count and decks remaining, with no cards to track, so you can get the true count math automatic.
Use the mode switcher in the Practice tab to move through these stages.