As most advantage players know, it is not possible to count cards in online blackjack games due to the fact that these games employ a continuous shuffler algorithm which means that determining the “true count” which is vital to all card counting systems and strategies, is impossible.
With the advent of Live Dealer Blackjack Games at online casinos wherein beautiful women deal you the cards and interact with you in real time via streaming audio/video as you play has once again gotten the attention of would-be card counters who wonder whether or not this live version of the game will allow for the practice. After all, the automatic shuffling software is not employed when actual people are shuffling and dealing the cards in a studio environment that is beamed right into your living room or wherever you may be accessing the online casino from.
Here we’ll take a look at whether card counting in live dealer online blackjack games is really possible or not.
Deck Penetration
Deck penetration is an important topic in card counting and refers to how far into the shoe a dealer plays before they opt to shuffle the cards. It also considers how deep into the shoe card counters are able to play before they are able to determine the count effectively. From this explanation it is obvious that the greater deck penetration an advantage counter can achieve, the greater their chances of winning big and walking away with a profit.
When it comes to Live Dealer Blackjack, most online casinos train their dealers to shuffle the shoe once half of the decks have been dealt. So if you happen to play an eight deck game, the dealer will shuffle the cards once four decks have been dealt. This means that as a card counter you would only be able to achieve a 50% deck penetration which generally is not sufficient to establish a true count confidently, making Live Dealer online blackjack a poor bet for card counters in most online casinos. The only way that it could ever be a viable option is if the dealer forgets to shuffle the shoe, and while this is possible due to human error, it happening often enough for you to catch it is unlikely.
So is playing Live Dealer Casino Blackjack still worthwhile?
If you’re looking solely to count cards, then it’s not a viable option and you’re better off visiting the land based casinos in your area or planning a trip to Las Vegas.
That said though, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy a wonderful game of online blackjack at home with the pleasure of a live dealer experience like you’d find in a brick and mortar casino. If you’re new to card counting, it may give you good practice in a virtual environment up until the shoe is shuffled, so it’s a nice way to start until you’re confident enough to take your technique to the tables elsewhere.
