The Science of Card Counting: Myth vs. Reality

There is a certain allure to card counting, which might even be part of the reason that people find themselves drawn to card games like blackjack and poker in the first place. After all, while these might inherently be games of luck, surely there’s got to be some way to tip the odds in your favor? If that barrier can be broken down – if some path towards victory can be assured – then people might start to feel more inclined towards these games in the first place. However, most of what is known about card counting is from popular culture, making distinguishing myth from reality an important priority.

The Myth

You might think of card counting as being something of a magic trick. Through this lens, it’s possible to saunter into a given game of blackjack or poker and take everyone by surprise with perfect results every single hand. It’s an attitude that might ultimately be more influenced by certain movies than anything grounded in reality – after all, if you were playing winning hand after winning hand, people might begin to suspect that you’re cheating pretty quickly.

Part of the myth might also surround whether or not it’s considered cheating at all. While many physical casinos will consider that to be the case, what’s to stop you in online casinos against a digital house? Online blackjack tables that might have live dealers could blur the line, however, but as it’s an internal process, it’s easier to do here where you can play the game anywhere on your smartphone using a secure, encrypted platform that lets you pay however you please.

The Reality

The reality of card counting is ultimately more mundane than it might appear to a lot of people. Instead of being some sort of magical insight that is only gained through a higher-level understanding of the game, it’s just about having a good sense of what any given pack of cards looks like. You’re trying to keep a running tally in your head of the cards that have been played and the cards that are still in the deck. As this might be something that becomes increasingly difficult with more cards, sticking to tens and face cards might be an optimal way to go – and it might also be easier with a game like poker where you can see more cards at once.

Is it Worth It?

Is this a strategy that you should be deploying in your trips to the casinos then, whether online or in person? After all, if you feel as though it’s something that would help you to succeed in this games, you might struggle to see why not. However, there are two considerations. The first is that it is considered cheating by a number of platforms which might increase your risk of being banned by those outlets. Secondly, it’s important to ask yourself why you play these games at all, for many the answer might simply be money, but if you enjoy the core essence of the game and the social experience that comes with that, it’s important to see how losing can sometimes be an instrumental part of that back and forth.