https://owlcount.com/ 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z Martin Kosek https://owlcount.com/about 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Owl Count is an independent educational project about the mathematics of blackjack and the Hi-Lo counting system. Who runs it, how it is funded, and how to reach us.

https://owlcount.com/app 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

An Owl Count app for iOS and Android is in the works. Until it lands, everything runs in your browser with nothing to install.

https://owlcount.com/baccarat 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Baccarat rules explained from scratch: card values, the third card rule, and which bet to make. Banker carries a 1.06% house edge and the tie bet carries 14.36%.

https://owlcount.com/best-card-counting-system 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Hi-Lo, KO, Hi-Opt, Zen and Omega II compared: the tags, what each one is good at, and why a flawless simple count beats a sloppy advanced one every time.

https://owlcount.com/bet-behind-live-blackjack 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Bet Behind lets you back another player's hand when every seat is taken. You share their result and have no say in how they play it. Here is how to pick well.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-21-3 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

21+3 makes a three-card poker hand from your two cards and the dealer's upcard. We computed the exact frequency of every combination and the house edge for each deck count.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-3-2-vs-6-5 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

A 6:5 blackjack payout adds about 1.36% to the house edge, more than every other table rule combined. Work out what it costs you and learn to spot the tables.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-basic-strategy 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

There is no single basic strategy chart. There are 28, and your table rules decide which one applies. Generate yours, download it, and drill it in the free trainer.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-card-values 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Cards 2 through 10 are face value, face cards are 10, and an ace is 1 or 11 whichever helps. Why ten-value cards run the game, and what the Hi-Lo tags do differently.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-dealer-rules 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

The dealer draws to 16 and stands on 17, with no choices at all. What S17 and H17 change, what each upcard is actually likely to make, and why standing last is the house edge.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-decisions 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Every decision comes from your hand and the dealer's upcard. Stand on hard 17 and up, double 11, split aces and eights, never split tens. The rest is on the chart.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-double-down 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Doubling doubles your bet for exactly one more card. Double 11 against 2 through 10, 10 against 2 through 9, 9 against 3 through 6, and soft hands against a weak dealer.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-glossary 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Every term you will hear at a blackjack table or in a counting book, defined plainly: true count, penetration, back-off, Charlie, Wonging, and the rest.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-insurance 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Insurance pays 2:1 but the dealer completes the blackjack only 30.9% of the time, so it carries a 7.4% house edge. Decline it unless you are counting and the true count is high.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-odds 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

With perfect basic strategy you win about 42% of hands and the house keeps 0.44%. Here is what each rule does to that number and how long the math takes to show up.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-rules 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

The complete rules of blackjack: card values, the flow of a round, every action you can take, how the dealer plays, hand signals, and what each house rule costs you.

https://owlcount.com/blackjack-side-bets 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Side bets pay big and cost more than the game they sit beside. Exact house edge figures for 21+3, Perfect Pairs, Hot 3, Bust It, and insurance, all computed here.

https://owlcount.com/burn-card 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

The dealer burns a card after every shuffle. Here is why it happens, why card counters make no adjustment for it, and the mistake that actually costs you money.

https://owlcount.com/card-counting 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

How card counting works, explained from zero: the Hi-Lo system, running count, true count, what your real edge is in percent, penetration, and why casinos push back.

https://owlcount.com/card-counting-other-games 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Counting needs three conditions, and almost no casino game meets all three. Where it works, where it does not, and why edge sorting is a different thing entirely.

https://owlcount.com/card-counting-trainer 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

A real round of blackjack plays itself while you keep the count in your head. Enter your total at the end and find out. Set your own speed and number of players.

https://owlcount.com/does-card-counting-work-online 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

RNG blackjack reshuffles every hand, so counting is mathematically impossible. Live dealer tables use a real shoe, but shallow penetration and tight limits take most of the edge back.

https://owlcount.com/european-vs-american-blackjack 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

American tables peek for blackjack before you act, European tables do not. That single difference costs about 0.11% and changes four cells on the strategy chart.

https://owlcount.com/faq 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Straight answers on card counting: how it works, whether it is legal, what it earns, what a back-off is, and why counting online almost never pays. Every number computed here.

https://owlcount.com/guides 2026-08-10T00:00:00Z

Every guide on Owl Count in one place: how counting works, what the law says, the rules of blackjack, the strategy chart, side bets, and the numbers behind all of it.