Guides and Articles

Explanations and answers on card counting and on blackjack generally. Everything here is checked, and every number is computed rather than copied. The fastest way to get a feel for counting is the live counter, and everything interactive lives in tools. Updated August 10, 2026.

Interactive trainer Practice counting at a real table A live round of blackjack is dealt, you keep the count in your head, and you enter it at the end. Start →

Never counted before? Start here An interactive course that starts from zero From card values to the true count, one step at a time, with nothing left unexplained. Open →

Card counting

• How card counting works – Hi‑Lo from scratch, the running and true count, and penetration.
• Is card counting legal? – what the law actually says, what a casino can do, and why New Jersey is different.
• How to count cards, step by step – the order to learn it in, and how to drill at home.
• The best counting system – Hi‑Lo against KO, Zen, Hi-Opt, and Omega II.
• Does counting work online? – RNG versus live dealer, and where it still pays.
• Burn cards – why you make no adjustment for them, and when to start counting.
• Counting in other games – poker, baccarat, Spanish 21, and where edge sorting fits.
• Infinite Blackjack – rules, a 99.51% return, and four expensive side bets.
• Frequently asked questions – the short answers, all in one place.

Strategy and rules

• Blackjack rules – how the game is played, hand signals, and what each house rule costs.
• Basic strategy, built for your table – there is no single chart. Generate yours from the deck count, S17 or H17, and the peek rule.
• When to hit, stand, double, and split – every decision, quickly.
• Is insurance worth taking? – why the answer is no until you are counting.
• When to split pairs – the split chart and the reasoning behind it.
• Double down – hard hands, soft hands, and the mistakes people make.
• Dealer rules: S17 and H17 – what the dealer must do, and what each upcard makes.
• Side bets – 21+3, Perfect Pairs, and what all of them really cost.
• Perfect Pairs – payouts, exact odds, and why more decks is better here.

Blackjack in general

• How to win at blackjack – what works, what does not, and what each mistake costs.
• Your real odds of winning – the probabilities, and what changes them.
• European versus American blackjack – peek against no hole card, and the four cells it moves.
• Glossary – running count, penetration, Wonging, back-off, and the rest.
• What is 21+3? – how it is settled, how often each hand lands, and the house edge.
• Blackjack 3:2 against 6:5 – what the worse payout costs, with a calculator.
• Card values – what each card is worth, and why tens run the game.
• Bet Behind – backing another player's hand, and how to pick one.
• How to play baccarat – rules, the third card table, and which bet to make.

Keep reading

By Martin Kosek · every number on this site is computed by us, not copied.