Blackjack is head and shoulders above other card games when it comes to popularity.

This is the result of the game being easy to learn but difficult to master while carrying a low house edge.

Players do all they can to improve the odds of winning in what is essentially a game of skill.

Why is counting cards cheating is the question on many of their lips one that we shall answer in this guide.

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Where and why is counting cards considered cheating?

Why is counting cards considered cheating and whether is card counting legal are two distinct questions. In both American and European blackjack, online and in brick-and-mortar casinos, the house has an edge. By implementing blackjack card counting players render this house edge virtually irrelevant and even get an advantage. While some try to figure out if is online blackjack rigged, others focus on reducing the house edge as much as possible by employing an advanced blackjack strategy.

Casinos will do everything they can to prevent this activity, so you need to learn how do you get caught counting cards. Is card counting illegal? The answer is definitely NO and this is the best news for those who are good at math. Once you learn how to play blackjack, you can try your luck with cards counting. If you do it in land-based casinos the worst that can happen is to get kicked out. Since this activity is not illegal, cheaters won’t be punished, arrested, or prosecuted in major casinos in 2021.

Is card counting actually illegal anywhere?

Further Information

The issue of legality was debated just as much as the question is card counting cheating. Although you get an advantage by doing so, you don’t break the rules and simply use math to your advantage. That’s why players don’t have to worry about facing the wrath of the law if they are caught counting cards.

You can take part in blackjack tournaments in brick-and-mortar casinos and try this system. It is just as legal to use it as to try the blackjack martingale strategy or another advanced system.

The authorities will have nothing against you counting cards and there are no provisions in state or federal law. Casinos will claim that getting an advantage over the house is why is card counting cheating. The worst they can do is to kick you out, something that you don’t risk when playing blackjack online. There is nobody to monitor your online activities that you can even use a blackjack cheat sheet if you want.

Do online casinos prevent card counting?

Unlike live blackjack casinos, the online counterparts don’t have a problem with people counting cards. Instead, they will increase the number of decks in blackjack and resort to automatic shuffling.

This means that when you play blackjack with Paypal or other payment methods, you won’t benefit from counting cards. Even if you use a counting cards cheat sheet it won’t help you, because the cards are shuffled often and you won’t get useful numbers.

Is it illegal to count cards at online casinos?

Alert

As mentioned above, many of the blackjack tips suitable for live casinos don’t apply online. Why is counting cards considered cheating no longer matters when you don’t get relevant numbers with card counting. Online casinos don’t have to worry about legality when they can reshuffle the decks whenever they please.

That’s why players should focus on proper blackjack bankroll management and the use of intelligent systems. You can use the blackjack betting strategy 1-3-2-6 and stick to proven split and double down rules to keep the house edge low.

How does card counting work?

If you don’t really care if is card counting cheating and simply want to get an advantage, this is how the system works. You keep a tally of the cards dealt, to figure out how many low-value cards are still in the deck. This obviously works better at a blackjack single deck casino where you have only 52 cards to keep track of.

Ideally, you should end up with decks that have more high-value cards left in the deck. If this happens, your odds of getting a blackjack using the first two cards are better. This is when you should increase the stakes and by making these adjustments, you improve the odds of winning.

Tips to avoid being caught while card counting

Tip

Instead of trying to explain punters why is counting cards cheating, live casinos will try to catch them red-handed. This is a cat and mouse game and there are a couple of things to do to avoid being caught.

  • Stay humble and don’t brag about your skills
  • Relax while you play and enjoy a drink
  • Keep your stakes sensible and don’t increase them sharply
  • Don’t spend too much time at the tables and keep the gaming sessions short

Pros and cons of card counting in Blackjack

PROS
  • You get an edge over the house
  • It is a challenging activity that keeps you shape
  • You turn blackjack into a game that favors the player.
CONS
  • Card counting is completely useless at online casinos

Frequently Asked Questions about card counting:

Card counting is frowned upon and regarded as cheating by all casinos, yet it is completely legal.
You can also count cards in baccarat, but the system works better for blackjack.
There’s an abundance of free blackjack cheat sheets for counting cards.
It is perfectly legal to count cards across the US, but the use of electronic devices is strictly prohibited.

Boost your odds of winning with card counting

Blackjack is a game with a low house edge but you can decrease it even further with card counting. This activity is frowned upon by casinos and they will try to stop you in your tracks. Why is counting cards cheating in blackjack is a rather hypocritical question.

What you are trying to achieve is to get an advantage over the casino, something that operators do routinely through the house edge. At land-based casinos, card counting can be useful if done right, but due to automatic shuffle, it doesn’t work online.

 

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