My Experience Counting Cards in Blackjack at Casinos

Cracking the House Edge: A Tale of Luck and Strategy

Before you ask, no, counting cards isn’t illegal. It’s a legitimate strategy that casinos dislike because it shifts the odds in the player’s favor. Is it unethical? That depends on your perspective. To me, these institutions profit by exploiting the desperate, thrill-seeking, or addicted. By counting cards, I see myself striking back at gambling giants that prey on vulnerable individuals. Over the holidays, my friend—whom I’ll call Eli "Bust" Malone—and I practiced card counting. In early 2025, we ventured to several casinos in Pennsylvania with the goal of beating the house at blackjack. I started with $200 and walked away with a $695 profit after two days of play.

A Brief Overview of Blackjack and Card Counting

(Skip this section if you’re already familiar with the basics.)

Blackjack, also known as 21, is a card game where players compete against the dealer to reach a total value closest to 21 without going over. Each player is dealt two cards, and the dealer reveals one of their own while keeping the other hidden. Number cards (2–10) are worth their face value, face cards (Jack, Queen, King) are worth 10, and Aces count as 1 or 11, depending on which benefits the hand. Players can choose to hit (take another card), stand (keep their hand as is), double down (double the bet for one additional card), or split (if dealt a pair, they can split it into two separate hands, placing an additional bet).

Casinos profit from the house edge, which ensures that the odds of winning slightly favor the casino. In blackjack, even with basic strategy—the optimal moves based on the player’s hand and the dealer’s up-card—players can only reduce the house edge to about 0.5%. In other words, even flawless play leaves the casino with a statistical advantage. Basic strategy requires memorizing several charts dictating the best moves in different scenarios, but even this effort doesn’t guarantee a win. This is where card counting comes into play.

Card counting involves tracking the ratio of high-value to low-value cards remaining in the deck. The most common system, the Hi-Lo method, assigns a +1 to cards 2–6, 0 to cards 7–9, and -1 to 10s, face cards, and Aces. A high running count suggests more high-value cards are left, giving players a statistical edge. Casinos have implemented measures like using multiple decks and frequent shuffling to counter this strategy, but with practice, it’s still possible to succeed. By dividing the running count with the number of decks remaining, one can intuitively determine the true count. The player’s chances of winning each hand changes based on the true count.

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So, What Happened?

My friend Eli "Bust" Malone introduced me to card counting as a way to challenge the casinos. We spent weeks practicing before driving to Pennsylvania for New Year’s 2025. Pennsylvania was our destination because state laws ensure fairer blackjack rules, like paying 1.5x for a blackjack and avoiding continuous shuffling machines, both of which are crucial for card counters.

Walking into the first casino was overwhelming. The scale of the building, the free parking, and even complimentary drinks were all designed to entice gamblers. The atmosphere was both exciting and sobering. Many players, especially at the slot machines, looked lifeless, mechanically chasing the thrill of a win. It reinforced my mixed feelings about the gambling industry and the broader implications of unchecked capitalism.

Eli and I staked $200 each on our first day. Luck was on our side, and within an hour, we turned a $170 profit, despite a running count as low as -20 (statistically VERY unfavorable for players). Beginner’s luck, perhaps, but I wasn’t complaining.

The Strategy and Results

After lunch at a Korean BBQ in Philadelphia (fully covered by our winnings), we visited another casino. At the second casino, our luck turned volatile, and things went downhill fast. We lost all our initial profits trying to “penetrate the shoe,” a term for getting deeper into the decks being dealt. Eventually, we found a table with a high running count and managed to recover much of our losses by increasing our bets proportionally. From this point forward, we focused on playing aggressively when the running count was high and more conservatively when it cooled down.

This spread betting strategy is essential for card counting. By betting more in games with favorable odds and less in games with even or lower odds, players can generate a positive expected value (EV) over time. Although we ended up slightly down at this casino, leaving with a $150 profit instead of $170, we remained ahead overall.

Eli "Bust" Malone and I visited a few more casinos over the next two days. By the end of our trip, I had made $695 in profits, while Eli lost all his earnings and his initial stake.

The problem with Eli was his emotional approach to the game. He enjoyed being at the tables and kept playing even when the running count was neutral. Sometimes, he doubled down recklessly when the count was high. After winning a hand, he would often stake his entire winnings on the next round, chasing a “double or nothing” win. This aggressive approach significantly reduced his odds, as winning twice in a row—even with 54% odds—drops to just 30%.

In contrast, I took a more measured approach. I played defensively, placing small bets and protecting my winnings. My goal wasn’t to hit big, but to stay in the game long enough to capitalize on favorable odds. I relied on patience and logic, traits I developed from trading penny stocks. This mindset helped me detach from the thrill of the money and focus on the math. Losses at low-count tables were minimal, and I avoided neutral or unknown counts altogether. This disciplined strategy resulted in a steady 300%+ return over two days.

How Did It Feel Playing Blackjack?

As much as I tried to stay detached, it was hard not to feel a rush from winning. I vividly remember one bet when the running count was +20 (with a +5 true count). I placed a last-minute $50 bet and hit a blackjack, netting $75 in a single hand. Wins like that are thrilling, but I let logic guide me instead of emotion. On the next hand, I bet only $25, which I also won. Naturally, I had moments where I wished I’d bet more, but my strategy was about playing as many hands as possible rather than chasing a big win.

One of the biggest challenges was maintaining the running count. Casinos are dynamic environments filled with distractions, constant movement, and ongoing conversations. Keeping focus amidst all that activity is no small feat. Having a friend counting alongside me at a good table was incredibly helpful; if one of us lost track, we could subtly share the count with each other. Even with teamwork, it wasn’t always seamless or foolproof. Staying sharp enough to keep an accurate count throughout the game required a significant amount of mental energy and focus.

While losses did occur, I entered this experience prepared to lose my initial stake if needed. This mindset made the trip feel more like an adventure than a gamble.

One thing did bother me, though. I felt predatory toward other players. When a table was full, and the running count was high, I found myself hoping others would lose enough to leave so I could take their place and benefit from the favorable deck. While I didn’t directly affect their outcomes, the thought made me feel like a vulture. Initially, my goal was to beat the casino, but I noticed my subconscious shifting toward targeting gamblers instead. It was an uncomfortable realization about myself.

Final Thoughts

I don’t see myself playing regularly unless a convenient opportunity arises. While my initial success exceeded expectations, I don’t want to build my personality around chasing money this way. Trading stocks feels more meaningful to me because it involves researching companies and supporting missions I believe in. Card counting, on the other hand, serves no purpose beyond personal gain. Diving too deeply into this hobby would turn me into a parasite feeding off an already exploitative institution.

Even if my intentions target an unethical entity like casinos, the behavior still feels parasitic on a subconscious level.

That said, this experience was a fascinating lesson in statistics and probabilities. It was fun, and I learned a lot about myself along the way.