Card counting trainer, on a real shoe.
Practice Hi-Lo while you play: keep the running count, convert it to a true count, and get quizzed between hands.
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Try a quick card counting drill.
Ten cards, one at a time. Keep the Hi-Lo running count in your head, then pick the total.
Step 1
How Hi-Lo card counting works.
Every card gets a tag. Keep a running total as they leave the shoe.
- +1Low cards2 – 6
- 0Neutral7 – 9
- −1Tens and aces10 – A
A high count means the shoe is rich in tens and aces, which favors you.
Why learn Hi-Lo first
Hi-Lo is a balanced, level-one count: every tag is +1, 0 or −1, and a full deck adds up to exactly 0, so you can check yourself at the end of a deck. Most published index plays, including the Illustrious 18 and Fab 4, are built for it, which is why this trainer uses it.
Step 2
Running count to true count
Divide by the decks left in the shoe. The true count is what you bet and play by.
Rounded down, as most counters do.
Estimating decks left
Judge the discard tray, not the shoe. The trainer estimates to the nearest half deck in shoe games and the nearest quarter deck in single- and double-deck games, the precision most counters use. The tray fills with every card played, so you learn to read it by eye.
Step 3
How to practice card counting.
Build the skill in this order, and don't move on until the current step feels easy.
Learn the tags until they're instant
Flip through a deck and say each card's tag. Don't move on until you never hesitate.
Count down a full deck
A full deck should end at exactly 0. Many counters aim to get through one in under 30 seconds.
Cancel cards in pairs
A low card and a ten add up to 0, so you can skip the pair entirely. Fewer additions means fewer mistakes.
Keep the count at a full table
Count while making your own decisions, with other players' cards in play. That's where most counts get lost.
Convert, bet and deviate
Turn the running count into a true count every round, size your bet from it, and add index plays a few at a time.
Step 4
Practice card counting in the trainer.
Play the count
Illustrious 18 and Fab 4 index plays, graded for your exact rules.
- 16 vs 10StandTC ≥ 0
- 15 vs 10StandTC ≥ +4
- 10,10 vs 5SplitTC ≥ +5
- 10,10 vs 6SplitTC ≥ +4
- 10 vs 10DoubleTC ≥ +4
Get quizzed between hands
Running count, true count or decks left, every few hands.
What's the true count?
Bet the count
An automatic spread turns the true count into your bet.
Why the true count sets your bet
With Hi-Lo, each +1 of true count moves roughly half a percent of edge toward the player. Near a true count of +1 the house still has the edge, so counters bet the minimum and raise only as the count climbs. The gap between those small and large bets is where a counter's profit comes from.
Card counting practice, answered.
Which card counting system does the trainer use?
Hi-Lo, the most widely taught balanced count. Low cards (2 to 6) count +1, tens and aces count −1, and 7 to 9 are neutral. An optional ace side count can run alongside it.
Can I practice without the count on screen?
Yes, and that's the point once the basics stick. Hide the count display and the trainer quizzes you between hands on the running count, the true count, or decks remaining, then shows the right answer.
Is card counting legal?
Keeping track of cards in your head is not cheating. Using a device to count is illegal in many places, and casinos can still limit your bets or ask you to leave. This trainer uses play money only and never links to a casino.
How is this different from a flash-card count drill?
Flash cards train speed on a clean pile. Here you count while making real decisions at a full table: other players' cards move the count, the discard tray shows how much shoe is left, and your bet and play should change with the true count.
Is it free?
Yes. Counting practice, quizzes, deviations and the bet spread are all free, with no ads and no account required. It runs in any modern browser, on a phone or a computer.