Any movie buff out there has seen countless card counting scenes over the years.

They’re one of film’s biggest clichés, going as far back as 1946’s Gilda, which sees skilled gambler Johnny Farrell counting cards in a game of blackjack early on in the film where he, of course, eventually wins.

Card counting scenes have also been featured in Rain Man (1998), The Last Casino (2004), 21 (2008), and many, many other movies.

Perhaps most famously of all is the legendary blackjack card-counting scene from The Hangover (2009), where Alan counts cards in a game of blackjack to win over $80k in one of the greatest comedies of all time.

The point is that card-counting scenes have been part of cinema for decades and are still being used today, often leaving movie-goers wondering if it’s as easy in real life as it is on-screen.

So, what’s the deal?

The truth is that it is possible to count cards in blackjack. Technically, you can also count cards in poker and other card games, too, but this strategy is most common in blackjack. And it’s not as easy in real life.

Card Counting Isn’t As Easy As it Looks in the Movies

Even though it’s technically possible to count cards and win games of blackjack from it, the process is not as easy or glamorous as the movies make it look.

In fact, it’s extremely difficult.

The aim of card counting is to mentally keep track of which cards have already been used in the game. By keeping track of the ratio of low cards to high cards in the active deck, you can then have a better idea of whether to HIT or STAND.

Imagine you’re in a tense game of blackjack and have bet $50. You have a hand value of 17 (10♥, 7♣) and the dealer has a face up card of 9♠. You decide to STAND and not receive a new card based on your card-counting knowledge that the deck has more high value cards remaining than low value cards, meaning you’d be more likely to go bust if you took a HIT. This is how card counting works in blackjack.

When it comes to actually counting the cards, you assign point values to cards as they are dealt, as this helps you keep track of the high-to-low cards ratio currently remaining in the deck:

• Take a seat at the blackjack table and start with the number 0 in your head
• For every card that gets dealt, do +1 for 2–6, 0 for 7–9, and -1 for 10–Ace
• You will then want to increase your bets when the number is positive and decrease them when the number is negative

It’s something that ultimately takes practice and quite a lot of time to get good at. But once you’ve put in the hours, it’s genuinely possible to start using it as a blackjack strategy, which we’d estimate about 1% of the existing blackjack community currently does.

Can You Count Cards In Online Blackjack?

Card counting is something that’s traditionally done inside land-based casinos, like the ones on the Las Vegas Strip.

However, it’s technically possible to also count cards in online blackjack using the exact same method, although the problem with online blackjack is that the automated software usually shuffles the card every time a new hand is dealt, making it extremely tricky to count cards.

If you do decide to try counting cards in online blackjack, you can do this in both online casinos and sweepstakes casinos.

The difference with sweepstakes casinos is that you’ll be playing with virtual coins — Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins — instead of actual real money, and you can use the Sweepstakes casino bonus offers to get plenty of coins for free.

It’s generally easier to play blackjack online, but the card-counting side is harder, which is why we recommend only doing it in land-based casinos instead.

Is Counting Cards Illegal?

You might be surprised to learn that counting cards is, in most places, completely legal.

Players in the US, Canada, and UK can count cards in their head no matter where they’re playing, as there are no explicit laws or rules in place that prevent you from doing it, as counting cards is technically not cheating.

However, casinos and other land-based establishments can ask you to leave, or ban you entirely, if they believe you are, indeed, counting cards. Often, what happens is that dealers will spot players who they believe to be card-counting and will then report them, leading to those players being kicked out of the establishment.

Again, though, this isn’t illegal. The only time it becomes illegal is if you use a device, such as an iPhone or Android, to do the card counting for you. In cases like this, you can actually get in serious legal trouble.

So, as long as you stick to just counting cards in your head, you’re safe from a legal perspective, whether you’re playing in-person or online. Just be wary that if dealers or any of the other casino employees suspect that you’re card-counting, they’re within their rights to kick you out.

Popular Misconceptions About Card Counting

The biggest misconception people have about card counting is that they think it’s illegal, but there are plenty of other misconceptions out there, too.

Some of these misconceptions include:

• There are guaranteed wins (this is not always the case)
• You need a photographic memory
• It’s just as easy as the movies

None of these are true, especially the misconception that counting cards guarantees you wins. Remember, counting cards is just a way of tracking the ratio of high to low cards in a deck. Even when you’re privy to this knowledge, you still don’t know for certain which card is going to be drawn next, so there’s never a guarantee you’re going to win. It does make the odds more favourable for you, though, which is why blackjack players in particular have been counting cards for decades.

You Can Count Cards Like Alan from The Hangover, But Be Careful

If you’ve recently watched The Hangover (2009) or Rain Man (1999), you might be feeling inspired to go on an Alan or Raymond Babbitt-style card counting crusade. And of course, there’s nothing stopping you from doing this, but keep in mind that card counting is much harder in real life than it is in the movies. Not to mention, even if you manage to get good at it, the strategy of counting cards is still not a guaranteed way to land wins, even if it does boost your chances considerably.