Low cards help the dealer, high cards help you. Hi-Lo tracks which ones are gone.
Running count: start at 0 after the shuffle and add each card’s value as it’s exposed. A full deck sums to 0.
True count = running count ÷ decks left in the shoe (eyeball the discard tray). +12 with 4 decks left is +3. Round down.
What it buys you: each +1 of true count shifts about 0.5% toward you. At 6 decks, H17, the house starts around 0.6% ahead, so you have the edge from roughly TC +2 up. Bet more then, the minimum otherwise.
Index plays: a few strategy changes at high or low counts, mainly insurance at TC +3. The Indexes tab drills the Illustrious 18 and Fab 4.
Counting in your head is legal. The casino can still refuse your action or ask you to flat bet. It does nothing against a continuous shuffler (cards go back in the machine every hand), so check whether your table deals from a shoe. Deep penetration (how far into the shoe they deal before shuffling) matters more than the number of decks.
Spanish 21 uses a different count since the 10s are already gone; this trainer is for regular blackjack.
Values → Count (one card at a time, then two) → Deck (one deck under 30 seconds) → True → Indexes → Bets. Then turn on count checks at the Blackjack Table.
Tap the Hi-Lo value of each card. Go for speed once you’re accurate.
Cards flash by. Keep the count, then enter it.
Tap through a full deck as fast as you can while counting. One card stays face down. When the deck runs out, say what the hidden card is worth: the count you ended on is the negative of it (end at +1? the hidden card is a −1).
The hidden card is worth…
Running count ÷ decks left, rounded down. Read decks left off the discard tray: the shoe holds 6 decks.
Basic strategy, except when the true count says otherwise. Rules from your blackjack settings: .
Hit or stand: play the index action at that true count or higher. Negative numbers: stand at that count or higher, hit below it. Shoe game, dealer stands on soft 17 (Schlesinger, Blackjack Attack); H17 shifts a few by about one.
Bet the minimum until you have the edge, then raise with the true count. Edit the ramp to match your bankroll.
Roughly: your edge ≈ (TC − 1) × 0.5%. A 1-to-8 spread on a 6-deck H17 shoe wins about 1% of total action with good penetration. Bigger spreads draw attention.