--- title: 'Can You Count Cards Online?' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=aQDrzJF82k0' video_id: 'aQDrzJF82k0' date: 2026-07-07 duration_sec: 0 --- # Can You Count Cards Online? > Source: [Can You Count Cards Online?](https://youtube.com/watch?v=aQDrzJF82k0) ## Summary This video examines whether online live dealer blackjack can be beaten with card counting. The host, Colin from Blackjack Apprenticeship, breaks down the three essential elements for profitable card counting—rules, deck penetration, and rounds per hour—and compares online and brick-and-mortar casinos. He concludes that online live dealer blackjack is not a viable option for card counters due to poor conditions and risks of non-payment. ### Key Points - **Question: Can you beat online live dealer blackjack with card counting?** [00:01] — The video addresses whether card counting works in online live dealer blackjack, given that players may lack access to physical casinos or prefer playing from home. - **Three essential elements for profitable card counting** [00:55] — For a blackjack game to be profitable for a card counter, three elements are needed: fair rules, sufficient deck penetration (how many cards are dealt before shuffling), and enough rounds per hour. - **Online game rules are fair but deck penetration is poor** [01:38] — Online live dealer games have decent rules but typically only deal half the shoe (e.g., 4 out of 8 decks) before shuffling, which is poor penetration. - **Rounds per hour are very slow online** [02:33] — Online games average 20-50 rounds per hour, compared to 100-200 in brick-and-mortar casinos, significantly reducing potential earnings. - **Profitability comparison: online vs. brick-and-mortar** [03:00] — With best online rules and a $250,000 bankroll, expected profit is $10-25/hour. In contrast, an average brick-and-mortar game with a $50,000 bankroll yields $100/hour. - **Risk of non-payment by online casinos** [04:41] — Online casinos, especially offshore ones, may refuse to pay out winnings if they suspect card counting, and they are not legally obligated to pay. - **Expert opinions confirm online card counting is not viable** [05:36] — Renowned advantage players Richard Munchkin and Tommy Hyland agree that online live dealer blackjack is a waste of time for card counters, while real casinos still offer opportunities. ### Conclusion Online live dealer blackjack is not a viable option for card counting due to poor deck penetration, slow play, and risk of non-payment. Real brick-and-mortar casinos remain the best environment for profitable card counting. ## Transcript money with card counting but either you don't have access to a brick and mortar or you just don't want to leave the comforts of your own home can you beat online live dealer blackjack with card counting i'm going to break that down in this video [Music] i'm calling for blackjack apprenticeship and i've played blackjack professionally casinos for roughly four million dollars and now i teach others how to beat blackjack with card counting and i get asked nearly every week can you beat online casinos with card counting i was even recently forwarded that claims card counting is possible in online and we all know that casinos are in the business of helping you take their money claim in order for a blackjack game to be profitable for a card counter it comes down to three essential first the rules of the game have to be fair enough that we can game secondly they have to deal enough of the cards before a shuffle that it is actually worth our time you have to be able to play enough rounds per hour to really break down these three elements i'm just kind of curious how many people watching online live dealer blackjack if you have leave a comment below and i'm curious what those conditions were the rules the deck penetration and how fast or slow the game felt not only have i looked into surveyed all of my card counter friends to find out criteria so let's dig into them starting with the rules of everything we've found with an actual shoe shuffled every round but there's some form of deck penetration we found not great but definitely rules that are good enough that i would play that game the second essential element is deck penetration which is how far into the six or eight decks did they deal before they shuffle and most of the games that aren't shuffled every round there are eight online and most casinos are going to deal four and then shuffle before dealing the other four decks get into the math in a minute but let's just say i game that had this pour of deck penetration the third element is rounds per hour or really you know how fast is the game advantage player jim makos looked into this he was finding he was playing about 20 rounds per hour now when we looked into it it was closer but compared to a brick and mortar casino where you're expecting a hundred or maybe 200 rounds per hour i would say 100 is the average for a 50 rounds per hour means that you're making half as much money per hour as another table let me recap so far we've got average rules poor deck penetration at a very slow game so let's get into the so that you can decide if this is worth your time here are the results for the best online casino rules we could find and with a bet spread of up to two spots assuming 100 rounds per hour which is average in a real casino this would be worth about 45 dollars an hour well to keep your risk their risk at one percent you would need a bankroll of 250 000 to play this game and then when you factor in the rounds per hour that it's per hour for an online casino but closer to 50 or maybe 25 rounds per hour that game becomes worth about 10 to 25 dollars per hour with a 250 000 bankroll now let's compare that with a real i would say average an eight deck game but average deck penetration of one and a half decks cut off hundred dollars an hour of eevee and only need a fifty thousand dollar a fifty thousand dollar bankroll but this is what you would need with that exact same bet spread to make a hundred dollars an hour and if and you're able to maximize your rounds per hour in a casino you can actually make a lot more than that larger bankroll you can make more money better rules more money and better deck penetration going to find any better than this at an online casino average conditions at a brick and mortar casino sounding good guess what it gets worse not only massive bankroll to beat them but there are stories i mean first-hand with me and saying colin i know you said not to play online anyway i won forty thousand dollars and now the casino will not give me my money and you could be saying well they've got to give you no they don't if this is some offshore casino on the casino that if they believe that you are using going to know they don't have to pay you out i've been a part of advantage plays with online casinos where they've refused to pay us we were trying it anyway if all of that sounds worth it for you you can go for it but the bottom line is this while i know living at real live casinos i do not know a single advantage player who is trying to count cards online and don't just take my word for it here's what richard munchkin said when i he's one of the most successful well-known respected advantage players he's part of the blackjack hall of fame and i asked him and he responded with learn card counting can find far better opportunities than i see counting those games as an enormous waste of someone's time so while online live dealer blackjack is not a viable option real casinos absolutely still are here's what tommy hyland when when would be the best time to play you know it's only my opinion other people say was definitely better in the old days but i think this is a real good time to make money blackjack in real casinos for real money you can check out some of our other videos or check out blackjackapprenticeship.com