The running count alone is misleading in a multi-deck shoe: +6 with five decks left is far weaker than +6 with one deck left. The true count divides the running count by the number of decks remaining. The shoe x-ray in the lab shows both, updated with every card.
Deal through the shoe and estimate decks remaining from the discard tray, then check your true count against the x-ray. The distribution table below shows how rarely high true counts appear in a 6-deck shoe.
Open this experiment in the lab ↑All numbers below were computed by the same simulator and models that run in the lab above, when this page was built.
2,000 simulated 6-deck shoes dealt to 85% penetration. Share of dealt cards seen at each true count (running count divided by decks remaining):
| True count | Share of cards |
|---|---|
| ≤ −4 | 8.6% |
| −3 | 5.5% |
| −2 | 8.9% |
| −1 | 15.5% |
| 0 | 22.8% |
| +1 | 15.8% |
| +2 | 9.0% |
| +3 | 5.5% |
| ≥ +4 | 8.4% |
| Cards | Tag |
|---|---|
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | +1 |
| 7, 8, 9 | 0 |
| 10, J, Q, K, A | −1 |
Divide the running count by the decks still to be dealt. A running count of +8 with 4 decks left is a true count of +2.
Most players estimate to the nearest half deck by looking at the discard tray. The lab rounds decks remaining to half decks in the same way.
As a rule of thumb, each point of true count shifts the expected return by about half a percent toward the player. With a house edge near 0.5%, a true count around +1 is roughly break-even and the player is ahead from about +2. The table shows how rarely those counts appear.
No. It is a free math trainer with virtual coins. No prizes, 18+.
Free-to-play entertainment and math education with virtual coins only. No real money, no deposits, no withdrawals, no prizes. 18+. Simulated results do not predict real outcomes.