Table rules
How you bet
Results
Every decision follows the basic strategy chart for these rules. Splits up to four hands, split aces get one card each, the dealer checks for blackjack, no insurance. Play money.
This blackjack simulator plays the hands so you don’t have to. Set the table to six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed, and run 100,000 hands of perfect basic strategy at $10 a hand. You’ll lose about 0.41% of what you bet, roughly $4,100 on a million dollars of action. Change the payout to 6:5 and it jumps to about 1.74%. Switch to a Hi-Lo count with a 1-to-12 spread and the same shoe gives a small player edge. It’s free, uses real shuffled shoes, and shows the swings along the way.
What the blackjack simulator actually does
Every hand is dealt from a shoe that’s shuffled when it reaches the penetration you set. The player follows the basic strategy chart for those exact rules: splits up to four hands, one card on split aces, the dealer peeks for blackjack. With counting on, the bet each hand is set by the true count: one unit at a count of +1 or lower, then one more unit per point of true count, up to your maximum.
The results show the edge it found, the standard deviation per hand, the biggest drawdown, and how many of your sessions ended ahead. The chart draws one long run, which is where you’ll see why even a winning counter has months that feel like a losing one.
Things worth trying
- Rules matter more than people expect. Flip dealer hits soft 17 on and off: it’s worth about 0.2%. Take away double after split: another 0.14%.
- Penetration is everything for counters. Run the same spread at 65% and 85% penetration. The difference between a break-even count and a real edge is mostly how deep the dealer goes.
- Sessions ahead. With basic strategy and no count, a decent share of short sessions still end ahead. That’s variance, not skill, and it’s why short-term results tell you almost nothing.
To practise the strategy itself, use the blackjack trainer. The card counting trainer drills the count, and the Illustrious 18 lists the index plays that add most to a counter’s edge.
Gamble with money you can afford to lose. If it stops being fun, BeGambleAware.org is free and confidential.