Blackjack Shuffle Tracking - Predict Which Cards Are Next!

Card counting is a method of beating the house that has been used for a long time. Though counting does work, it can be difficult to learn and even harder to successfully implement. The newest technique in beating the odds is blackjack shuffle tracking. Whereas card counting relies on a great memory for what has already been laid, blackjack shuffle tracking, also known as tracking the 'cluster', requires individuals to focus for longer lengths of time. While more difficult, its benefits and the possibility of winning big are much greater.

How it Works

Contrary to popular belief, shuffling a deck does not make the card order random. If someone is a good counter, they have an idea of what faces are left in the shoe when they are next mixed. By mentally tracing the remaining cards that are now added to the new deck, it is possible to envision how they will be grouped together giving an advantage on the next roun. As the new deck is added, the savvy scout can start to see the likely flip pattern to come.

The Casino's Perspective

Casinos do not want blackjack shuffle tracking to occur because it increases the odds that their members will walk away with money. Though they have become adept at finding card counters, it is much more difficult to identify those using a cluster tracking technique. In order to work, someone must mentally trace not only faces but also tens, and then proceed to monitor them in successive rounds. If there are more tens in play, it increases the chance that the house will bust, meaning the player has an advantage. Trackers increase their bets as the tens leave the shoe.

Where to use this Method

Though in-person casinos have a person arranging multiple decks, online gaming systems do not have this feature. The cards being pulled are truly random and they are being fully mixed at the end of each round of play, so using the shuffle tracking is not advantageous. When in-person gambling, casino dealers can make mistakes and as game play is fast, there is less time to fully shuffle each deck. This method, therefore, can successfully be used in casinos where a human being is doing the dealing.