Give every card you see a value and keep a running total, the running count. A high count means the cards left in the shoe are rich in tens and aces, which favors you.
| Cards | Value | Why |
|---|
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | +1 | Small cards leaving the shoe help you. |
| 7, 8, 9 | 0 | Neutral. Ignore them. |
| 10, J, Q, K, A | −1 | Big cards leaving the shoe hurt you. |
True count
The same running count matters more when fewer cards are left, so divide by the decks remaining.
True count = running count ÷ decks left
Rounding rule used here: estimate decks left to the nearest half deck, then drop the fraction toward zero. +2.6 becomes +2, and −1.7 becomes −1.
Example: running count +9 with 3.5 decks left is 9 ÷ 3.5 = 2.57, so the true count is +2.
Betting spread
Bet more when the true count is high. This trainer uses a 1–8 unit spread:
| True count +1 or lower | 1 unit |
| +2 | 2 units |
| +3 | 4 units |
| +4 | 6 units |
| +5 or higher | 8 units |
A full deck
A complete deck has twenty +1 cards and twenty −1 cards, so counting all 52 always ends at 0. That makes a full deck a perfect self-check.
Keyboard
Card values: 1, 2, 3 (or +, 0, −). Counts: type digits, − or + for the sign, Backspace to fix, Enter to check. Space or Enter deals and advances. ? opens this sheet.
Counting in your head is legal almost everywhere, though casinos can refuse your action. Using a device to count at a real table is illegal in many jurisdictions.