Quick answer: Counting cards in your head is not a crime anywhere in Australia. What is illegal (in NSW, for example) is using a device to count or record cards without the casino's approval. Casinos can still restrict your bets or ban you, and shuffling machines stop most counts before they start. For most players it is a great way to learn the game, and a poor way to make money.
"Is card counting illegal in Australia?" comes up on Aussie forums every few months, usually right after someone is asked to leave a table. The honest answer has three parts: the law, the casino's own rules, and the cards themselves. We cover all three, then teach you the Hi-Lo count in about 10 minutes.
What the law says
- Counting in your head: not an offence. You are using your memory, the same as remembering which cards have gone in any card game.
- Using a device: in NSW, section 87(2) of the Casino Control Act 1992 bans using any device to count or record cards dealt in a casino, unless the casino approves it. The maximum penalty is 50 penalty units or 12 months in prison, or both. Phones, apps and hidden computers all fall into this.
- Cheating is different: marked cards, tampering and working with a dealer are criminal offences in every state.
We are not lawyers, and other states word their laws differently. If you are unsure, read the Casino Control Act for your state or ask the casino's regulator.
What the casino can do anyway
Legal does not mean welcome. Australian casinos are private businesses operating under their own approved game rules.
- Restrict your bets. Crown's blackjack rules (clause 5.11) allow the casino to restrict a player's bets, for example holding you to the table minimum.
- Refuse service at blackjack, or at all table games.
- Exclude you from the casino. Some players who were excluded as suspected counters have challenged it: in 2022 the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) set aside the exclusion of two alleged counters from Star casinos in Queensland.
- Track your play. Carded play is now compulsory at Crown and The Star, so every bet is linked to your name.
In my experience, the bet restriction is the most common response, and players rarely see it coming because they never read the rules document.
The Hi-Lo count in 10 minutes
Hi-Lo is the most widely taught system. It tracks whether the cards left in the shoe favour you (many 10s and aces) or the dealer (many small cards).
| Cards | Count value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | +1 | Small cards leaving the shoe help you |
| 7, 8, 9 | 0 | Neutral |
| 10, J, Q, K, A | -1 | Big cards leaving the shoe hurt you |
- Keep a running count. Start at 0 after the shuffle and add each card's value as it appears.
- Convert to a true count. Divide the running count by the number of decks left to play. A running count of +6 with 3 decks left is a true count of +2.
- Bet more when the true count is high. Counters raise their bet at +2 or more and bet the minimum otherwise.
- Adjust a few plays. The best known: take insurance only when the true count is +3 or higher.
Want to practise? Count down a deck of cards at home: if you end on 0, you counted correctly. Then use the blackjack trainer to make sure your basic strategy is automatic first, because counting is useless if you still make strategy errors.
Why counting is harder in Australia
Think Aussie casinos are easy targets because the dealer shows only one card? The opposite is true. Here is what works against a counter:
- Continuous shuffling machines. Cards go back into the machine every few hands, so the count never builds. Players on Whirlpool reported this at Crown more than a decade ago, and it is common today.
- No hole card rules. Under ENHC a dealer blackjack takes your doubles and splits, which cuts the value of the big bets you make at high counts. See no hole card blackjack.
- Dealer hits soft 17 on many games, adding about 0.22% to the house edge you need to overcome.
- Blackjack Plus and other variants with house edges far beyond anything a count can beat. See Blackjack Plus.
- High minimums and carded play. Big bet swings are easy to spot on a tracked card.
A former dealer on Whirlpool summed it up years ago: with shuffling machines on the floor, counting simply stops being an issue for the casino.
Is it worth it?
For almost everyone, no, if the goal is money. The edge a skilled counter gets under good conditions is small (often around 1%), the swings are large, and Australian conditions are rarely good. One experienced player on a blackjack forum put it bluntly: against shufflers at The Star, a counter betting less than A$2,000 a hand would earn less than a waiter.
As a way to understand the game, it is excellent. Learning why a shoe full of 10s helps you teaches you more about blackjack than any book of tips.
Card counting myths
- "You need to memorise every card." No. You track one number.
- "Counting is illegal." Not in your head. Devices are a different story.
- "Counters win every session." No. Counters lose many sessions. The edge only shows over thousands of hands.
- "The player at third base ruined the count." No player's choice changes the odds of the cards to come.
Rules change from one casino to the next, and sometimes from one table to the next in the same room. Want every casino in one view? See blackjack rules at every Australian casino (one table, with sources). Or use these guides side by side before you choose a table: New to Aussie tables? Start with our Australian blackjack rules guide and keep the strategy chart open while you practise.Compare with other Aussie casinos
Casino guide What stands out Key number Crown Melbourne blackjack Rules Version 29.0: no hole card, double 9-11, Crown Blackjack hits soft 17 Pontoon 0.38% The Star Sydney blackjack Star Blackjack hits soft 17, Blackjack Challenge, NSW carded play Pontoon 0.42% Crown Sydney blackjack Traditional vs Crown Blackjack, partial doubles, no pokies A$20 legal minimum Crown Perth blackjack Soft 17 set by table layout, dealer blackjack takes all, resplit aces Pontoon 0.38% The Star Brisbane and Gold Coast Star Blackjack hits soft 17, 2026 ownership change About 0.8% SkyCity Adelaide blackjack Freebet and 6:5 Party Blackjack, SA's only casino Pontoon 0.64%
Game and tool guides What it covers Key number Blackjack Plus Dealer 22 pushes, instant pays on 21 and five cards 6.36% house edge Pontoon vs blackjack 48-card decks, player 21 always wins, house edge by city 0.34% to 0.64% Side bets in Australia Crown Pairs, Buster Blackjack, Any Pair, insurance 1.9% to 22% Minimum bets in Australia What players report at Crown and The Star, electronic tables Checked Sept 2026 Card counting in Australia What is legal, counting devices, bet limits and bans NSW s87(2) House edge calculator Enter your table's rules and see the cost per hour A$ per hour
Frequently asked questions
Is card counting illegal in Australia?
Counting in your head is not an offence. Using a device to count or record cards is illegal in NSW without the casino's approval (Casino Control Act 1992, section 87(2)), with a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units or 12 months in prison.
Can Crown or The Star ban me for counting cards?
They can restrict your bets, refuse you service or exclude you. Crown's rules, for example, include a clause (5.11) that allows bet restrictions.
Can I use a card counting app in an Australian casino?
No. In NSW this is a criminal offence without the casino's approval, and other casinos treat it as cheating.
Does card counting work against shuffling machines?
No. A continuous shuffling machine returns cards to the pack every few hands, so a meaningful count never builds.
What is the easiest card counting system?
Hi-Lo: count +1 for 2 to 6, 0 for 7 to 9 and -1 for 10s and aces, then divide by the decks left to get the true count.
Master basic strategy first
Every counter starts with perfect basic strategy. Build it on our free blackjack game and the strategy chart, with practice points only.