Microgaming live Blackjack deck penetration? 70-80%

**TheGreatLeslie** · 02-28-2015, 05:34 AM

I have only started to get into card counting this past week and i'm familiar with the hi-lo method of counting, and that deck penetration is important. I notice on live dealer Blackjack games powered by Playtech that they use 8 decks and have a cut of 50% which of course is very difficult to make money counting, but today I came accross Microgaming who power a lot of casinos, and they seem to cut at around the 70% mark at the very least, using 8 decks.

Anyone else familar with Microgaming? Am I just a newbie is missing something? Can these tables be counted?

**ferenc11** · 02-28-2015, 01:07 PM

Which site was that? Thx

**moo321** · 03-02-2015, 06:31 AM

I haven't seen a live online casino get more than 50 hands per hour. I guess it's possible, but there's things I'd rather do with my time.

**RWM** · 03-02-2015, 08:15 AM

Leslie, most of the players here are from the US, and Microgaming pulled out of the US in 2006 after the UIGEA passed. There is very little online gaming here in the US and the plaes that do operate have problems getting money in and out. That is why you won't see a lot of response on this. But to answer your question yes they could be counted but they will probably back you off quickly. I agree with Moo, most online games are 50% pen and very slow. You would be better off finding other ways to exploit the online games.

**foxymoron** · 05-12-2015, 05:23 AM

You want to avoid betting behind, as you are not allowed to double or split on those hands. Also tables get very full, and I have often found the game "cancelled" owing to a technical error when a card is not scanned properly. It always seems to be the case that the dealer has a 5 or a 6 when this happens! I have heard of people banned when they have staked as little as £200 with counts of +3 or so.

**Masterhoudini** · 06-14-2015, 03:40 PM

You should be careful. Lots also burn tons of cards at dealer change and the beginning of a shuffle. It's also dealer dependent.

**NotEnoughHeat** · 06-14-2015, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by TheGreatLeslie

I have only started to get into card counting this past week and i'm familiar with the hi-lo method of counting, and that deck penetration is important. I notice on live dealer Blackjack games powered by Playtech that they use 8 decks and have a cut of 50% which of course is very difficult to make money counting, but today I came accross Microgaming who power a lot of casinos, and they seem to cut at around the 70% mark at the very least, using 8 decks.

Anyone else familar with Microgaming? Am I just a newbie is missing something? Can these tables be counted?

They can, but you would be quite silly to. Questions about online play have been brought up a few times lately, use the search function.

Although the other threads referred to 50% pen games and 70% is a world of difference in the right direction, for 8D that's still a brutal lack of pen. The terribly slow game will still be roughly the same. Also there are extra heat considerations and there may not be any kind of entity that can effectively compel the casino to give your money (sometimes including deposit) if a dispute arises.

I would just try making the occasional trip to a casino. Even if you have to commit a few days at a time, it will be much more worth your time. I would rather have a few hours of play that are mildy volatile than lots of extreme volatile hours.