Deck Penetration

Deck Penetration is defined as to how deep a blackjack dealer will deal into a deck before shuffling. This is important to the card counter because the deeper the deck is dealt, the more accurate and powerful the count becomes. How do you know if the penetration is good or not? Card Counters use the Rule of Six. The rule comes from instructions casino management normally gives to its dealers. Dealers are told to shuffle when the amount of players, plus the amount of rounds total six. For example, a table with two players would normally see four rounds, than a shuffle (2 + 4 = 6). One player would get five rounds before a shuffle (1 + 5 = 6). Any single deck game that excesses the Rule of Six is a very good game for a counter. In a double-deck game you want the dealer to deal out at least two-thirds of the deck before shuffling, this would result in a 65 percent penetration rate, which is also good. Any games with less then these standards should be avoided. Remember, each and every advantage, no matter how small, helps your win-rate; therefore, you should always pay close attention to deck Penetration.