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Blackjack Shoeshark v3.6
Important Notice
This software is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not guarantee any gambling outcome, and no strategy, count, or betting calculation eliminates the house edge or assures a profit.
Gambling carries inherent financial risk. You are solely responsible for verifying that your use of this software complies with the terms of service of any casino or gaming platform you use, and with the gambling laws and regulations of your jurisdiction.
Many casinos and online live-dealer platforms prohibit the use of external software — including card-counting or strategy tools — in connection with real-money play. Using this software at a live table, in person or online, may violate house rules or platform terms and could result in account restriction, forfeiture of funds, or other penalties. You assume all risk associated with such use.
This software is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, including the accuracy of any strategy, count, or betting calculation. The author accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or legal consequence arising from its use.
By continuing, you confirm you are of legal gambling age in your jurisdiction and agree to these terms.
New Game
Set up the shoe before you start counting.
How to use this program
1. Set up the shoe (above). Choose deck count, counting system, your base bet, and cut card penetration, then tap Start Game.
2. Track the count. As each card is dealt, tap its rank in whichever of the three Card Entry sections it belongs to — Other Players' Cards, My Cards, or Dealer's Cards. All three update Run and True live; green/red highlights show favorable or unfavorable counts.
3. Get a Suggested Play. Once you've entered at least 2 of your own cards and the dealer's first card, the Suggested Play box automatically shows a live Hit / Stand / Double / Split recommendation, factoring in basic strategy plus the current true count. Each hand's running total is shown next to its cards — soft hands display both totals (e.g. "8/18"), and it turns red if that hand busts.
4. Start the next hand. Tap New Round to clear "My Cards" and "Dealer's Cards" ready for the next deal — this doesn't affect the count, since those cards were genuinely dealt and stay part of the shoe.
5. Check Count-Based Deviations. This list shows the standard deviations from basic strategy (e.g. "16 vs 10 → Stand") and switches color automatically once the true count crosses each play's threshold. Tap any threshold number to edit it.
6. Watch Bet Size. Enter your bet unit and it suggests a spread-based bet for the current count.
7. Watch Penetration & Composition. The penetration line shows how deep into the shoe you are. If a rank's tally goes higher than physically possible for your deck count, a red warning appears — check for a misclick.
8. Fix mistakes. Use Undo to remove the last card entered, from whichever section it came from. Use New Game to reset everything for a freshly shuffled shoe.
9. Settings (⚙). Change deck count, counting system, casino rules, DAS, currency, or penetration mid-session without starting over.
Blackjack Shoeshark — Help
Getting Started
Select your number of decks, counting system,
casino rules and base bet before starting a game.
Card Counting
Enter each card as it appears using the appropriate
card-entry section. Shoeshark automatically updates
the running count and true count.
Shoe Advantage Meter
The Shoe Advantage Meter estimates whether the current
card count favours the player or the casino.
House Edge: The estimated percentage
advantage held by the casino.
Player Edge: The estimated percentage
advantage held by the player.
For 6-deck and 8-deck games, the starting house edge
automatically adjusts according to the selected casino
rules: S17, H17, ENHC S17 or ENHC H17.
The starting figures are based on Wizard of Odds
calculations for 3:2 blackjack, Double After Split
and the corresponding rules.
The meter uses an approximate adjustment of 0.5
percentage points per Hi-Lo true-count point.
It is an estimate, not an exact calculation of
the remaining shoe's mathematical advantage.
For 1, 2 and 4 decks, the meter displays
House Edge: N/A because starting values have
not been calibrated for those deck counts.
Suggested Play
Enter your cards and the dealer's upcard to display
the recommended basic-strategy action.
Count-Based Deviations
The deviations panel shows when the current true
count may justify a different action from basic strategy.
Training Mode
Use Training Mode to practise blackjack decisions
and improve your strategy knowledge.
Card-Counting Systems
Blackjack Shoeshark supports seven counting systems.
Select your preferred system from the New Game screen
or Settings.
Hi-Lo:
A popular balanced counting system.
Simple to learn and suitable for beginners.
KO (Knock-Out):
An unbalanced counting system that simplifies
counting by reducing the need for true-count conversion.
Hi-Opt I:
A balanced system that assigns zero to aces.
Hi-Opt II:
A more advanced multi-level counting system.
Omega II:
A balanced multi-level system designed to provide
more detailed card information.
Zen Count:
A balanced multi-level system using different
values for different card ranks.
Wong Halves:
An advanced counting system using half-point values
for greater precision.
Running Count and True Count
Running Count:
The running count is the total of the card values
recorded using your selected counting system.
Shoeshark updates it automatically whenever
you enter a card.
True Count:
For balanced counting systems, the true count
adjusts the running count according to the
estimated number of decks remaining.
Example:
Using Hi-Lo, if the running count is +8
and approximately 4 decks remain,
the true count is +2.
Decks Remaining:
Shoeshark estimates the number of decks remaining
from the original shoe size and the cards entered.
Accurate card entry is therefore important.
Understanding Cut Card Penetration
What is penetration?
Penetration describes how much of the blackjack shoe
is dealt before the dealer reshuffles the cards.
Example:
In an 8-deck shoe with 75% penetration,
approximately 6 decks are dealt before reshuffling,
leaving 2 decks undealt.
Why does penetration matter?
Deeper penetration generally provides more opportunities
for the running count to become favourable before
the shoe is reshuffled.
How Shoeshark displays penetration:
The penetration indicator shows the percentage
of the shoe already dealt and the selected
cut-card position.
Shoeshark updates this automatically as cards are entered.
Setting the cut card:
Enter the expected penetration percentage when
starting a new game, or change it in Settings.
For example, 75 means approximately 75% of the
shoe will be dealt before reshuffling.
Understanding Casino Rules
S17 — Dealer Stands on Soft 17:
The dealer must stand on all totals of 17,
including a soft 17 such as Ace and 6.
H17 — Dealer Hits Soft 17:
The dealer must take another card when holding
a soft 17. This rule generally increases
the house advantage compared with S17.
ENHC — European No Hole Card:
The dealer initially receives only one card.
The dealer's second card is dealt later.
If the dealer subsequently has blackjack,
additional wagers from doubling and splitting
may also be lost, depending on the table rules.
DAS — Double After Split:
When DAS is allowed, players may double down
on eligible hands created after splitting a pair.
When DAS is not allowed, this option is unavailable.
How rules affect Suggested Play:
Blackjack Shoeshark uses your selected casino
rules when calculating basic-strategy recommendations.
Choose the rules that match your blackjack table
to receive the appropriate suggestions.
Understanding Suggested Play
What is Suggested Play?
Blackjack Shoeshark analyses your cards and
the dealer's visible card to recommend an action
based on the selected blackjack rules.
Hit:
Take another card to improve your hand.
Stand:
Keep your current hand without taking another card.
Double:
Double your original wager and receive
exactly one additional card.
Split:
Divide a pair into two separate hands,
placing an additional wager equal to
your original wager.
Basic Strategy:
Basic strategy identifies the mathematically
preferred action for a particular hand
against the dealer's upcard, based on
the selected casino rules.
Count-Based Deviations:
Card counting can sometimes indicate that
a different action is preferable to basic strategy.
Shoeshark displays these situations separately
in the Count-Based Deviations panel.
Important:
Suggested Play does not guarantee a winning hand.
It provides strategy guidance based on the
information entered into Shoeshark.
Understanding Count-Based Deviations
What is a deviation?
A count-based deviation is a change from normal
basic strategy when the card count indicates
that another action may be preferable.
Understanding the numbers:
Each deviation has a true-count threshold.
This is the count at which a different
strategy decision may become appropriate.
Example — 16 against Dealer 10:
Under common Hi-Lo strategy variations,
a player normally hits hard 16 against 10
when the true count is negative.
At a true count of zero or higher,
standing may become preferable.
How Shoeshark displays deviations:
The Count-Based Deviations panel displays
the relevant hands, their thresholds and
the indicated strategy actions.
These update as the count changes.
Important:
Deviation thresholds depend on the counting
system and casino rules. Not every deviation
applies to every blackjack game.
Always check the selected rules.
Understanding Bet Sizing
Base Bet:
The base bet is the starting betting amount
you select when setting up a new game.
For example, a base bet of £5 represents
one betting unit.
Suggested Bet:
Blackjack Shoeshark uses the current count
to calculate a suggested betting amount.
The suggested bet is displayed alongside
your base bet on the main screen.
Betting Multiplier:
The suggested bet is calculated by multiplying
your base betting unit by a multiplier.
For example, a £5 base bet with a multiplier
of 3 produces a suggested bet of £15.
Understanding the Count:
In balanced counting systems, a higher
positive true count can indicate a more
favourable remaining card composition.
Shoeshark uses count information to
adjust its suggested betting multiplier.
Bankroll Management:
Increasing your bet also increases the
amount of money at risk.
Even favourable counts do not guarantee
winning hands or profitable sessions.
Important:
Suggested bets are informational guidance,
not a guarantee of profit.
Always set your own spending limits and
never wager more than you can afford to lose.
New Round, Undo and New Game
New Round:
Use New Round when the current blackjack hand has finished.
Shoeshark clears your cards and the dealer's cards,
ready for the next hand.
The running count is preserved because the same shoe
is still being used.
Undo:
If you accidentally enter an incorrect card,
click Undo to remove the most recently entered card.
Shoeshark automatically corrects the running count
and card totals.
New Game:
Use New Game when starting a freshly shuffled shoe
or beginning a new session.
This resets the running count, cards entered
and shoe progress.
Important:
Use New Round between hands.
Use New Game only when you want to start a fresh shoe.
Licence and Activation
Activating Shoeshark:
When you first install Blackjack Shoeshark,
the Product Activation screen displays your
unique Installation ID.
Provide this ID to your licence supplier
to obtain your activation licence.
Entering Your Licence:
Copy the complete licence supplied to you
into the activation field and select
Activate Shoeshark.
A valid licence must match your Installation ID.
Checking Licence Status:
Open Settings to view your activation status,
Licence ID, edition, registered customer
and expiry date.
Deactivating Shoeshark:
The Settings panel includes a Deactivate Licence
button. Deactivation removes the locally stored
activation and returns Shoeshark to the
Product Activation screen.
Important:
Keep a secure copy of your licence.
A licence issued for one Installation ID
will not automatically activate another installation.
Troubleshooting
Licence Not Accepted:
Check that you have copied the complete licence
without missing characters.
Make sure the licence was issued for the
Installation ID displayed by Shoeshark.
If the problem continues, contact your licence supplier.
Incorrect Card Entered:
Click Undo to remove the most recently entered card.
Then enter the correct card using the appropriate
card-entry section.
Unexpected Running Count:
Check that all dealt cards have been entered correctly
and that the correct counting system is selected.
Remember that different counting systems assign
different values to cards.
Unexpected Suggested Play:
Check the selected casino rules, including
S17 or H17, European No Hole Card rules
and Double After Split settings.
Strategy recommendations depend on these options.
Settings Not as Expected:
Open Settings and check your selected number of decks,
counting system, casino rules, currency and penetration.
Changes to these settings can affect displayed results.
Starting Again:
Use New Round to begin another hand in the same shoe.
Use New Game when beginning a freshly shuffled shoe.
