Burn Cards in Blackjack

Introduction

In blackjack, every card dealt can influence the outcome of a hand, but not all cards are meant to be played. Before dealing, the dealer often removes and discards a burn card—a standard practice in casinos.

This article will explore why burn cards are used and what players should know about them.

Why is a Burn Card in Blackjack?

A burn card is a card that the dealer discards face-down before dealing hands with players. Casinos commonly use this practice to prevent cheating, counteract card counting, and ensure fair play. While the burn card slightly affects the probabilities of card distribution, its overall impact on the game is minimal in multi-deck blackjack.

Why Do Casinos Use Burn Cards in Blackjack?

The use of burn cards in blackjack serves multiple purposes, including:

• Preventing Card Counting – Skilled players who use card counting techniques track the ratio of high and low cards left in the deck. A burn card disrupts this count, making it harder to gain an advantage.
• Reducing Predictability – Players could use that knowledge unfairly if a dealer mistakenly exposes the top card or if marked cards are in play. Burning a card ensures that the first playable card remains unknown.
• Following Standard Casino Procedures – Most casinos have strict dealing protocols that require at least one burn card at the start of a shoe.

When Are Burn Cards Used in Blackjack?

Burn cards appear in multiple scenarios in a blackjack game:

1. At the Start of a Shoe

In shoe-dealt blackjack (where 6 or 8 decks are used in a shoe), the dealer burns one card at the start before dealing the first round.

This practice ensures that players cannot predict the first few cards.

Example:

You are playing an 8-deck blackjack game at a casino. The dealer shuffles the cards, asks a player to cut the deck, and then burns the top card before dealing hands.

The burn card is the Ace of Spades (though it remains unseen to players).

That Ace is now out of play, meaning there’s one fewer ace in the remaining decks.

The probability is slightly reduced if you were hoping for an Ace to make a blackjack.

2. After a Shuffle

Whenever the dealer reshuffles the cards, they may burn a card before resuming the game.

This prevents any knowledge of the top card from carrying over from the previous round.

3. When Using a Cut Card

In shoe games, a cut card is placed towards the back of the deck to indicate when the shoe is running low and needs to be reshuffled.

Once the cut card appears, the dealer finishes the round, reshuffles the decks, and then burns a new card before continuing.

4. In Single-Deck or Double-Deck Blackjack

Some casinos require the dealer to burn one card before each round in hand-dealt games (single- or double-deck).

This disrupts any advantage a player might gain from tracking the order of the deck.

Example:

You are playing single-deck blackjack, where the dealer deals cards manually instead of using a shoe. The dealer shuffles and burns the first card before dealing.

If the burn card was a 5 of Hearts, that card is no longer in play for the round.

If you were counting cards and knew that a 5 was about to be dealt, this burn ruins your tracking, making card counting less effective.

How Many Cards Are Burned in Blackjack?

The number of burn cards varies depending on the game type and casino rules:

In most multi-deck games, only one burn card is used at the start of the shoe.

A burn card may be used before every round in some single-deck or double-deck games.

What Happens to Burn Cards?

Burn cards are discarded face-down and never revealed to the players. They remain out of play for the entire game and are placed in a discard pile with the other used cards.

Some players try to guess the burn card based on how the dealer handles the deck, but casinos take precautions to prevent this.

In rare cases, if a dealer accidentally exposes the burn card, some casinos may reshuffle the deck.

Example:

A dealer burns a card, but it slips and flips over, revealing the Queen of Diamonds to all players.

Some casinos ignore this and continue the game.

Other casinos may reshuffle the deck to remove any player advantage.

Do Online Blackjack Games Use Burn Cards?

1. Live Dealer Online Blackjack

Live dealer blackjack is streamed in real-time from a casino or a studio with a human dealer dealing physical cards. These games follow the same rules as traditional casino blackjack, including using burn cards.

How Burn Cards Are Used in Live Dealer Blackjack:

• One card is burned at the start of a new shoe (just like in land-based casinos).
• The burn card is placed face-down and not revealed to players.
• After a shuffle, a new burn card is used before dealing resumes.
• Single-deck or double-deck live dealer games may use a burn card before every round.

Example:

You join a live dealer blackjack game with an 8-deck shoe.

• The dealer shuffles and asks a player to cut the deck.
• Before dealing, the dealer burns one card.
• The game proceeds as usual, and players do not see the burn card.

2. RNG-Based Online Blackjack

In RNG (Random Number Generator) blackjack, cards are not physically dealt. Instead, software algorithms randomly select cards for each hand.

Are Burn Cards Used in RNG Blackjack?

No, burn cards are not used in RNG-based online blackjack because:

• The deck is shuffled after every hand, making burn cards unnecessary.
• Each hand is independent of the previous one, meaning card counting is impossible.
• Since there’s no way for players to gain an unfair advantage, burning a card has no purpose.

Example:

You play RNG blackjack on a casino app.

• You place your bet and click ‘Deal’.
• The game instantly deals you two cards and the dealer’s upcard.
• No burn card is removed because the software ensures randomness by reshuffling every hand.

This is why card counting does not work in RNG-based blackjack games—there’s no shoe to track since the deck resets every round.

Can Burn Cards Be Used to a Player’s Advantage?

For most players, burn cards don’t impact strategy, but in very rare cases, a revealed burn card can provide useful information.

If a high-value card (10, J, Q, K, A) is burned, it slightly reduces the likelihood of a blackjack occurring.

Burning a low-value card (2–6) slightly increases the chance of drawing a high-value card.

However, these effects are minor and insufficient to change basic strategy or betting patterns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Burn Card Affect Your Blackjack Strategy?

For most players, burn cards don’t change strategy since the card is unseen and doesn’t impact decision-making. However, card counters may find it slightly challenging because one unknown card is removed, making their calculations less precise.

How Many Cards Do You Burn in Poker?

In Texas Hold’em and Omaha, one card is burned before the flop, turn, and river, totalling three burn cards per hand. However, house rules may vary in some home games or online settings, and some formats might not use burn cards at all.

Why Do You Burn a Card in Poker?

Burn cards in Poker are used to prevent cheating and card tracking. Burning a card adds randomness and ensures fair play since players could potentially identify cards from marks, creases, or dealer errors. It also prevents skilled players from predicting the next card by observing how cards are placed in the deck.

Conclusion

Burning cards in blackjack is a simple but effective way to maintain the game's fairness and randomness. While it may not have a visible impact on the casual player, it is essential to prevent card counting and ensure game integrity, especially in casinos where large sums of money are at stake.