IT'S HARD TO LEARN. First, you have to learn about the rule variations (things like 'double after. Even before the publication of Beat the Dealer, however, a small number of professional card counters were beating blackjack games in Las Vegas and casinos elsewhere. One of these early card counters was Jess Marcum, who is described in documents and interviews with professional gamblers of the time as having developed the first full-fledged. Card counting is a casino card game strategy used primarily in the blackjack family of casino games to determine whether the next hand is likely to give a probable advantage to the player or to the dealer. Card counters are a class of advantage players, who attempt to reverse the inherent casino house edge by keeping a running tally of all high and low valued cards seen by the player.
If you want to become a blackjack card counter, you're going to need to know how casinos spot card counters. It's not illegal to play perfect blackjack strategy. It's not even illegal to count cards when your play blackjack. But the casino has the right to refuse service to anyone, including gamblers who count cards. The trick is to keep the casino staff from noticing your tactics.
The big downside of being caught counting cards is being placed on a list that will bar you from playing in that casino ever again. Yes, there really is a nationwide database of suspected card counters.
Here's a look at how blackjack dealers, casino staff, pit bosses, casino security, and gaming managers spot card counters.
Changing Bet Levels
The best way to get busted by casino management for card counting is to alter your bets after a lot of low cards come out of the deck. If a ton of low cards are dealt in a row, your chances of seeing cards worth 10 or 11 become much higher. If you start betting 5 or 10 times your normal wager amount after this streak, you're going to stand out to the casino as a card counter. Card counters make their money by figuring out when the odds are in their favor and making big changes to their bet size based on that advantage.
Many casinos have a system that scans all the cards dealt from their blackjack shoes automatically, meaning the casino maintains its own running card count. If you're a blackjack player who is consistently betting smaller amounts when the deck is cold and larger amounts when the deck heats up, you will most likely be asked to leave the casino or switch games to something like a slot machine that is based on luck rather than skill.
Facial Recognition – Spotting Card Counters
Casinos now use facial recognition programs built into their surveillance camera equipment to look for known card cheats. When you walk in these casinos, your face will be compared to the faces of card cheats in a large database. If you match, you'll probably be asked to leave.
Gambling Chips and Computer Chips
Facial recognition is not the end of the technological aspect of catching card counters. The latest in anti-card counting technology is a set of special intelligent blackjack chips that track your bets automatically.
Obvious Card Counting Behavior
You can be the best card counter in the world, but if you don't use subterfuge, you'll get busted every time. Counting cards is about more than tracking specific cards and keeping a running count. Part of the trick of card counting is to maintain the count in your head while blending into the casino environment. This isn't as easy as it sounds, because the average gambler is likely to want to talk to their neighbor or the dealer every once in a while. Any type of distraction can blow the count, so you have to be able to walk and chew bubble gum at the same time.
Card Counting Teams
Some card counters might try to do like you've seen in the movies: team up with other card counters to distract casino management and improve the counting technique.
Each member of the team has their job, from the back-spotter and the spotter to the gorilla, each with their own distinct role. With one or two people watching the tables and finding hot shoes, and one or two moving in and betting big when the table is hot, you can hardly go wrong. But the problem comes with signaling. There's really no good way of sending signals that isn't obvious.
Being seen together at different casinos is another great way to get busted teaming on a casino. Blackjack teaming may work for a while, but like in the famous Kevin Spacey MIT blackjack team movie, you'll probably end up with broken thumbs.
How Casinos Deal with Card Counters
Casinos have a number of ways they deal with card counters. The obvious one is what I mentioned before: ask them to leave the casino or stop playing blackjack. But if you're card counting, the casino might take less extreme methods, just in case.
One method is to have the dealer engage in conversation with you, to distract you from your count. Another tactic is to send an employee of the casino (who isn't the dealer) to start a conversation with you. Some casinos have been so aggressive at this that laws have been passed to keep it from happening—not in America, though. So if you're a card counter, you can expect a visit from casino management or security. And they're going to want to talk your ear off.
Anti-Card Counting Measures
The most common way to deal with card counters is to increase the number of decks in the blackjack shoe. Casinos have between 1 and 8 decks in the shoe, though 4-6 is more common than 1 or 8.
Another method is to shuffle the deck more often. Casinos might have a policy where they reshuffle the deck every so often, or when the card count gets to a certain point. But frequent shuffling means the table deals out fewer hands in an hour. Since most players at a blackjack table are not card counters (and therefore play at a disadvantage), fewer hands means less profit for the casino. Some casinos place tables with only 6 spots for players, instead of the traditional 7 player spots. Again, this has the obvious drawback of less players playing and therefore fewer profits, though it does lower the advantage of the card counter by about one-half of one percent.
Related News
Blackjack Card counting has existed since the 1950s. Casinos initially struggled to deal with successful card counters.
However, they've spent the past several decades understanding this advantage play (AP) method and how to combat it. Casinos have since added multiple decks, instated unfavorable rules, and learned how to spot APs.
These days, the industry even has technology on their side. They use facial recognition technology and databases to identify APs and keep their info on file, respectively.
That said, casinos seemingly have a big edge in this game of cat and mouse. Many blackjack players feel that card counting is dead as a result.
In reality, though, card counting and table-based advantage gambling is just as alive as ever. I'll cover why this is the case and what you can do to win a fortune today.
Learning Card Counting Is Easy
You've likely seen card counting showcased in movies. This AP method is often portrayed as a complicated process that only geniuses can employ.
But counting cards isn't really that complex, and you can learn it in minutes. Below, you can see the main components of card counting when using the popular Hi-Lo system.
Assign Values to Cards as They're Dealt
Your first task as a card counter is to watch cards as they're dealt and assign the following values to each type:
- High cards (A through 10) = -1
- Neutral cards (7 through 9) = 0
- Low cards (2 through 6) = +1
You need to keep a running tallying and add or subtract 1 as each card comes out of the deck. This count is known as your 'running count.'
Convert Your Running Count into a True Count
Understanding the running count is a nice start. However, you need to have a 'true count' to account for the multiple decks featured at most real money blackjack games.
You must divide the running count by the estimated remaining decks to make this conversion. You estimate the amount of decks left by visually looking at the shoe.
Here's an example:
- +9 running count.
- You estimate that 3.5 decks remain.
- 9 / 3.5 = 2.57
- Your true count is +2.57
You may have trouble determining how many decks are left at first. Furthermore, you might not be so precise on the remaining decks (i.e. 3.5) and true count (i.e. 2.57).
Do Casinos Beat Up Card Counters Against
But the more precise you are, the better you'll be at knowing your exact advantage or disadvantage. You should become more comfortable with these aspects over time.
Determine Your Edge (If Any)
Once you have the true count figured out, you can apply it to see if you have an advantage over the casino. Here's how the true count correlates to an edge or disadvantage in various scenarios:
- +3 true count = 1.77% player's edge
- +2 true count = 1.17% player's edge
- +1 true count = 0.58% player's edge
- 0 true count = 0.42% house edge
- -1 true count = 0.80% house edge
- -2 true count = 1.53% house edge
- +3 true count = 2.05% house edge
You gain an advantage when the true count is at or near +1. However, you don't want to raise your bets until reaching a +1.5 true count or higher. A more-favorable count helps you make higher wagers with more confidence.
Raise Your Bets to Capitalize On Your Edge
You determine your bet size based on your advantage in a given hand. Assuming the casino holds an edge, then you flat bet.
But you want to gradually raise your wagers as the true count becomes more favorable. Here are examples on how you can determine your bet sizes:
- +4 true count = $300
- +3 true count = $200
- +2 true count = $100
- +1 true count = $25
- 0 true count = $25
- -1 true count = $25
- -2 true count = $25
- +3 true count = $25
This model represents a 1-12 bet spread. $25 serves as one unit, while $300 represents 12 units (300 / 25).
You need to spread your bets from low to high to make long-term profits. However, you don't want to get crazy with a 1-25 spread or higher. Pit bosses can easily spot this massive difference.
Consider Strategy Deviations Based on the Count
Do Casinos Beat Up Card Counters Go
You can further increase your profits by knowing when to deviate from proper strategy based on the count.
The main idea behind card counting is to wager more when the deck is rich in aces and 10s. Your chances of getting a natural blackjack are higher at this point.
Another perk to counting cards is that you can tell when more high cards (favor you) exist than low cards (favor dealer). Dealers, who draw to a hard or soft 17, benefit from low cards, because they have a smaller chance of busting out.
Assuming you go away from basic strategy at the right times, you can further boost your edge. Here's an example:
- You're dealt an ace and 7 (soft 18).
- The dealer's upcard is 2.
- Basic strategy dictates that you stand in this situation.
- However, the true count is a very favorable +3.
- The deck features a large number of high cards that could bust out the dealer.
- You double down as a result.
You don't necessarily have to make these strategy deviations to win with counting. But you can increase your advantage even more when doing so.
Why Do People Consider Card Counting Dead?
Back in the 1960s, famed gambling author Edward Thorp refined card counting to the point where he gained a sizable edge over casinos.
However, Thorp's Ten Count system wouldn't hold up in today's blackjack world. Worse rules, enhanced surveillance, savvy pit bosses, and facial recognition make counting tougher than ever.
You need to put far more effort into winning blackjack profits today. Many players take this as a sign that card counting is dead.
They don't see a way to get around the databases, facial recognition, and RFID tracking inside chips that are used today.
Of course, card counters are still making money today. Therefore, those who think this AP method is dead are wrong.
You Can Still Win with the Right Approach
You can win through card counting alone if you're skilled enough. But you should consider adding more layers to your approach in the form of shuffle tracking, different appearances, and more.
Shuffle Tracking on Top of Counting
Shuffle tracking is mixed with card counting to capitalize on weak shuffles. It can also result in less scrutiny from the pit boss and surveillance.
This technique calls on you to look for opportunities where aces and 10s are grouped together. You want to follow these card batches, or 'slugs,' as they're placed into the discard tray.
Once the shoe has been dealt, the dealer pulls cards out of the discard tray and begin shuffling.
You continue visually tracking the slugs as the croupier shuffles. If the dealer uses a 'one pass' shuffle (weaker than two pass), you can successfully employ this method and determine where the slug might come out during the next shoe.
Assuming you've done a good job at tracking the slug, you can raise your bets once the slug cards begin coming out.
Shuffle tracking accomplishes two main goals:
- It gives you a bigger advantage by helping you track aces and 10s.
- It masks your counting efforts.
Regarding the latter, increasing your bets towards the end of the shoe is a big sign that you may be counting. You're more likely to determine that the deck is rich in high cards at this point.
With shuffle tracking, though, you can more accurately locate a slug of good cards. If this slug is earlier in the shoe, then you can also spread your bets earlier too.
Switch up Your Appearance
You can hit the casino multiple times within a year or even month by changing your look. Different appearances make it harder for gambling venues to recognize you after multiple hot nights.
You don't necessarily have to wear disguises. In fact, flamboyant looks can attract unwanted attention from the pit boss.
A better plan is to slightly alter your appearance. You can go unshaven with glasses one time, for example, then be cleanshaven the next.
Be Careful with Spreading Bets
Again, you want to be mindful of how large you're spreading bets. The bigger the spread, the more likely the pit boss will take notice.
Of course, you must vary your minimum and maximum wagers by a fair amount. Otherwise, you won't make any money.
But you also want to avoid being greedy and going from a $10 minimum to $500. A 1-100 spread like this will almost assuredly lead to you being thrown out.
Know Where to Count Cards
Some of the best US casinos are more tolerant than others when monitoring advantage players. Ideally, you'll play at gambling establishments that gives you the benefit of the doubt.
Every casino has its limits regarding APs. The best plan is to research casinos ahead of time and chose those that have a reputation for being lenient.
Stay on the Move
The worst thing you can do as an advantage gambler is continue hitting the same casino again and again. One huge session can draw attention from the pit boss and surveillance – let alone multiple big wins in a row.
You want to stay on the move and continue traveling from casino to casino. This practice is much easier in major gambling destinations, such as Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
Assuming you're good enough and have a large bankroll, you might even consider playing in various states. This way, you avoid developing the AP stigma in single gambling destination.
Conclusion
Card counting is much easier to learn than Hollywood makes it seem. You can earn money through counting if you practice enough and develop good skills.
That said, card counting isn't dead in any capacity. Even with their sophisticated technology and trained employees, casinos are still losing money to APs.
If you want to become a blackjack card counter, you're going to need to know how casinos spot card counters. It's not illegal to play perfect blackjack strategy. It's not even illegal to count cards when your play blackjack. But the casino has the right to refuse service to anyone, including gamblers who count cards. The trick is to keep the casino staff from noticing your tactics.
The big downside of being caught counting cards is being placed on a list that will bar you from playing in that casino ever again. Yes, there really is a nationwide database of suspected card counters.
Here's a look at how blackjack dealers, casino staff, pit bosses, casino security, and gaming managers spot card counters.
Changing Bet Levels
The best way to get busted by casino management for card counting is to alter your bets after a lot of low cards come out of the deck. If a ton of low cards are dealt in a row, your chances of seeing cards worth 10 or 11 become much higher. If you start betting 5 or 10 times your normal wager amount after this streak, you're going to stand out to the casino as a card counter. Card counters make their money by figuring out when the odds are in their favor and making big changes to their bet size based on that advantage.
Many casinos have a system that scans all the cards dealt from their blackjack shoes automatically, meaning the casino maintains its own running card count. If you're a blackjack player who is consistently betting smaller amounts when the deck is cold and larger amounts when the deck heats up, you will most likely be asked to leave the casino or switch games to something like a slot machine that is based on luck rather than skill.
Facial Recognition – Spotting Card Counters
Casinos now use facial recognition programs built into their surveillance camera equipment to look for known card cheats. When you walk in these casinos, your face will be compared to the faces of card cheats in a large database. If you match, you'll probably be asked to leave.
Gambling Chips and Computer Chips
Facial recognition is not the end of the technological aspect of catching card counters. The latest in anti-card counting technology is a set of special intelligent blackjack chips that track your bets automatically.
Obvious Card Counting Behavior
You can be the best card counter in the world, but if you don't use subterfuge, you'll get busted every time. Counting cards is about more than tracking specific cards and keeping a running count. Part of the trick of card counting is to maintain the count in your head while blending into the casino environment. This isn't as easy as it sounds, because the average gambler is likely to want to talk to their neighbor or the dealer every once in a while. Any type of distraction can blow the count, so you have to be able to walk and chew bubble gum at the same time.
Card Counting Teams
Some card counters might try to do like you've seen in the movies: team up with other card counters to distract casino management and improve the counting technique.
Each member of the team has their job, from the back-spotter and the spotter to the gorilla, each with their own distinct role. With one or two people watching the tables and finding hot shoes, and one or two moving in and betting big when the table is hot, you can hardly go wrong. But the problem comes with signaling. There's really no good way of sending signals that isn't obvious.
Being seen together at different casinos is another great way to get busted teaming on a casino. Blackjack teaming may work for a while, but like in the famous Kevin Spacey MIT blackjack team movie, you'll probably end up with broken thumbs.
How Casinos Deal with Card Counters
Casinos have a number of ways they deal with card counters. The obvious one is what I mentioned before: ask them to leave the casino or stop playing blackjack. But if you're card counting, the casino might take less extreme methods, just in case.
One method is to have the dealer engage in conversation with you, to distract you from your count. Another tactic is to send an employee of the casino (who isn't the dealer) to start a conversation with you. Some casinos have been so aggressive at this that laws have been passed to keep it from happening—not in America, though. So if you're a card counter, you can expect a visit from casino management or security. And they're going to want to talk your ear off.
Anti-Card Counting Measures
The most common way to deal with card counters is to increase the number of decks in the blackjack shoe. Casinos have between 1 and 8 decks in the shoe, though 4-6 is more common than 1 or 8.
Another method is to shuffle the deck more often. Casinos might have a policy where they reshuffle the deck every so often, or when the card count gets to a certain point. But frequent shuffling means the table deals out fewer hands in an hour. Since most players at a blackjack table are not card counters (and therefore play at a disadvantage), fewer hands means less profit for the casino. Some casinos place tables with only 6 spots for players, instead of the traditional 7 player spots. Again, this has the obvious drawback of less players playing and therefore fewer profits, though it does lower the advantage of the card counter by about one-half of one percent.
Related News
Blackjack Card counting has existed since the 1950s. Casinos initially struggled to deal with successful card counters.
However, they've spent the past several decades understanding this advantage play (AP) method and how to combat it. Casinos have since added multiple decks, instated unfavorable rules, and learned how to spot APs.
These days, the industry even has technology on their side. They use facial recognition technology and databases to identify APs and keep their info on file, respectively.
That said, casinos seemingly have a big edge in this game of cat and mouse. Many blackjack players feel that card counting is dead as a result.
In reality, though, card counting and table-based advantage gambling is just as alive as ever. I'll cover why this is the case and what you can do to win a fortune today.
Learning Card Counting Is Easy
You've likely seen card counting showcased in movies. This AP method is often portrayed as a complicated process that only geniuses can employ.
But counting cards isn't really that complex, and you can learn it in minutes. Below, you can see the main components of card counting when using the popular Hi-Lo system.
Assign Values to Cards as They're Dealt
Your first task as a card counter is to watch cards as they're dealt and assign the following values to each type:
- High cards (A through 10) = -1
- Neutral cards (7 through 9) = 0
- Low cards (2 through 6) = +1
You need to keep a running tallying and add or subtract 1 as each card comes out of the deck. This count is known as your 'running count.'
Convert Your Running Count into a True Count
Understanding the running count is a nice start. However, you need to have a 'true count' to account for the multiple decks featured at most real money blackjack games.
You must divide the running count by the estimated remaining decks to make this conversion. You estimate the amount of decks left by visually looking at the shoe.
Here's an example:
- +9 running count.
- You estimate that 3.5 decks remain.
- 9 / 3.5 = 2.57
- Your true count is +2.57
You may have trouble determining how many decks are left at first. Furthermore, you might not be so precise on the remaining decks (i.e. 3.5) and true count (i.e. 2.57).
Do Casinos Beat Up Card Counters Against
But the more precise you are, the better you'll be at knowing your exact advantage or disadvantage. You should become more comfortable with these aspects over time.
Determine Your Edge (If Any)
Once you have the true count figured out, you can apply it to see if you have an advantage over the casino. Here's how the true count correlates to an edge or disadvantage in various scenarios:
- +3 true count = 1.77% player's edge
- +2 true count = 1.17% player's edge
- +1 true count = 0.58% player's edge
- 0 true count = 0.42% house edge
- -1 true count = 0.80% house edge
- -2 true count = 1.53% house edge
- +3 true count = 2.05% house edge
You gain an advantage when the true count is at or near +1. However, you don't want to raise your bets until reaching a +1.5 true count or higher. A more-favorable count helps you make higher wagers with more confidence.
Raise Your Bets to Capitalize On Your Edge
You determine your bet size based on your advantage in a given hand. Assuming the casino holds an edge, then you flat bet.
But you want to gradually raise your wagers as the true count becomes more favorable. Here are examples on how you can determine your bet sizes:
- +4 true count = $300
- +3 true count = $200
- +2 true count = $100
- +1 true count = $25
- 0 true count = $25
- -1 true count = $25
- -2 true count = $25
- +3 true count = $25
This model represents a 1-12 bet spread. $25 serves as one unit, while $300 represents 12 units (300 / 25).
You need to spread your bets from low to high to make long-term profits. However, you don't want to get crazy with a 1-25 spread or higher. Pit bosses can easily spot this massive difference.
Consider Strategy Deviations Based on the Count
Do Casinos Beat Up Card Counters Go
You can further increase your profits by knowing when to deviate from proper strategy based on the count.
The main idea behind card counting is to wager more when the deck is rich in aces and 10s. Your chances of getting a natural blackjack are higher at this point.
Another perk to counting cards is that you can tell when more high cards (favor you) exist than low cards (favor dealer). Dealers, who draw to a hard or soft 17, benefit from low cards, because they have a smaller chance of busting out.
Assuming you go away from basic strategy at the right times, you can further boost your edge. Here's an example:
- You're dealt an ace and 7 (soft 18).
- The dealer's upcard is 2.
- Basic strategy dictates that you stand in this situation.
- However, the true count is a very favorable +3.
- The deck features a large number of high cards that could bust out the dealer.
- You double down as a result.
You don't necessarily have to make these strategy deviations to win with counting. But you can increase your advantage even more when doing so.
Why Do People Consider Card Counting Dead?
Back in the 1960s, famed gambling author Edward Thorp refined card counting to the point where he gained a sizable edge over casinos.
However, Thorp's Ten Count system wouldn't hold up in today's blackjack world. Worse rules, enhanced surveillance, savvy pit bosses, and facial recognition make counting tougher than ever.
You need to put far more effort into winning blackjack profits today. Many players take this as a sign that card counting is dead.
They don't see a way to get around the databases, facial recognition, and RFID tracking inside chips that are used today.
Of course, card counters are still making money today. Therefore, those who think this AP method is dead are wrong.
You Can Still Win with the Right Approach
You can win through card counting alone if you're skilled enough. But you should consider adding more layers to your approach in the form of shuffle tracking, different appearances, and more.
Shuffle Tracking on Top of Counting
Shuffle tracking is mixed with card counting to capitalize on weak shuffles. It can also result in less scrutiny from the pit boss and surveillance.
This technique calls on you to look for opportunities where aces and 10s are grouped together. You want to follow these card batches, or 'slugs,' as they're placed into the discard tray.
Once the shoe has been dealt, the dealer pulls cards out of the discard tray and begin shuffling.
You continue visually tracking the slugs as the croupier shuffles. If the dealer uses a 'one pass' shuffle (weaker than two pass), you can successfully employ this method and determine where the slug might come out during the next shoe.
Assuming you've done a good job at tracking the slug, you can raise your bets once the slug cards begin coming out.
Shuffle tracking accomplishes two main goals:
- It gives you a bigger advantage by helping you track aces and 10s.
- It masks your counting efforts.
Regarding the latter, increasing your bets towards the end of the shoe is a big sign that you may be counting. You're more likely to determine that the deck is rich in high cards at this point.
With shuffle tracking, though, you can more accurately locate a slug of good cards. If this slug is earlier in the shoe, then you can also spread your bets earlier too.
Switch up Your Appearance
You can hit the casino multiple times within a year or even month by changing your look. Different appearances make it harder for gambling venues to recognize you after multiple hot nights.
You don't necessarily have to wear disguises. In fact, flamboyant looks can attract unwanted attention from the pit boss.
A better plan is to slightly alter your appearance. You can go unshaven with glasses one time, for example, then be cleanshaven the next.
Be Careful with Spreading Bets
Again, you want to be mindful of how large you're spreading bets. The bigger the spread, the more likely the pit boss will take notice.
Of course, you must vary your minimum and maximum wagers by a fair amount. Otherwise, you won't make any money.
But you also want to avoid being greedy and going from a $10 minimum to $500. A 1-100 spread like this will almost assuredly lead to you being thrown out.
Know Where to Count Cards
Some of the best US casinos are more tolerant than others when monitoring advantage players. Ideally, you'll play at gambling establishments that gives you the benefit of the doubt.
Every casino has its limits regarding APs. The best plan is to research casinos ahead of time and chose those that have a reputation for being lenient.
Stay on the Move
The worst thing you can do as an advantage gambler is continue hitting the same casino again and again. One huge session can draw attention from the pit boss and surveillance – let alone multiple big wins in a row.
You want to stay on the move and continue traveling from casino to casino. This practice is much easier in major gambling destinations, such as Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
Assuming you're good enough and have a large bankroll, you might even consider playing in various states. This way, you avoid developing the AP stigma in single gambling destination.
Conclusion
Card counting is much easier to learn than Hollywood makes it seem. You can earn money through counting if you practice enough and develop good skills.
That said, card counting isn't dead in any capacity. Even with their sophisticated technology and trained employees, casinos are still losing money to APs.
Do Casinos Beat Up Card Counters
Of course, counting cards is also tougher than at any point. The best APs counter this by improving their skills even more.
Some of the things that you can do to boost your profits include shuffle tracking, changing your appearance, researching casinos, and staying on the move. The more layers you throw on top of your card counting approach, the more money you stand to win.
Do Casinos Beat Up Card Counters Official Site
But first thing's first: you need to thoroughly learn basic card counting. After you feel comfortable in your counting abilities, you should proceed to the advanced AP techniques.
