How Do Casinos Know if You’re Counting Cards
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By PAGE Editor
Card counting is a long-standing practice at gambling games. The concept is primarily used to gain the upper hand during blackjack and card games at casinos. However, since counting cards gives you an undue advantage over fellow players, most casinos frown. This is because they try as much as possible to ensure every player enjoys fair play.
Nevertheless, card counting is a pretty subtle and practical move, and you might be wondering how exactly casinos know you're counting card, like at the Pay N Play casino. In that light, this article shall explore the casino's tactics to identify card counters. In addition, you will learn the basics of card counting, and without further ado, let's get right into it.
What Exactly Is Card Counting?
Card counting is a card game strategy used to discern the value of unspent cards by analyzing the spent ones. In other words, It involves a card counter, keeping continuous records of all the high and low-value cards paid to predict the strength of the next rounds. Сard counters try to beat the house edge and other players by continuously keeping score of the power of each game.
In addition, сard counting happens especially when playing blackjack and other card games that feature a definite number of high and low-handed cards. For instance, let's say you're playing blackjack and know the exact number of high and low-value hands. Then according to the number of cards dealt already, you can predict the strength of subsequent hands and make your bet accordingly. Overall, you can view counting cards as a subtle cheat move which isn't outrightly cheating since it is based on attention to detail.
Is Card Counting Illegal?
Illegal isn't a word to define card counting. And as much as it isn't an accepted practice at gambling games, there are currently no federal or state laws prohibiting the strategy.
In other words, you will not get into trouble with law enforcement when you count cards. So is it illegal to count cards? No, just like a chance to get a $75 no deposit bonus code. But is it an acceptable and innocent practice? No.
Also, the legality of card counting only holds for intellectual means. As a result, using electronic means, such as computer software, to count cards is a criminal offence. This is because electronics give you an unfair advantage over human intellect. Hence, you are subject to the course of the law if you ever count cards with electronic means.
How Do Casinos Discover You're Card Counting?
So every card counter has begged the question, I'm being made? How is it possible that I'm being found out? The answer is possible.
Contrary to what many card counters believe, no counting patterns are foolproof. And one way or another, casinos and dealerships can spot card counters well. As such, the following are some of the most common ways casinos employ to detect when a player is counting cards as a play style.
Trained Casino Securities and Pit Bosses
Casino securities are usually floor men who oversee the smooth running of any gambling session and are typically supervised by pit bosses. These personnel have one training or the other at most casinos and are always very alert to sense different counting systems, no matter how subtle. So the next time you make an accurate count at the tables, be wary of the "normal looking" guys managing the tables at the casino pit.
Security Cameras
In addition to trained casino personnel, many casino pits today operate with security cameras, which alert persons to monitor. These cameras certainly help a lot when detecting card counting as they provide continuous visual images.
Hence, the securities and pit workers only need to monitor your patterns and expressions to know you're up to something. Also, cameras let casino dealers rewind and re-evaluate a specific move or word on their end. They also work on personnel, so detecting a cheating casino dealer would be possible.
Any casinos with strategic security cameras and trained personnel will likely notice you counting anytime. This is because you can only count cards in the middle of a round if you show the signs.
Using an Experienced Card Counter
Another significant way in which casino dealers fish for counters is by using counters. This is because anybody experienced in counting can quickly identify anyone doing so.
Most often, pit bosses are trained at the skill of card counting. As such, they can quickly get hints about players playing based on card counts since they're in a position to observe every player.
Overall, those mentioned above are some of the many techniques and methods casino operators employ to fish counters and counting systems. Nevertheless, the success of these methods depends mainly on how much you give yourself away. In other words, the signs on your path give you away and determine how soon any casino dealer can fish you out when counting. So, in addition, it is wise to explore the telltale signs that give you a way to casino dealers when you count the cards.
Tells That You're Card Counting
Since gambling via card counts is based on knowing and reacting to the value of cards spent and left, it isn't easy to go through without giving signs. These signs are usually subtle. Only experienced and knowledgeable casino persons can get a hint of them.
Erratic Betting Pattern
Yes, the consistency of your bets can reveal you're counting cards anytime. This is because you have to adjust your chances in the same direction as the status of your true count all through the rounds. In other words, you tend to bet high when the count is high and low when the count is low. As a result, any experienced pit boss or casino personnel can tell your bets are influenced by the probability of the remaining hands from your count.
So the skill if you count the cards is to keep your betting patterns as natural as possible. This may not be easy since your next jackpot could depend on that high or low-count move.
Ill Reaction to a Low Count
Reacting to the strength of cards left at the tables is only natural, as your next moves may depend on them. However, you can only afford to give a little away if you're card counting, as any average casino attendant would see right through you. Experts who count the cards learn not to react in frustration when the count doesn't produce a winning move.
Paying Too Much Attention to the Cards
Casino operators know there's no reason to focus so much on the number value of cards spent and left. However, this is a luxury some counters need help to afford, especially novices, as they have to pay immense attention to the cards at every turn. So often than not, you will give yourself away to either a fellow player or the casino securities if you focus too much on the card action.
Rigid Body Language
Counting usually involves a lot of intellectual and brain power, especially for long rounds. As such, some counters start showing visible signs of mental processes and even manifest visible counting. Again, this happens especially to novices at card counting, as most expert counters have mastered the emotions of gambling and counting for a long time.
Overall, most counters think they are spot on and can go on forever without being noticed. While that is true for some, it is not valid for many. And especially if you're a beginner, you will give up signs in the counting process, making the casino's job at detecting signs easier. And casual gambling, which has benefits, probably won't do well with rigid body language.
How Do Casinos Limit Card Counting?
Over the years, casino operators have only gotten wiser and have devised new means and strategies for limiting or eradicating the possibility of counting cards.
These strategies are essential measures that counter the patterns all card counters rely on. Let's take a view at some of the most common ways in which casino dealers are hindering the art of counting cards:
Increased number of cards. The standard deck of cards for a blackjack game is 52 cards. Now, most casinos mix several decks, up to four and six decks, and maybe more. As a result, it becomes increasingly more work to maintain a perfect count as the number of cards increases. Although many still argue that the increased number of cards has nothing to do with limiting any card counter. Nevertheless, you would agree that keeping a score of 52 cards is more accessible than 312. In all, increasing the number of playing cards hinders any card counter, as well as others.
Using a shoe. The shoe at most casinos is a rectangular box meant to hold cards between rounds. Hence, casino attendants no longer have to hold cards in hand in-between rounds. This makes counting cards slightly more difficult for players as the cards come out in a different formation for each round. Hence, for a novice, the count starts again for each round, as many need help to keep up the pace.
Using automatic shuffling machines. Shuffling used to be tedious, especially when it needed to be done at the end of every round. That is no longer the case, as many advanced casinos today have automated machines for shuffling any cards left after a round. This makes it challenging to keep a record of the total strength of the remaining cards at the end of every round.
Early card cuts. Card cutting is another relevant strategy that frustrates anybody counting cards. It entails when a random position is chosen to reshuffle a deck of cards mid-game. And while an early card cut is fine for non-counters, it is a thorn in the skin for counters. This is because many counters rely on deck penetration (the number of cards being spent). Hence, the more cards spent before a reshuffle, the easier it is for a counter. In all, making early cuts is something trained casino personnel would do now and then to thwart the probability of players making a perfect count.
Conclusion
It is a challenging road. Card counting is as effective as it is tasking. This is why the best casinos today have several protocols and strategies to ensure that the probability of you making a perfect count is always very slim. These strategies range from employing expert counters and erecting several surveillance cameras to reading the demeanor of every player at the table. Counting cards is more challenging than it used to be, and these casinos have a dozen ways to spot anyone consistently involved with it.
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