Can You Beat the Casinos at Their Own Game?

by Carl Van Eton

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The title of the world's first card counting book was called "Beat the Dealer."  It was written by Edward O.Thorpe who wasn't a professional player by trade.  What he was when he wrote the book in 1962, was a mathematician.  That means he was smart enough to realize that the only way anyone could overcome the house edge at 21 was by using math.  He realized that unlike nearly every other game in the house (the exception being poker), every time a card was drawn from the deck, the odds changed.  But what really made blackjack a worthy research project was the fact that sometimes, whether players realized it or not, the edge was not with the house.  Sometimes the odds in blackjack favored the player.


Through extensive research, Thorpe deduced that any time that the ratio of non-tems to tens in a deck was greater than 4, it was the players who had the edge.  This meant it was time to raise your bet.  It didn't necessarily mean the player was going to win.  It just meant that the odds favored the player. Thorpe also didn't factor in the other element that comes into play anytime you put people and money together.  I'm talking about the human factor.

What Thorpe didn't calculate was the fact that the casinos could use his own system to detect  and deter card counters.  He also didn't realize that the casinos could exclude any card counter it detected from playing blackjack.  It's what is known as being barred.

The Dirtiest Deal

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Spotting a card counter isn't all that hard.  If you know how to count cards and you watch another player bet small when the count is minus and then bet big when the count is plus, you are observing a card counter.  Should the pit boss decide to have somene on the casino's staff watch this same player, it won't be long before that player is told that he or she is going to be required to leave the casino. Unlike the Hollywood version, nobody is dragged off to the backroom.  They might have their picture taken and they could find themselves being escorted out of the casino by security guards, but that's all she wrote.  The downside is if the player is read the "Official Trespass Act" before being shown the door, the player can be arrested for trespassing if he or she returns to the casino.

So going in, if you decide to learn how to beat the dealer at blackjack, you need to know that if you are caught, your time in the blackjack pits could be limited.  That's the bad news.  The good news is  if you take the time to learn the one factor that Ed Thorpe never did, you can have a long and fulfilling career as a card counter.

Having played the game on a professional level for more than 20 years, I can tell you that there is most definitely a light at the end of the tunnel.  At least, there is if you are willing to learn a thing or two about your adversary.  Contrary to popular opinion, the casinos do not see all and know all.  Yes, they have hundreds of cameras watching every square foot of the gaming floor.  Yet this elecronic form of omniscience has its Achille's heel.  You see, they can't watch everyone all the time.

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If you have ever been in a casino on Friday or Saturday night, you will find a veritable sea of
humanity. The blackjack pits can be wall-to-wall with players vying for a seat at the tables.  This makes it farily easy to hide in plaun sight if you are a savvy card counter.  Hidden amongst the flock, you can ply your trade with impunity, so long as you understand the nature of your quarry.

Rule #1: Pit bosses don't count cards.  That's not their job.  The casinos hire former card counters to look for other card counters.  What they teach the pit boss is to be on the lookout for players who vary their wagers wildly or elicit other telltale signs they are counting.  This is one reason every dealer is trained to shout out "Black in Action" anytime a player raises his or her bet above $100.  Does this mean that they will throw a net over you should you wager $100?  Hardly.  But casino management might start taking a closer look at your play.  This means you should either keep your wagers below $100, or learn how to parlay your wagers so the pit boss will think you aren't a threat.

Rule #2: Don't overstay your welcome.  The second secret  to getting away with counting is to play short sessions of no more than an hour.  The longer you stay at the same table, the more likely the pit is to have someone start counting along with you.  Once that happens, unless you are very good at camouflaging your ability, it won't be long before your cover is blown.  When I play a shoe, as soon as the cutcard pops up, I disappear like a puff of smoke.  That dowsn't necessarily mean I am going to hit the door running. I might check out another pit to look for easy prey.  But I won't stay in one place long enough for management to take an interest in my play.

Rule #3: Allow for begginer's mistakes.  Having trained a number of teams, I can tell you  that new players are prone to errors and paranoia.  This includes you.  As long as your boo-boos don't destroy your playing bank or tip your hand to the house, don't sweat it.  Consider it part of the learning curve.  Even when you gain experience, you will still make errors from time to time.  Nobody is perfect.  The trick is to minimize your gaffes and if you catch yourself making a playing error, finish the hand, pick up your chips and take a break.  Walk to the bathroom or another pit and start looking for shuffling shoes.  If you keep on playing after you catch yoursefl making an error, you are setting yoursefl up for several more errors in quich succession.

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Rule #4: Curb your paranoia.  The first few times you enter a casino as a card counter, you will feel as though everyone is onto you.  This can prove to being as big of a problem as rubbing your ability to beat the dealer in the house's face.  While I'm not saying to play as though you have tunnel vision and igmore everything that's going on around you, what I am telling you to do is "Get a Grip!"

Case in Point: After teaching my wife to count cards, she accompanied the team to the Bahamas for a weekend of fun in the Sun.  After watching her playing at one table, I observed her get up at the end of the shoe and walk around to look for another shuffling table.  A few minutes later, after walking away from a table I was scouting, I noticed she was nowhere to be seen.  Figuring she had gone off to powder her nose, I didn't think anything of it, until another half hour had elapsed.  Then I became concerned.  When walking through all the casino's blackjack pits proved truitless, I began meandering around the slot machines.  That's when I spotted her cowering behind the quarter progressives.

"What's wrong, Honey?" I asked as she looked at me with eyes wide and knees shaking.

"They're watching ME!"

Understanding all too well where she was coning from, I told her, "Listen, the ratio of guys to girls in here is about 10 to 1.  So, if they aren't wathcing you, they must be gay.  Now get back in there!"

Beleive it or not, she actually listened to me, gathered up her purse and her courage and went back into the casino.  More imortantly, she gof over the heebie jeebies and never had a relapse. becoming one of the best players on the team.

Rule #5: Make the pit boss your friend.  Many people have heard that card counting is illegal and act like felons casing a neighborhood.  There's nothing illegal about using your brain to take advantage of a financially rewarding situation.  However, if you act like a cockroach scurrying along the woodwork, don't be surprised if the pit boss decides to step on you.  A far better approach is to befriend the pit boss.  Tell him a joke.  Ask him for his advice.  Definitely ask to be comped.  Playing for green or black action and NOT being comped is suspicious behaviour.  If the pit boss thinks you are just another happy go lucky sucker, you are half way to the profit zone.

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Rule #6:  If you'v got it, DON'T flaunt it.  When you lose, let everybody in the pit hear about it.
 When you win, don't rub the house's nose in it.  If the dealer starts coloring you up from green to black chips, make those blackies disappear like a puff of smoke into your pocket.  If you are on first base and the dealer is looking at third base, slide a couple of green chips into your pocket as well.  This way it will look as though you are winning less or even losing when you are in fact winning.  It's all a matter of perception.

Rule #7: Timing is everything.  If you are going to play on Friday and Saturday night, don't hit the pit at prime time, between 7 pm to 11 pm.  Parachute in from 11 pm to 3 am.  This is the time of night when nearly every table is still open, yet the crowd is starting to thin out.  Also, the pit personnel are nearing the end of their shift, which means they are worn out.  Use both these factors to your advantage.  Just watch out for dealer errors that favor the house.  These are more likely as the witching hour nears. The shift change from Swing to Grave is also the perfect time to walk away a winner.  The new crew isn't quite firing on all 8 cylinders for the first hour of their shift.

Rule #8: Look before you leap.  Don't jump onto the first seat that opens up at a table.  Usually ther reason the seat is empty is due to the fact that the dealer just wiped out the player that was sitting there.  Take the time to watch any game before you buy in.  The secret to winning isn't to go toe-to-toe with the dealer to prove that you can beath the house at its own game.  Guess what, card counters lose too.  Sorry to say that even under ideal conditions, a capable card counter is only going to win 6 of 10 times on average.  That being said, the way to have a better than even chance of coming away a winner is to choose your targets with care.  Your wallet will thank you.

The bottom line is if you really want to be able to beat the casino at its own game, then you have to understand the math of the game is only half the equation.  Having a thorough understanding of human nature is what it takes to be able to cash those checks your ego writes.

Want to learn more?  Carl Van Eton has more than 20 years of professional playing experience.  If you want to stop visiting your money every time you go to the casinos, check out his website at http://biggameblackjack.com