How Casinos Spot Card Counters
Casinos work diligently to keep blackjack card counters from taking advantage of the system. Over the years, the gambling industry has poured an insane amount of money to thwart their efforts. Although Atlantic City has certain restrictions as how to handle these kinds of players, Las Vegas does not.
Ways Casinos Keep Card Counters at Bay
By using either a book of pictures or face recognition software, casinos can identify known professionals of the card counting game. And when they find a card counter, most casinos will ask them to leave.
Players are not allowed to change their bet when using a shoe. A shoe is a card dealing device that can hold up to eight card decks and contains a small opening where cards can be pulled out and dealt to players.
If a dealer suspects a player of card counting, he or she can increase the frequency of shuffling. However, because players will not get as many hands per hour, meaning that casinos may lose money in the over time.
Casinos will also send an employee to distract the card counter, usually by engaging in a conversation to mess with their concentration. There are countries that distract card counters in such a way that it is deemed harassment.
Sometimes, the dealer will use a greater amount of decks. The more card decks a counter has to work with, the more difficult it becomes to keep track of the cards in a blackjack game.
And of course, there is the time-tested method of surveillance. Virtually every casino employs the use of surveillance cameras and a sky box to keep an eye on the activities occurring on the casino’s floor.
How Blackjack Card Counters Make a Profit
The majority of blackjack car counters tend to have a one percent edge over the gambling casinos. For example, if a card counter is paying at a blackjack table where the usual bet is $100, they will have a one dollar advantage per hand.