Casinos have elaborate methods and techniques for keeping tabs on blackjack card counting. They employ agencies and professionals to seek out and keep tabs on those individuals that choose to count cards. Whilst blackjack card counting is legal, casinos are free to evict anyone they choose from their premises. This is because casinos are privately owned.
The best customer for a casino is an amateur gambler who is just out to have some fun. They come to Vegas for the weekend, lose a couple of hundred dollars at the blackjack table, and then they fly home, a little disappointed and a lot poorer. A casino's worst customers (in a business senses) are the blackjack card counting professionals who can walk away with anything from a few thousand, to ten thousand dollars in one night. That's why casinos train their staff to recognize suspected card counters. Once spotted, these card counters are politely asked to leave.
Blackjack card counting is something that professional gamblers study for a long time. While they play the game, they are mentally counting cards, hedging their bets, and are continuously working out their strategies.
There are many techniques when it comes to counting the cards at a blackjack table. One of the most sophisticated methods used involves a lot of teamwork and mathematical prowess. So, how can you do it?
Well, a single card counter is relatively easy to spot. They're the ones making huge bets out of the blue, and for no apparent reason. If you have a few people counting cards at the same time, and other people making the bets, it becomes much harder for the casinos to detect.
Take a group of four gamblers for instance. One of them would be the back-spotter. They would stand in the background and count cards, although they would never actually play a hand. Then you would have the spotter, who would place small bets, and relay the information to the Gorilla. But who is the Gorilla? Simply put, the Gorilla was the person who walked from table to table making big bets as he went. Finally, you would have the Big Player, who would play big hands and count the cards at the same time.
This makes it very hard for the casino to spot who exactly is counting the cards at the blackjack table. A scheme like this needs to have precision timing, good communication, and excellent teamwork. It is vital that the card counters pass information along quickly and covertly, because as soon as they are rumbled, they are out the door.
This whole method is completely arbitrary. Statistically speaking, if enough hands in a deck are played, then the player will win money. It is the card counter's job to make sure they place their bets at the most opportune moment. Whilst it is true that you will also lose money by using this method (and this can't be avoided), the money you lose should be balanced out by the amount you win – and them some.
By Fiona McLaren