Understanding the Legality and Myth of Card Counting in Blackjack

[wheelz1200]

I have learned that card counting is legal in blackjack but casinos frown at it. Most casinos have a surveillance camera that watch each table to catch a player who caught counting cards. A player may be thrown out or banned from the casino if caught counting cards because there is a belief that it gives the player an edge. How true is this or this a myth? If for instance card counting is legal in the UK but outlawed by casinos doesn't it makes it illegal?

It's not illegal in the sense that there is a criminal charge against you with the law but casinos frown upon it because it gives the player an edge.  It's not a myth otherwise casinos wouldn't care.  Understanding the odds with remaining cards left in the deck will help you win more than you lose.  It happens all over the world but with technology getting better its easier to spot and stop for casinos.  Watch the movie 21 it's a pretty good movie about it.

[Fortify]

I have learned that card counting is legal in blackjack but casinos frown at it. Most casinos have a surveillance camera that watch each table to catch a player who caught counting cards. A player may be thrown out or banned from the casino if caught counting cards because there is a belief that it gives the player an edge. How true is this or this a myth? If for instance card counting is legal in the UK but outlawed by casinos doesn't it makes it illegal?

The problem is, most casinos are bristling with security cameras these days and blackjack is one of the few games it is possible for a customer to walk away from with a profit over the long term. That means the casinos know exactly where to spend a large part of their analysis, because they want an average player to still have a good time, but for it to remain profitable they have to figure out anyone who may be card counting. You can find countless documentaries out there that follow people and openly show what happens when they do this in casinos. They'll either get warned to change their betting patterns, nullifying the strategy, or they'll outright get escorted from the casino.

[fikrett]

Yeah Rain Man is a very good movie considering there are not many good movies about gambling that are actually good.
You can also watch the movie "21" the story about counting cards by MIT students led by their professor who has a plan to loot some casinos in Vegas.
And it is said that this movie is actually based on a true story of a group of MIT students running a card counting operation every weekend in Vegas.

This movie recommendation was awesome. I absolutely love it. Yeah, I'd give the movie a 7/10 ratings. Fun Fact: Did you know the movie was based on a book - Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich. After watching the movie, it makes me want to go to Las Vags, visit one of its casinos and play Blackjack.

Does anyone have any other Blackjack movie recommendation for me?

If you enjoyed "21" and are looking for something similar, you might want to check out "The Last Casino". It’s a lesser-known Canadian film that also revolves around a professor and a group of students who use their card-counting skills to win at blackjack. The plot is quite similar to "21" and dives deep into the techniques and strategies of card counting, making it a gripping watch for fans of blackjack-centric stories.

[Davidvictorson]

If you enjoyed "21" and are looking for something similar, you might want to check out "The Last Casino". It’s a lesser-known Canadian film that also revolves around a professor and a group of students who use their card-counting skills to win at blackjack. The plot is quite similar to "21" and dives deep into the techniques and strategies of card counting, making it a gripping watch for fans of blackjack-centric stories.

Thank you for your recommendation. I like the "The Last Casino" too. One of my favourite lines from the movie was were the surveillance team caught Professor barns and threw him out of the casino after he was caught counting cards at the blackjack table. As he protested their action, the head of the surveillance team said to him, "We don't ever want to see you in here again...well we like our guests to win their money not earn it..." Apparently because he was already in debt and has been banned by the casinos he recruits a team of college students and trains them on card-counting to win at blackjack so as to repay his debt. It makes me curious about what the modern-day equivalent would be if it happened in an online casino.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

There’s a mathematical evidence that card counting is effective for a regular card decks without a continuous shuffling feature in the casino since the number of cards is determined. Card counts involves counting both high cards and low cards that will give an idea to the possible remaining card on the deck and gives an edge to the players to increase their bet significantly.

Card counters rely on increasing their bets when they already have a better overview on what is the remaining card on the deck. It’s not a myth since it was proven and casino is aware on this strategy that’s why they are strict on monitoring it.

But right now, There’s no way to apply this method with the current rules of blackjack on casino.

The thing is, it does truly works when done correctly.

It only works properly in an ideal scenario, not in reality. Casinos long ago realised that some players had a card-counting advantage, and what they did to counteract this was to introduce more decks and shuffle every hand. Even before this was only available to a select few and with a large variance, so no one today thinks they are going to get rich playing BJ and counting cards.

[joeperry]

Of course it's not illegal but just like what you have said players are having edge for counting cards and casinos don't like players to win as they are business and not a gambler. It's true that you'll get banned and escort you out of the casino but it's totally not illegal. Now, if I am not mistaken there's a lot of improvements from the past to avoid counting cards from surveillance, using multiple decks or continuous shuffling and sometimes changing the table payout rules to avoid this.

[South Park]

If you enjoyed "21" and are looking for something similar, you might want to check out "The Last Casino". It’s a lesser-known Canadian film that also revolves around a professor and a group of students who use their card-counting skills to win at blackjack. The plot is quite similar to "21" and dives deep into the techniques and strategies of card counting, making it a gripping watch for fans of blackjack-centric stories.

Thank you for your recommendation. I like the "The Last Casino" too. One of my favourite lines from the movie was were the surveillance team caught Professor barns and threw him out of the casino after he was caught counting cards at the blackjack table. As he protested their action, the head of the surveillance team said to him, "We don't ever want to see you in here again...well we like our guests to win their money not earn it..." Apparently because he was already in debt and has been banned by the casinos he recruits a team of college students and trains them on card-counting to win at blackjack so as to repay his debt. It makes me curious about what the modern-day equivalent would be if it happened in an online casino.

On an online casinos this would only be possible with sport bets, since even if there are many cases of successful poker players, they are playing against their peers and not the casino itself, while the rest of the games cannot be beaten as casinos have taken additional measures to counter the strategies that could allow a gambler to beat them, so for example when it comes to blackjack, the decks are shuffled after every single round, making the act of card counting completely useless.

[KTChampions]

Of course it's not illegal but just like what you have said players are having edge for counting cards and casinos don't like players to win as they are business and not a gambler. It's true that you'll get banned and escort you out of the casino but it's totally not illegal. Now, if I am not mistaken there's a lot of improvements from the past to avoid counting cards from surveillance, using multiple decks or continuous shuffling and sometimes changing the table payout rules to avoid this.

Now counting cards is useless (and hardly realistic given the number of decks involved in the game). The dealer has a cutoff (if I’m not mistaken, around 30% of the cards played), upon reaching which the entire deck (which consists of several regular decks) is shuffled. The player does not have a chance to reach the point where, knowing all the cards that came out of the game, he can calculate the probabilities of the cards he needs falling out.

[AmoreJaz]

Of course it's not illegal but just like what you have said players are having edge for counting cards and casinos don't like players to win as they are business and not a gambler. It's true that you'll get banned and escort you out of the casino but it's totally not illegal. Now, if I am not mistaken there's a lot of improvements from the past to avoid counting cards from surveillance, using multiple decks or continuous shuffling and sometimes changing the table payout rules to avoid this.

I believe, in today's scenario, it is now hard to apply the card counting technique. Maybe, in the previous years but today, I don't think it is easy to do this trick because of what you already mentioned, multiple decks alone would give the player hard time to use this trick.

And the legality of such technique depends on the jurisdiction. We can't totally say it is legal if such technique is deemed illegal to one state or county. So if you happen to apply this technique and it is not legal, better do it discreetly as much as you can.

[danadc]

It should not be illegal because it is something that we do most with our mind, it is illogical to think that I should play for the sake of playing and not think, I think that we all should think before making our movements, and in that case we always have to consider things as they are, So since you have to count the cards, it is impossible for the cameras to see our counting thoughts. We could be counting cards, but we could also be thinking about something else, and when counting cards it is very easy to lose track. And things get worse, you would have to practice a lot to be able to Reach a very good game and be profitable, plus the casinos I don't know if they respect that to play black jack it is 54 cards and then another lot of 54 cards is dealt, If they are combined it is impossible to count.

[PX-Z]

Your last sentence doesn't even make sense, the government makes the law - casinos and players follow those laws. Casinos are free to make their own terms, which players must adhere to in order to play there or they will be ejected from the casino and possibly banned permanently, that does not make what they are doing illegal and no police are going to arrest them for that alone.

Yeah, i read it somewhere too but it does make sense, it's even confusing. While the government makes and mandates that law, some casinos don't allow or basically follow it. In any way, no need to complicate things as casinos have their own rules and that's what matters.
But yeah, you can't be put in bars if caught doing that, the person might be banned playing blackjack and be offered to other games, or worst ban in the casino for good.

[Darker45]

I'm sure this has been discussed here a number of times already. This is an old topic. I've read a book and watched a movie about card counting years ago.

Card counting is true. But casinos have long adapted to this possibility. They've already taken measures against card counters. Yeah, it is legal, but a casino may kick you out and ban you forever. It's their business. They have the right to say no to a client.

And, once identified, you can't easily jump to another casino because casinos are actually using a shared database of card counters. Be On the Lookouts or BOLOs are card counters that are already identified. They can't easily enter casinos anymore.

Aside from this, multiple decks and constant shuffling are also done by casinos to counter the skills of these card counters.

[Jating]

And, once identified, you can't easily jump to another casino because casinos are actually using a shared database of card counters. Be On the Lookouts or BOLOs are card counters that are already identified. They can't easily enter casinos anymore.

I also read that if the card counters are quick enough before the casinos caught them, before they can exchange that chips of them, the casino has the right to ask for ID and that is because they want to identify them, if they are in disguise it might be hard for casinos, but if they will ask ID it will be easy for them.

Aside from this, multiple decks and constant shuffling are also done by casinos to counter the skills of these card counters.

Yes, it's not the usual number of decks, they will have to add more and shuffle more often to deter this card counters. Of course, we all know that this card counters take years to hone their skills so it's really a constant battle between them and the casinos.

[South Park]

Your last sentence doesn't even make sense, the government makes the law - casinos and players follow those laws. Casinos are free to make their own terms, which players must adhere to in order to play there or they will be ejected from the casino and possibly banned permanently, that does not make what they are doing illegal and no police are going to arrest them for that alone.

Yeah, i read it somewhere too but it does make sense, it's even confusing. While the government makes and mandates that law, some casinos don't allow or basically follow it. In any way, no need to complicate things as casinos have their own rules and that's what matters.
But yeah, you can't be put in bars if caught doing that, the person might be banned playing blackjack and be offered to other games, or worst ban in the casino for good.

It is not really that complicated, businesses have the right to refuse to service customers based on specific criteria, so card counters are denied entry to most casinos because they are taking away their profits, as casinos make very clear that their games are meant for gamblers that are not professional, with professional meaning someone that can make profits out of an activity, and while this may seem unfair to some, casinos are within their rights to do this, so gamblers cannot do anything but to accept their ruling.

[yahoo62278]

I have learned that card counting is legal in blackjack but casinos frown at it. Most casinos have a surveillance camera that watch each table to catch a player who caught counting cards. A player may be thrown out or banned from the casino if caught counting cards because there is a belief that it gives the player an edge. How true is this or this a myth? If for instance card counting is legal in the UK but outlawed by casinos doesn't it makes it illegal?

Casinos can toss you for anything they want honestly. You're right, card counting isn't illegal but frowned upon, but that isn't the only thing they will ban you for. You will be asked to leave if you are winning too much in some casinos. The pitboss will tell you basically that they don't want your business anymore.

Most casinos are not going to ban you unless you make things pretty obvious, but it's always good to know what is or isn't acceptable before visiting an establishment.

[topbitcoin]

I have learned that card counting is legal in blackjack but casinos frown at it. Most casinos have a surveillance camera that watch each table to catch a player who caught counting cards. A player may be thrown out or banned from the casino if caught counting cards because there is a belief that it gives the player an edge. How true is this or this a myth? If for instance card counting is legal in the UK but outlawed by casinos doesn't it makes it illegal?

Card counting is a method in which the player attempts to keep track of the cards that have already been played to estimate if there are more high or low-value cards left in the deck. This is not an illicit skill but rather a valid mathematical strategy that does not go against any regulation. Nevertheless, although card counting is allowed by law, casinos still hold their authority over their own rules. Many casinos ban players found guilty of this act and can even throw them out of the establishment. Not because it violates any law, but because they consider it cheating.

It is within the casinos’ rights to determine their own regulations, and for this reason, the practice of some strategies such as card counting might be seen as an offense. Card counting is not illegal, but casinos can take internal measures like expelling players if they catch them doing it due to their policies.

Although the act of card counting is not considered illegal itself, casinos have individual policies regarding this matter. In the UK where card counting is technically legal, however, a player can still be barred from entering a casino for that reason based on the establishment’s internal policies.

[iv4n]

...
I watched a pretty good video on someone trying to card count online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjiVpO1hlvk

It's also pretty entertaining so you'll have no problems watching it, but if you want the long story short here it is:
Basically it's possible to count cards even online on live gambling. But it's not that worth it because of high risk and low reward.

It's an interesting video. I like how he compares live blackjack to online blackjack. He looks like a very experienced player. He describes how card counting works and how difficult it can be to do it online. Those who wish to try card counting should check this video.

Well, he tried card counting at online blackjack and decided to spend 10 hours doing it. He lost half of his deposit and I think we can say that he did not have a pleasant experience. He ended up having problems with the KYC and it was funny that the casino sent him his withdrawal twice, but he was fair and sent them an email about their mistake, that was fair of him.

Card counting is possible, but it's not something that everyone can do. You need to have a good memory to remember many cards that have passed and always have an idea of what cards might come next... but that's no guarantee of a win, it just increases your chances of winning.

[danherbias07]

It's so difficult to do this card counting in blackjack and I think that is why they are legal.
Casino platforms on the other hand just don't like the idea of doing the counting in front of their tables because that will be like a punch to their face. Using our brains only to count and remember the past cards is not an easy task and it will probably just result in more errors if we miss or forget one.
Mathematicians will probably have a good edge on this but if I am that good then I'd rather use it in better ways than risk it to gambling where I could be arrested or kicked out for doing it.
I've seen great people who do counting too and most of them are in poker tournaments. They are good at guessing what their opponent's hand is.

[alani123]

Card counting is possible, but it's not something that everyone can do. You need to have a good memory to remember many cards that have passed and always have an idea of what cards might come next... but that's no guarantee of a win, it just increases your chances of winning.

Yup, card counting is legal and the way blackjack runs on online casinos it seems like the risk to them is just not there. Through the video I mentioned the player also mentions a terms I didn't know previously, risk of ruin. We'll, this means chances of going bust after a certain number of hands. And with on-line casino rule sets, it's quite high. You have to take big risks to lower it and can still lose because the house edge also protects the casino. So maybe even online casinos would like to have punters under the illusion that they can best the system just so they go bust.

[South Park]

It's an interesting video. I like how he compares live blackjack to online blackjack. He looks like a very experienced player. He describes how card counting works and how difficult it can be to do it online. Those who wish to try card counting should check this video.

Well, he tried card counting at online blackjack and decided to spend 10 hours doing it. He lost half of his deposit and I think we can say that he did not have a pleasant experience. He ended up having problems with the KYC and it was funny that the casino sent him his withdrawal twice, but he was fair and sent them an email about their mistake, that was fair of him.

Card counting is possible, but it's not something that everyone can do. You need to have a good memory to remember many cards that have passed and always have an idea of what cards might come next... but that's no guarantee of a win, it just increases your chances of winning.

It is a waste of money to try card counting when gambling online, even when you are dealing with a live dealer, the reason for this is that for what I have seen, live dealers shuffle after each round, meaning that whatever count you had becomes meaningless as you have to start all over again, and since casinos are using several decks, whatever the count is when it comes your turn makes no difference at all when it comes to your chances of obtaining the cards you need.