Blackjack Card Counting – Is it Legal?



Under US law, blackjack card counting is legal, provided the player or team does not use any mechanical or electronic or any other type of device for the card counting. If you are counting cards in your mind and get caught, you cannot be handed over to the police, cannot be charged with any crime and will not face any fine or jail term. However, there is a “but” – and a big one.

 

Casinos are private property and right of admission is reserved. If they ask you to leave, then you must and you have no recourse in law against that decision. Just as unruly casinos players are ejected from the premises, so are suspected card counters. Those who follow blackjack news, will realise that the frequency of removal of card counters is on the rise. This is hardly surprising, because card counting still results in losses to casinos of millions of dollars every year.

 

Two thoughts arise from this discussion.

 

·       How do casinos catch blackjack players counting cards

·       What steps casinos use in removing blackjack card counters

 

How do casinos catch blackjack players counting cards

 

Blackjack card counters track cards removed from the shoe, while making small bets during that time. If and when the remaining cards in the shoe become favourable to the players, the card counter significantly increases the amount bet. The casinos independently track the shoe and also the bets of each player. This enables them to identify blackjack card counters.

 

 

What steps casinos use in removing blackjack card counters.

 

It begins politely. Two suited men will come alongside the player and request him or her to leave the table. The chips will be cashed and the suspected blackjack card counter escorted to the door. If resistance is offered, the suited men will start disturbing and harassing the player till he is compelled to leave. I have even read of drinks being “accidentally” tipped on the player. Only in the last resort, any physical force is used, because that may open the door for legal action against the casino on grounds of manhandling.

Author: Harsh Nevatia has 20 years’ experience of creating content on online gambling and understands how the system works.

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNwiHTy4rRtj9cut501-hrQ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hnevatia

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harsh-nevatia-3759446/

X (Twitter): @HarshNev

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  A Snippet from Blackjack History To the uninitiated, a black jack would be the Jack of Spades or the Jack of Clubs. In the game, “blackjack” is a special two card hand consisting of an ace and any 10-valued card . Tens, jacks, queens, and kings all have a value of ten in casino blackjack. This special hand has an enhanced payout of 3 to 2, or now of 6 to 5 in some casinos . However, this was not always so.   Though blackjack originated in Europe, the modern game evolved in the United States. In the first half of the twentieth century, gambling was illegal there and was conducted in “underground casinos”. To draw more players to the fold, gambling houses offered a bonus payout of 10 to 1 for being dealt a hand of the  ace of spades  and a black  jack (the Jack of Spades or the Jack of Clubs) . This hand was called a "blackjack", and gave its name to the game, which was until then more popularly known as 21, from the French vingt-et-un. The name stuck to this hand even after
Read more
Image
  How Vegas Casinos Dupe Blackjack Players Ever since I started playing the game 40 years ago, blackjack has paid 3 to 2 at all land and online casinos. Last year, news began to trickle in that some Las Vegas casinos started paying at a lower rate of 6 to 5. At first there was disbelief, because this was like ripping off the casino player. However, the news was persistent and my sources were good. Then in June 2023 Mike Aponte went public on this issue in an interview to ABC News . Aponte was a part of the famous, or should I say infamous, MIT Blackjack Team and his word carries weight.   This is not a blanket, boldly announced decision taken by the casino fraternity, but has been executed in an insidious manner. Even within a casino you will find blackjack tables with the older 3 to 2 payouts and also those with the new 6 to 5 payouts. The higher limit tables where the pros hold sway will be 3 to 2, because an expert player will never accept the lowered odds. Today, “tourist gamblers
Read more
Image
  Blackjack Card Counting – Is it Worthwhile? Having confirmed the legality of blackjack card counting , I now address the next logical question. Is blackjack card counting worthwhile. My experienced answer is an unequivocal NO. And these are the reasons why.   Blackjack Card Counting Is Difficult   The simplest form of card counting, which offers the least advantage, involves assigning a value of -1, 0, or +1 to each card, as shown in the image above. You have to keep track of the cumulative total of all exposed cards on the blackjack table– not only yours and the dealer’s, but also for each player. And this needs to be done discreetly, without giving any signs to the casino staff. Believe me, this is extremely difficult. Very few people can be successful.     Blackjack Card Counting Offers Only Marginal Advantage   Optimum blackjack strategy results in an average expected return of 99.5%. This means that for every $100 that you bet you will get back only $99.5 in
Read more