Counting cards. How do people get caught? Isn't it all done in your head?

Question

Counting cards. How do people get caught? Isn't it all done in your head?

Answer 1

It is all in your head, but the key is the betting. When the count is high you are supposed to bet a LOT. And when the count is low, you bet the minimum. If your betting patterns are real suspicious the pit bosses and cameras will be watching you. If they suspect you are counting, then you will be tossed out of the casino like a bag of trash.

Answer 2

if all you do is count cards, you will never ever get caught.

but the reason people count cards, is to have an edge, and the only way to do that is by changing your bet based on what the card count is... and once you start doing that, the pit bosses and surveillance can start to get an idea that youre card counting (laying down bigger bets as the count gets better, then going back to minimum when the count is poor).

Answer 3

How do people get caught?  Simple, they win, consistently.  Blackjack, like all other casino games have a statistical advantage to the house.  Blackjack is one of the few games, probably the only house game (exclude poker), in which the player can gain an advantage for themselves if they count efficiently and bet accordingly.  Granted, counting efficiently is very, very difficult, but it can be done.  In the short-term, anyone can win or have a good night, but long-term everyone is supposed to be a loser, the laws of statistics kick in eventually.  If you win long-term, if you continue to take the casino's money, they will notice and they will kick you out.

Answer 4

Card counters do many things that typical players do not, i will list some of them

-Changing your bet dramatically

-Betting large amounts of money in proportion to table minimums

-Watching every card as it is dealt

-Makes very savvy plays liek hitting soft 18, splitting tens, hitting 12 vs 2,3,4,5,or 6 soubling soft a9 and soft 20

-refusing to play untill near the end of a shoe

-refusing a player rating card

-Buying in very large amounts

If a player is thought to be counting cards one tell tale givaway is that they play basic strategy with a few key execptions, the most common hand that a card counter will play differently is 16vs10  if survelance notices that a player hits when there is a small bet and stands when there is a large bet, he will likly be dubbed a counter.  Here are some  things that may be viewed as suspicious behavior, and promt you to be investigated.

-If you use a player rating card and you log enough time on it, you are liekly to be the only one of thousands of other people who have played 200 hours of blackjack AND are winning money, this may hint survelance to evaluate your play

-Splitting tens is also a big giveaway, if a player splits tens, and is also found to play every other hand correctly, its probibly a safe bet he/she is counting cards

-Hitting soft 18 vs 9 ten or ace, may be viewed as suspicous, while this is the best play to make, most peopel, even those who claim to know make that play.

Answer 5

Surveillance or the pit bosses check the bet sizes from one bet to the next.  When your fluctuation is too large they put more eyes on you.

Answer 6

Counting cards it's legal IF YOU DO IT INSIDE YOUR HEAD.(not so easy to do but possible). You can't be arrested for that.

People get caught because they try to use gadgets (from computers inside the shoes to players wearing radio transmitter while some give them instructions; if you can think a way to cheat you can be sure it has already been done and the casinos know all those tricks).