I've heard of people getting in trouble for "counting cards." What does that mean?
2007-02-09 16:09:59 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Games & Recreation ➔ Gambling
When people talk about "Counting Cards" what they are referring to is the process of tracking the ratio of 10 cards to stiff cards (2s thru 6s generally) to determine optimum betting during 21.
It is possible to count down a 4 or 6 deck shoe. you do not need to be an autistic savant, you just need to be able to divide the # of decks left to be dealt by the Running count you are keeping.
Libraries have been written about card counting and casino management has read these books as well. Meaning that unless you have a large enough bankroll and experience in Casino Surveillance (so you know the techniques of detecting card counters) don't think about pursuing it professionally.
There are people who do this but the are small in number
2007-02-09 18:51:19 · answer #1 · answered by sharkeysports 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So counting cards is keeping track of what cards have come out. In most casinos they use like 5 decks. You'd have to be Rain Man to count into that, and even then you would have limited success.
2007-02-09 17:27:01 · answer #2 · answered by alwaysmoose 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Very basically:
The casino is using multiple decks in blackjack, and you need to know how many they are using. You start playing with a relatively small bet to start, and you count which cards have already been exposed (particularly the cards with a value of 10). As the number of cards in the shoe decreases, you have considerable information about which cards are remaining. Because of this, you increase your bet size.
The original theory was described in Edward O. Thorp's book Beat the Dealer.
http://www.amazon.com/Beat-Dealer-Winning-Strategy-Twenty-One/dp/0394703103/sr=8-1/qid=1169089069/
However, don't count on this working in Vegas casinos. The pit bosses and security cameras try to identify people doing this. They will ask you to leave and not return to the blackjack pit. If you try to return, it can get uglier.
2007-02-11 06:05:53 · answer #3 · answered by Sanjay M 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You don't get into trouble for counting cards. That is the biggest misconception about it. You have to be betting, and winning, tens of thousands of dollars to get noticed doing it. Even if the casino thinks you are counting, the most they can do is tell you not to come back in their casino, but they have to let you cash in everything you've won up to that point. People get into big trouble because they got kicked out and try to come back in and get caught tresspassing but they say they got in trouble for counting cards.
2007-02-09 19:42:08 · answer #4 · answered by closetcoon_fan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Closetsoons got it about right, the only places that sweat the counters are in the states. It's a misconception that counting multiple decks is difficult. With lost of casinos using shuffle machines these days it's almost a moot point.
2007-02-10 02:24:11 · answer #5 · answered by Player 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Counting suit of cards dealt in single deck blackjack to increase your odds of winning. It can only be done in single and double deck games. This is why a 4-6 deck shoe is used most often.
2007-02-09 16:14:18 · answer #6 · answered by justbeingher 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋