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Why is counting cards such as bad thing?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by hondo, Sep 18, 2014.

  1. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    Agreed.

    Although I am not above letting that count influence my decision on 15 and 16.

    Which is probably just as stupid.
     
  2. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    That's a tempting one, and counting 10s can lure you into taking insurance as well, or not taking even money.
     
  3. ThomsonONE

    ThomsonONE Member

    Casinos identify counters not by gauging their winning/losing, but by betting patterns. They will restrict you to a number of units in spread which will eliminate the advantage. It takes a lot to be barred from playing. You have to be pretty blatant about what you're doing.

    Bet one chip when the deck is against you, two or three when it favors you and you will be fine. Bet 100 when it favors you and you might as well come right out and tell them you can and are counting.

    Be subtle, not greedy and you can get away with it.

    Getting barred is NOT a badge of honor, it is a show of stupidity and carelessness that you spent so much time perfecting this skill, then threw it away.
     
  4. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    As I understand it, you can only be barred from casinos for counting in certain states (e.g., Nevada). In other states, where by law blackjack is a game of chance rather than skill, one cannot be barred, seeing as how one cannot beat (or gain an advantage in) a game of chance.
     
  5. This.
    It is their property. Like No Shoes, No Shirt No Service, they can refuse service to anyone.

    Rubes are always welcome.
     
  6. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    Eh, there are a LOT of casinos in this country, and around the world. You'd have to win a shitload of money to get banned at all of them, and by then you're sipping mai tais on the French Riviera with a Bond girl in a thong.
     
  7. ThomsonONE

    ThomsonONE Member

    You get banned, you go in the Griffin book and you are pretty much done worldwide.
     
  8. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    Not saying it does, but that could pretty much describe Affleck. :)
     
  9. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    I wonder if it's part of the reason, along with technology, why some casinos are having problems. Why travel somewhere to gamble when the odds are stacked against you?
     
  10. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    The odds have always been stacked against you.
    Casinos are having problems because there's too damn many of them and the "destination" cities aren't all that special any more. You can win or lose a lot closer to home.
     
  11. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member

    I won't play blackjack at any of the tribal casinos in CA - auto-shuffle, low-pay on blackjack and no surrender.
    If I go to AC or LV, I'll play blackjack. Other than that, I stick to poker.
     
  12. old_tony

    old_tony Well-Known Member

    The house advantage in blackjack comes from the simple fact that when you both bust, the house wins. One of these days I'd love to play with a strategy of never taking a card that could bust me. Always stay on 12-16, even when the dealer is showing a 10. I'd love to see if that would even the odds.

    Statistically, each side should bust the same amount of times and win the same amount of times. Now you've eliminated the busts for your side. Sure, you'll miss out on those rare times when you hit a 5 on 16, but you'll gain that back on the number of times you've busted against a 10 and the other card turns out to be a 2 through 6 and the dealer busts.

    If it all plays out 50-50, you make a small profit on your blackjacks.

    Then you can follow the other simple strategies of the game to turn the odds in your favor -- double-down and split when you have 11 or less and the dealer has a 5 or 6 showing. The simple rule being that whenever you can, get more money on the table when the dealer is weak. You won't win them all, of course, but you should make money.

    The one obstacle is pressure from others at the table who might get pissed at you for sitting on 13 against a dealer's 10.
     
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