Isn't there a computer?

I've heard of a computer which you discretly input every card seen at a casino, and the computer will then tell you wether to hit/stand etc on every hand, by vibrating or some other means. Is this true?

Yes,However in most places they are illegal.

what kind of player advantage do they give you with just flat bets?

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input every card ? I think there was someone who was able to run the "cut card" along the top of the deck and then insert it. Some jewelry photographed the sequence and then relayed a lengthy slug of known cards. Don't know how much of this is rumor though.

Tapping into surveillance cameras might help but its that 'next' card that you want a camera to be focused on and that would mean inside the shoe.

Kind of difficult to get a shoe and switch it in and out of service, though one Takedown team is thought to have tried it and been caught at it.

Quote: tanza

what kind of player advantage do they give you with just flat bets?

If playing todays normal games ie.. 6 or 8 deck games or even a double deck game flat betting just isn`t going to give you much if any edge.
Not for the type of computer you asked about,now if you have a sequencing computer you could get an edge,but nobody would just flat bet.
Oh you are thinking I will flat bet then nobody will notice me,well you could use a small spread 1-2 or 1-3 and stay under the radar,but you would be making many strange plays which will draw attention on their own even without a spread.Now if you bet small enough no one will care but then you wouldn`t make any money.
Once again this is illegal in most places.

Last time I was in Las Vegas, there were signs on the walls of casinos advising patrons that iPhone card counting apps were illegal. So I'd guess that a computer specifically designed for that purpose would be, as well.

And they're pretty much pointless. If you are willing to cheat with a phone, then do it on a game where you could get a much larger edge, like roulette. Doing it on BJ would be a waste.

Of course, you're best bet would be to not cheat at all.

Quote: FleaStiff

I think there was someone who was able to run the "cut card" along the top of the deck and then insert it. Some jewelry photographed the sequence and then relayed a lengthy slug of known cards. Don't know how much of this is rumor though.

0% rumor, I saw it in person.

As for the OP, I can't help you with what computer there may be, but I can almost assure you it would be completely illegal.

Quote: FleaStiff

input every card ? I think there was someone who was able to run the "cut card" along the top of the deck and then insert it. Some jewelry photographed the sequence and then relayed a lengthy slug of known cards. Don't know how much of this is rumor though.

It's demonstrated at about 2:15 on this video: http://youtu.be/Q_lIwEAVVaM For what it's worth, I've seen a better YouTube example of this cheating method, but couldn't find it now.

The cheater uses a sleeve camera to record the sequence of the cards. He then passed the camera to an accomplice who takes it out of the casino, reviews the video, recording the sequence, and relays that info to the cheater.

Baccarat is such a slow paced game that it would take just a couple of hands, before the results are available for the cheater to use.