On average, how long can you stay at a table/casino without attracting too much heat?

I'm just playing casually as my wife loves going to the casino... and I'm just starting to get good at fully playing basic strategy and adjusting to the count. After being at El Cortez for like 6-8 hours, I eventually got flat-betted (only won like $100 and wasn't betting too aggressive on the $5 table).

So how long do you think it's generally safe to play at a casino without getting backed off or banned? I'm not looking to do this for a living, just don't want to lose more money than I have to while my wife plays the slots lol.

Also, one more question.... if say on 50% of the shuffles, you just played the $5 table and raised $25+ on advantage... and the other 50% of the time, you just played basic strategy at $5 and raised +5 on a winning hand... would you still have an overall winning odds? Trying to figure out a decent way to be able to play without running from casino to casino if possible even if it' lowers down my win percent. If I can be slightly positive or even, that's cool with me.

All depends on game, rules, stakes, sweatiness of casino, etc.

El Cortez is notoriously sweaty -- one of the sweatiest if not THE sweatiest casino in LV.


If you're spreading 5-20 on a DD game, you should be able to play for quite a while. If you spread 5-15 or perhaps even 5-10, you'll have a small win.

Everything RS said. Spread usually is a big factor too. The bigger the spread the more heat. Also the higher the stakes tends to draw more attraction depending on casino. If you're counting cards be prepared to move casino to casino

Quote: RS

All depends on game, rules, stakes, sweatiness of casino, etc.

El Cortez is notoriously sweaty -- one of the sweatiest if not THE sweatiest casino in LV.


If you're spreading 5-20 on a DD game, you should be able to play for quite a while. If you spread 5-15 or perhaps even 5-10, you'll have a small win.

On the GwaE podcast they had a story where they would send new guys they were training for BJ teams to the El Cortez telling them they needed to see them play live. The real test was too see how they react getting trespassed or backed from a table and to remove the jitters from being backed for the first time.

Nowadays counting is not worth the heat-- so many better avenues

Quote: Wonko33

On the GwaE podcast they had a story where they would send new guys they were training for BJ teams to the El Cortez telling them they needed to see them play live. The real test was too see how they react getting trespassed or backed from a table and to remove the jitters from being backed for the first time.

That's actually pretty smart.

There was one (apparently) successful gambler on the Bob Dancer show last summer (June? July?) who had a rather heterodox opinion here. He simply played long sessions and didn't worry about it. He did various things that probably helped him get away with it like bringing the pitt bosses food on occasion.

Quote: socks

There was one (apparently) successful gambler on the Bob Dancer show last summer (June? July?) who had a rather heterodox opinion here. He simply played long sessions and didn't worry about it. He did various things that probably helped him get away with it like bringing the pitt bosses food on occasion.

Are you talking about smallcapgrowth? Yeah, that's what his style of attack was. But -- he also sought out tolerant casinos, which usually meant poor games. In other words, he wouldn't be playing the game with 0.5 out of 6 decks cut off, S17 with LS. He'd be playing the games with 2 or 2.5 decks cut off, H17 without LS.

So, maybe you can make $1500/hour on that good 5.5/6 S17 LS game, but can only play a short period of time. Or play the sh***y game, make $500/hour, but be able to play all day long.


But, it really comes down to how tolerant the store is.

If you're losing, they'll let you sit there all day long :)