Deviation Card Legality

Counting is obviously the easy part, but I have struggled on-and-off with a few deviations. Is having a basic strategy card marked for deviations considered an illegal Cheating Device in the United States, Canada, or the Bahamas? I have yet to experience heat or any indications that there may be a problem but I am curious if that would be pushing the boundaries into illegality. (I do plan on drilling deviations in the near future, no need to hammer that point home.)

burnouts49,

Probably not illegal in U.S. commercial (non-Indian) casinos; can't say about Bahamas.

However, if the pit critter sees you using a B.S. card and asks you to let him see it, what will you do? If he sees the index markings, he will almost certainly tell you, "No more blackjack" and may even 86 you.

If your markings are so subtle that he misses them, he will certainly become suspicious once he sees that you sometimes hit 16 vs. 10 and other times stand.

I would suggest you refrain from this course and instead commit the indexes to memory. You don't need to memorize all of them at once: instead, concentrate on what Don Schlesinger terms "the Illustrious 18", then gradually add more indexes a few at a time.

Hope this helps!

Dog Hand

If you just memorize the 18 it is probably not worth memorizing more as they are pretty rare and add little EV.

If you're going to use a card, making a card counting basic strategy that already incorporates certain index plays may be desirable.
You play strictly according to the card at big bets, you deviate away on hunches at small bets.

Quote: Dieter

If you're going to use a card, making a card counting basic strategy that already incorporates certain index plays may be desirable.
You play strictly according to the card at big bets, you deviate away on hunches at small bets.
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Dieter,

I would discourage this idea. If the pit critter looks at it and sees it says to Stand on 16 vs. 10, he'll likely be suspicious. Then when the player "plays a hunch" and Hits it with a minimum bet in the circle, he'll be even more suspicious.

For card counters, less memorable is better.

Dog Hand

Quote: DogHand

Quote: Dieter

If you're going to use a card, making a card counting basic strategy that already incorporates certain index plays may be desirable.
You play strictly according to the card at big bets, you deviate away on hunches at small bets.
link to original post

Dieter,

I would discourage this idea. If the pit critter looks at it and sees it says to Stand on 16 vs. 10, he'll likely be suspicious. Then when the player "plays a hunch" and Hits it with a minimum bet in the circle, he'll be even more suspicious.

For card counters, less memorable is better.

Dog Hand
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I understand your concern, and you raise valid points.



Best form is always to memorize everything.

I mean what's the harm in keeping it in your pocket then referencing it now and then? If asked just say it's a basic strategy card. A piece of plastic or paper should not be considered a device in any legal US district. Not to say the casino might not try to complain about it or kick you out for it though.

Also, I18 will get you the 'majority' of the EV from deviations (mostly insurance really) but there is definitely value to learning more deviations (not only from EV but also from wild and crazy plays others don't know since only the most dedicated professionals learn a lot of indexes past I18). I stopped at about 50 deviations.

Quote: Romes

I mean what's the harm in keeping it in your pocket then referencing it now and then? If asked just say it's a basic strategy card. A piece of plastic or paper should not be considered a device in any legal US district. Not to say the casino might not try to complain about it or kick you out for it though.

Also, I18 will get you the 'majority' of the EV from deviations (mostly insurance really) but there is definitely value to learning more deviations (not only from EV but also from wild and crazy plays others don't know since only the most dedicated professionals learn a lot of indexes past I18). I stopped at about 50 deviations.
link to original post

Penetration is usually only 60% in online live-dealer BJ. You could play computer perfect or use any chart that you want. The only way the casino would know is by using software to evaluate your decisions based on the cards that were played.

Online or B&M, I have heard that some casinos will evaluate your bet spread and strategic decisions based on tracking cards in pay. It wouldn't matter if they see your strategy card or not, they will know that you are making deviations based on the count and your decisions. I don't know if B&M casinos do this card tracking via the camera or by RFID. The online live dealers all run the cards past a scanner. This allows the online software to show the player their exact cards and running totals and to log each hand.

I only play online BJ when I have a decent edge based on a promotion. I never bother counting cards, but I always wondered if they protect their game by evaluating play and looking for deviations and computer-perfect play.