Red Flag Winnings

Any counter should be identifiable almost immediately if the count offers a high enough opportunity. If some joker jumps to 10X at a decent count, WTF do they think he might be doing - intuiting? His ass should be out the door immediately. As for the famous acts these clowns bring to the table - doesn't mean shit. Casino shouldn't care how stupid, drunk, whatever you appear to be. If you are betting bigger with higher counts, you are a counter. Very simple.

Quote: dm

Any counter should be identifiable almost immediately if the count offers a high enough opportunity. If some joker jumps to 10X at a decent count, WTF do they think he might be doing - intuiting? His ass should be out the door immediately. As for the famous acts these clowns bring to the table - doesn't mean shit. Casino shouldn't care how stupid, drunk, whatever you appear to be. If you are betting bigger with higher counts, you are a counter. Very simple.

(For consideration upon your return from banning:)
Yes, but it's not like there are flashing LCD screens with the true count going all the time at every blackjack table. Surveillance isn't watching every table and counting down every shoe, dealers don't necessarily all know how to count, and pit bosses aren't watching every game. If some guy is suddenly (or gradually) betting 10x, he could fall into at least 3 categories:
1) Successful card counter
2) Bad card counter who is betting big at the wrong times
3) Someone with a wild hair up their ass

I have seen (3) before, people betting wildly different amounts at CSM tables! It's impossible to count or shuffle track with CSMs, so unless they were hole-carding or something, they were just tourists playing "hunches" or whatever. I've seen people doing it at normal tables too, and they could have been from any of the three categories; I'm just saying I know people in (3) exist because I've seen the behavior in counting-impossible situations.

Casinos don't want to bar (2) and (3) without at least a cursory skills check, or else they'll lose a lot of money. So they can't bar someone immediately after they start spreading. I'm not trying to downplay the casinos' ability to ID and bar counters, but you're making it sound way too simple.

Quote: AcesAndEights

(For consideration upon your return from banning:)
Yes, but it's not like there are flashing LCD screens with the true count going all the time at every blackjack table. Surveillance isn't watching every table and counting down every shoe, dealers don't necessarily all know how to count, and pit bosses aren't watching every game. If some guy is suddenly (or gradually) betting 10x, he could fall into at least 3 categories:
1) Successful card counter
2) Bad card counter who is betting big at the wrong times
3) Someone with a wild hair up their ass

I have seen (3) before, people betting wildly different amounts at CSM tables! It's impossible to count or shuffle track with CSMs, so unless they were hole-carding or something, they were just tourists playing "hunches" or whatever. I've seen people doing it at normal tables too, and they could have been from any of the three categories; I'm just saying I know people in (3) exist because I've seen the behavior in counting-impossible situations.

Casinos don't want to bar (2) and (3) without at least a cursory skills check, or else they'll lose a lot of money. So they can't bar someone immediately after they start spreading. I'm not trying to downplay the casinos' ability to ID and bar counters, but you're making it sound way too simple.

You're quite right. 3) accounts for the majority of wild plays at the casino, by a very wide margin. At the previous poster's advice, many casinos will in fact send anyone in this category out the door, to their significant financial detriment.

Here are some thoughts:

- Most floor and pit personnel have only the absolute most rudimentary understanding of how to count, if that
- A skills check takes at least 30 minutes to complete in most cases
- A skills check will often not be requested unless you're previously known or have made enough conspicuous moves to warrant such
- Most casinos that actually present an opportunity to make any money have a basic understanding of the fact that the vast majority of bettors winning large amounts of money or making strange moves are very unlikely to be playing with an advantage

The above should both give you an idea of how to succeed at this whole venture, while simultaneously explain why it's even still viable in the first place. Casinos sweating card counters are often casinos that are losing a lot of unnecessary money.