Cheating At Blackjack Is A Risky Business At The Casino
Although blackjack is famous as a casino game in that it needs considerable skill, some players still feel the temptation to cheat. We should point out that cheating at blackjack doesn’t include counting cards. Counting cards as a means to help you lower the house edge does carry a certain stigma from the casinos, but it’s certainly not illegal behavior. Because of this, it’s one of the most common blackjack tricks.
Counting Cards Isn’t Illegal
At any land-based casino, it’s perfectly fine if you choose to try and count cards. And though the casino may ask you to leave on the discovery, they cannot call the cops. That’s because, thanks to legal precedence, card counting it’s not illegal according to the courts. The type of cheating at blackjack we’re talking about today is similar to the infamous Archie Karas.
At one point he was a high-stakes gambling legend in Las Vegas. But after eventually blowing through his whole multimillion-dollar fortune, he turned to low-level blackjack cheating. All this ended rather badly when in 2013, he was caught on video surveillance marking the cards. This was done using invisible ink and he marked the 10’s up to the Aces. In order to recognise these marks, he utilised special eyewear glasses.
Is The Dealer Cheating At Blackjack?
Of course, it’s not just the players who are cheating at blackjack. It’s quite possible that the dealer is cheating, either to help the house or to help another player. You don’t have to ask around very much to find paranoid blackjack players who suspect that there are many unscrupulous dealers out to get their money. When dealers do cheat, it tends to be cooperating with other players, to bring the house advantage down and into their favour.
When playing a game of blackjack, these two previously mentioned methods are probably the most commonly used ways of exploiting the casino. Many of today’s scams are now much more sophisticated. And it’s quite possible about many go undetected for a considerable time.
In fact, there may well be some techniques that are being used today that casino security is totally unaware of. We should point out that cheating at the best online casinos to play blackjack like 22Bet Casino is even more difficult. Even card counting doesn’t work as these games utilise a massive number of card decks.
Marking Cards To “See” the Highs and Lows
Probably one of the best blackjack tips and tricks for cheating at blackjack is simply marking the cards. If you think back to when you were a child reading superman comics, it’s great to imagine how you could use x-ray vision to scan the cards to see where the 10s and Aces are. Think of the huge advantage this additional information would give you. It could be used in multiple ways to gain an upper hand over the house edge.
Cheating At Blackjack: Change Your Playing Style
For a start, you know what the dealer’s hole card is. This means that you’re able to adjust your perfect blackjack strategies accordingly. For example, if the dealer is showing a strong 7. For normal players, they will need to hit. But if you know the hole card is a 9, which gives them 16, then there’s going to be a high likelihood that they will go bust. In which case, you could just sit back and rake in the winnings.
If you’re looking at how you should play a double-down strategy, then being able to see everyone else’s cards who’s sitting at the table it’s going to be super useful. Today’s cheaters still use the original ink and glasses that Karas preferred.
Another more common method is scratching a small indent into the back of a 10 or higher value card using your fingernail. Providing this scratch is small enough, then the dealer won’t notice it. But with your eagle eyes, you’ll be able to spot it easily, as you know what you’ll be looking for.
Cheating At Blackjack And Casino Security
Keep in mind, that if you take this route, there are considerable drawbacks. For a start, the overhead surveillance cameras zoom in and will be looking for such behaviour. Whether it’s scratching, wiping or bending the cards. The floor manager and pit bosses have eagle eyes to look for such behaviour. Even if you spend too much time staring at the back of the cards, or deviating from basic strategy, these are all red flags to the casino staff.
Karas ended up being caught, arrested and prosecuted for his crimes. Yet there have since been plenty of casino cheats. For example, in 2011, at the Delaware Park Casino, a 3-person team attempted to steal by marking cards in the same manner. If you are caught then don’t think it’s going to be dealt with lightly. There’s a good chance you could see prison time. As well as getting a ban from every casino in your state.
Spotting Weak Dealers And Signaling Their Hole Card
Sometimes a sloppy dealer will inadvertently expose the hole card. This can come from the angle they’re holding the deck of cards. Or by exposing it too high or too low. Providing someone is nearby, and looking for this, they can gain valuable information. Even better, they don’t have to be sitting at the games table themselves. But could be standing as an observer simply holding a drink.
Providing there are some pre-assigned signals, it’s quite possible for the spectator to signal the card to a player. This can be using naturalistic hand movements. Like moving hair or brushing their nose. Some players have devised tiny electronic devices from which they can send vibrating signals to the player sitting at the table.
A Hammer To The Fingers
You imagine that the process of “hole carding” with a weak dealer would be incredibly easy. Unfortunately, when it comes to casino cheating at blackjack, nothing is that easy. Probably your biggest fear is going to be from the overhead cameras.
We’re sure that many players have seen the Martin Scorsese movie “Casino” with Robert De Niro. Especially the part where a couple of cheats are caught and punished accordingly. Yes, of course, it’s a fictional film. But you get the picture. Cheats are not welcome at the casino.
Past Posting To Increase Bet Sizes
Another sneaky way of cheating at blackjack is by using “past posting.” This involves quietly adding chips to an existing wager after you receive a strong hand. For example, if you started with a $100 bet using four green $25 chips. Then you receive a King and a Queen for a 20.
What happens now is that, as the dealer continues dealing around the table, you are sliding two more $25 chips on top of the original stack which increases your overall bet to $150. It’s important that the dealer doesn’t notice this action. If a dealer goes bust or is unable to make the total of 21, then at original $100 bet is now worth $150. It’s an easy way to make money that’s for sure.
You can look at “past posting” as a form of late betting. In truth, it’s probably one of the rudimentary forms of cheating at blackjack. Players who have too much to drink or are tipsy tend to try and make this move in the hopes of the dealer and pit boss not noticing. But in truth, it’s virtually impossible to do. After all, the dealers are not fools. You’ll be surprised how sharp they are when it comes to spotting cheaters. Then there’s a constant eye in the sky. Essentially, this is a security system that never sleeps.
To that end, we suggest that you go to the casino and play their games with the right frame of mind. The same goes for online casinos like 22Bet Casino. Don’t waste your time planning how you can rip off the casino. You could better spend your time learning the rules and gameplay to help you. Or utilize free blackjack practice at all modern online casinos.
