How Do Casinos Recognise Card Counters?

Many people are unsure whether counting cards is illegal in Blackjack. The short answer is that it is not illegal in American or British law.

Whilst it is not illegal, casinos disapprove of card counters and would likely ask them to leave the table. Multiple offences could end up with the counter receiving a ban from the casino.

However, not all card counters get caught. If you avoid suspicion then you will not be penalised for the strategy.

New Card Counters Display Certain Behaviour

It can be relatively simple to spot a player who is counting cards. They often seem to lack focus on the game or normal conversation between the dealer and other players. This is due to them being so enticed in counting cards in their head. As soon as any suspicion is raised then the casino staff will be watching the player like a hawk.

Betting Patterns

A key sign to spotting a card counter involves keeping an eye on their stakes. As a deck begins to end, it is often that they will increase their stakes in anticipation for the cards that have not been drawn yet. This is important to know when you play live casino games for real money. Even if dealers cannot actually see you, your betting patterns might give away that you are counting cards.

Splitting 10’s

People who follow basic blackjack strategies that are accepted by casinos will never split 10’s when they are dealt. It is not a strategy that professional players follow. Counters are likely to split 10’s, and casinos are aware of that.

Taking Insurance

Insurance bets are another strategy which are commonly used by card counters. Insurance bets generally give the casino an edge over the player, however a card counter may be able to exploit this. Most experienced players tend to avoid insurance bets so it can be a system which triggers suspicion if someone uses it.

Casinos Hire Professionals

All casino personnel is trained to recognise card counters. Whenever they suspect that a player is using this technique, they will ask them to leave or ban them from playing live dealer blackjack games in online casinos.

If you want to learn card counting and still not get caught, you must play a lot of games in various casinos. Only after you master it, should you go to Las Vegas or register at popular online casinos. Even then, you should take into account that popular casinos hire pure professionals who have an extended track record of catching card counters.

Conclusion

Card counting is not illegal but only pays off if the player is very good at it. Even if you feel as if you have mastered it, there is no guarantee this system will give you a hands on advantage. It may just be better not to count while playing.

Casinos also have various methods of discouraging card counters from playing blackjack using the infamous system. For example, they would spice up the rules, so that card counting becomes more difficult, or they would play with minimum and maximum bets.

In other words, counting cards is a sort of bet itself as you never know what may happen to you. On the other hand, you can utilise blackjack strategies accepted by casinos. They will help you minimise the house edge and not risk being banned or asked to stop playing and leave the table.