How Casinos Know You're Counting (Blackjack)

[@garysharp8871]

When I was a casioo dealer I saw players lose 10 hands in a row lots of times on high positive true counts. Card counter or not, most of the players would chase their money and bet more when they are losing and the last time I checked chasing your money and betting more does not work in the long run lol, even if you are counting cards. Your best option as a card counter is to play the hours and not chase that money when your losing, otherwise you wont make it in the long run

[@885Blackjack]

10? that's all? lol

[@sere971]

playing the hours as a card counter includes doing the same thing *always*, including raising your bets when you're supposed to. It doesn't make sense to lump card counters in with other people who chase their money in this manner. Increasing your bet is what makes card counting profitable in the first place.

[@h2t26]

@@sere971 I agree the bet was high cause the count was high not cause he lost. There is a difference.

[@tv-21]

Why does my casino floor person want me to win?

[@tv-21]

Shouldn't they not care if I count cards?

[@88KeysIdaho]

Really nice video, thanks. I appreciate you explaining, and restating the count as you went along, while explaining and determining whether to use BS deviations.

[@PaulieVavoom]

One of your best videos yet DarkStar!

[@aliennotion2876]

I once got kicked out of the Luxor for card counting when they caught me moving the beads on my abacus.

[@sportspokerguy3506]

Now THAT is using a device and actually is illegal

[@kolmogorovaxiom1493]

Using a mechanical device to count cards is actually illegal, so you are lucky all they did was kick you out

[@darksoul479]

It's hard to deal and count at the same time isn't it? Good video. 😊

[@zerkinit1057]

7:10 count's at 10, 7 comes out, then next round you start with a count of 9

[@zerkinit1057]

oh nevermind you just stop counting at some point lol

[@terrybellowes908]

I bring the Basic Strategy card to the table and check it often despite not usually needing it. When they dealers catch me varying from it they often pause a moment and stare. I usually either say I misread it with my trifocals or was playing a hunch. Without the bankroll to make large variants, its enough cover where I play, so far.

[@jamesmcdermott9275]

Love the way he handles the cards.

[@18legend19]

They figure out I was counting cards because of my bets. Knowing that my count was high and the deck was short I started getting 4x the amount and the floor manager told me I couldn’t play any more blackjack

[@williamdonabue6383]

Please come back we need you man

[@CornPopsDood]

The shuffle machines they use know exactly which card is where in the shoe at all times. If one card it missing it will lock the table down automatically. If the machine knows where every card is they’re counting cards in the surveillance room for sure, & probably running computer calculations. If you want to be good you’ve got to do some type of counter measure. I was up pretty good one time, & had some serious heat. Pit boss stayed at the table for over a half hour. I started making stupid plays for a bit. Lost a bit of my profit, but hopefully knocked my next heat level down a little. Every time is a learning situation. $5-100-$200 is so obvious you’re at least trying if there’s any perception of a betting pattern. Your bets will give you away faster than eyes/head movements. Up a bit as a time as you’re building a profit.

[@emmanuelvacakis4463]

The Silver Nugget in North Las Vegas was the casino I couldn’t remember.

[@darksoul479]

Where'd you get that old picture of the Hacienda for your video? That place has been gone for a long time, I worked there in the seventies.

[@DarkStarBlackjack]

They have it on Fremont at now. Not in front of a hotel. Just on the sidewalk.

[@OGPakkBaby1]

Very good video,more like this please. Can you help me with bankroll management ? What was your starting bankroll

[@Jmang0814]

Great video. Love your content! I’m on a cruise ship right now and the only worthwhile non CSM table in their casino is Spanish 21. Is that beatable or a waste of time? Thank you!

[@DarkStarBlackjack]

Spanish 21 is beatable but it's different basic strategy and you have to adjust your count for the fact that there are no tens. I forgot the strategy changes and the count adjustment. I think you start at -10 running count but don't quote me on that. There is one book on it by Katarina Walker.

[@Jmang0814]

@@DarkStarBlackjack thank you so much for the reply!

[@Toast1776osrs]

Great content! Can't wait to see more

[@LukePettit]

TLDW 1 Big jumps in bet size 2 Returning to smallest bet after the shuffle.

[@gjunior2471]

Keep 'em coming.Thanks

[@roscoebuns5264]

I can tell by your bet if you have a positive count but is there a way for you to let us know a little more what's going on while you are on the table. I mostly fast forwarding your play time and wanting to hear you talk so I can catch little pearls of wisdom.

[@xavierdanielsmagicco.9570]

For me the worst is when i push dealer with 20 (4 face cards) and feel like i need to keep my bet the same even though the count just went down by 4. What do you normally do in that situation Darkstar?

[@BigTimeBruh]

Just lower it.

[@AaronHawley]

Who knows how they know, when they knew, or why they knew. The lack of information of the other side cuts both ways between counters and the casino staff.

[@donarteilacas1294]

How do u estimate the cards deck left in the shoe to get the true count

[@DarkStarBlackjack]

Look at discard tray. estimate cards in there and deduct from total.

[@theaxpredator2254]

Nice video bro

[@krisblaise7676]

There was a point when you said running 4 equals a tc 3 with 1.5 left but shuda been under tc 3 because 3x1.5 is 4.5..

[@DarkStarBlackjack]

I round up 4/1.5=2.66 rounded to nearest whole number is 3

[@krisblaise7676]

Oh ok you round up I see. I do also but only if its closer. Keep grinding bro!

[@dagestanifive]

do you think that the knockout system is effective for a beginner like me? at 6 deck shoe you start the count at -20, eliminates need for TC conversion which I am terrible at. problem is finding the right game with positive count without arousing suspicion by watching tables

[@21AceJack]

Lots of people watch tables. Most of them don't count cards. Go on a busy weekend and you will blend in with everyone else. Or don't and most pit personnel are stupid and won't put two and two together anyway. The KO count is easy and its determined to be effective. What's important is your bet spread, hands per hour, and penetration.

[@h2t26]

@@21AceJack Haha so true about watchers. I find it annoying as a gambler but every game has people just watching you. Maybe cause they are bored, maybe cause they lost all their money and have nothing to do, sometimes it cause they like betting in their minds or worse give you advice on how to play with your money so they can get a thrill for nothing at risk. I'll just say if you jump in and jump out a lot that can get fishy if you do that all night.

[@21AceJack]

@@h2t26 yeah true unless it's busy and they don't have time to watch you and you keep your bets small. But big bets get attention. I've had people literally sit next to me and not play and try and tell me how to play my hand and it's so annoying.

[@geektarded]

The second you split 10’s and don’t want to show ID or player’s card at the table, you pretty much scream “I’m a card counter”. In fact not showing your ID when sitting down at a table where casinos ask for it puts you on their radar right from the start in many casinos.

[@emmanuelvacakis4463]

I got kicked out of a casino after playing 2 hands. I bet $2 and then $3. I never had been in this particular casino before. I got kick out of another casino after 3 hands played. I bet $5, then $10 and then $20. The pit boss came over to the table and shoved the $20 bet out of the betting circle back towards me. I sat there for about 10 seconds and got up to cash my chips. The pot boss followed me from inside the pit and when I reached the end of the pit, he told me to try next door.

[@DarkStarBlackjack]

That's incredible! What casinos and did you ask why? Did they say why?

[@emmanuelvacakis4463]

DarkStar Blackjack this was in 1980. The Flamingo Hilton shoved my $20 bet out of the betting circle. The other one was a small casino in North Las Vegas. I can’t remember the name of it anymore. It is incredible. They probably thought I was someone else. I just left. I didn’t want to pursue it with either casino and make a scene. I’m sure if I went back to the Flamingo Hilton, they wouldn’t remember me. These were both double deck games. But I played mainly against a single deck. I liked the MGM 4 deck games before the casino fire. I did very well at the MGM. I used the Lawrence Revere point count and also kept tract of 5’s and 4’s. I think I identified some extra player advantage hands on small negative counts when those horrible cards were gone and my win rate went up. I even beat the game when they shuffled every hand with a girl friend. She played 3 hands and I played 3 hands and we made higher bets on the third base hands. Catching the burn card on a single deck is a huge advantage. It can be a 4% swing. My favorite hand of all was when I had a soft 17 that I hit, drawing a face card. Having seen all the cards except for the burn card and the dealers hole card, the dealer had a face card up, I knew the dealer had another face card in the hole so I hit again. The dealer had to shuffle and I drew a 4 for 21 to beat the dealer’s certain 20!!!

[@kolmogorovaxiom1493]

I doubt they were suspecting you of counting cards at those stakes

[@emmanuelvacakis4463]

@@kolmogorovaxiom1493 40 years ago my house was worth $40k, now it’s worth nearly $2 million. A $20 bet in 1981 was substantial. You could easily find $1 blackjack games on the Las Vegas Strip. Now it seems as if you are lucky to find a $15 game of real blackjack that pays 3-2. I could find supreme gasoline for 88 cents in the most expensive area in the country back then. Now it’s $5 a gallon. You don’t have to look to hard to find a station that will charge you $6 a gallon in SF. Casinos are odd birds. One player bet $1 on a blackjack hand and tied the dealer 20-20 with 4 face cards. Playing with a single deck, you are at a huge disadvantage on the next hand, but he bet $100 and the casino kicked him out for counting cards. Nevada casinos are all private property. That means they can refuse service to anyone for any reason.

[@bluest1524]

Darkstar, do you ever use any intuition at all? Like, if you just had a feeling the next card was going to bust you, and you refused a hit, even though basic strategy says to take one?

[@DarkStarBlackjack]

NEVER!

[@chriszablocki2460]

They don't. All they know is that you're beating the house. And that's a problem for them.

[@garysharp8871]

Are there still casinos that offer six deck shoes with better than 50 percent deck penetration? There are several casinos in my state and none of them offer more than 50 percent deck penetration, so I cant really play in my state

[@21AceJack]

I've never even seen a casino that only gives 50% on a 6 deck shoe. Sounds like a bad area to play blackjack in. Try the midwest

[@angriff6466]

80% pen at most the casinos in my area. PNW

[@garysharp8871]

@@angriff6466 lucky for you, but I'm definitely not playing a 50 percent penetration game

[@squanch4458]

Damn that's harsh. I play online BJ for fun and your deck pen sounds very similar to online, except online its more like 35-40% pen which is fooking stoopid.

[@chriscarlone527]

Twin River and Tiverton Casino on the East coast offer 6 deck shoes with $25 minimum and mid shoe entry in some cases. Late surrender, double after split, insurance and even money. Deck pen is typically 75 to 85%. They chop off a deck and a half typically.

[@tfu4434]

if you 40x on a double deck game in vegas you aren't gonna last at all

[@DarkStarBlackjack]

Vegas is not even close to the beat place to play

[@tfu4434]

@@DarkStarBlackjack agreed. it's good for quantity not quality.

[@OnlyUseMeBIades]

7:11 count is at (10), 7:46 count is at a neutral (10) still cause the 5(11) & Jack(10), 7:51 count is at (11) with the dealers 2 but you say “count goes to (10), then you say (9) cause the King, is flipped. No sir, it’s back at (10). You confused my count when you said that, I had to make sure I wasn’t off my count.

[@h2t26]

okay 5 to 200 is a huge spread. Think most pl it will at least catch their attention especially a pit who might be on the look out. Already sus that you are playing without a card. The first example in the car wasn't as big going from 25 to 200 and they still barred you. Think a part timer could go much lower to stay playing?

[@DarkStarBlackjack]

I've heard of people being barred playing 1-2. So I would say Colin Jones who wrote "The 21st Century Card Counter" has the best advice for the modern game. Play in thier face till they cry "Uncle". I'm paraphrasing but that's the general idea.

[@h2t26]

@DarkStarBlackjack wow! That's surprising as chasing losses is a very common gambler move. Or feeling they are on a winning streak and upping their bet. You make it seem so natural, which I'm sure helps, so I'll definitely need to work on that. Thanks for advice and nice quote!

[@derekmoore295]

You doubled a 6 vs a 6 because you thought the 6 was an 8 for some reason. It was a 2 and a 4. I noticed a few mistakes like that. I certainly would prefer less of showing the short term dealing cards for a video or more talking/explaining because we all know anything that happens in 30min or so means nothing.

[@885Blackjack]

neither 6 nor 8 VS 6, is a double.

[@derekmoore295]

885 Blackjack an 8 vs a 6 is a double deviation at the count he was at lol he didn’t make that big of a mistake. We know basic strategy around here buddy we are far beyond that learn your deviations if your name is 885 blackjack and u r going to go around trying to correct people

[@user-vt2zf2uw7l]

@@885Blackjack what if the count is +3?

[@kolmogorovaxiom1493]

He had the running count wrong on some occasions too

[@rogerwalker3748]

Too aggressive, try 1-12 spread. Count 0 or less 1 green. True 2 = 2 green. True 3 =1 black chip. True 4= 2 black. True 5 = 3 black chips. $25-$300 + deviations.

[@jeffblack4641]

Maybe that's why Darkstar gets backed down. lol.

[@michael2244]

You forgot the burn card

[@flxmnstr9549]

You would not even got the last three hands or more on a double deck in a real live environment they only go slightly over half and you had probably about an eighth of a deck left so this is not accurate on how it would really be because you would never have caught up

[@11NPG]

High count dealer has better chance to hit 20s as well tho correct?

[@darksoul479]

If you started off with a nickel and had that kind of money at the shuffle I'd be watching you like a hawk already.

[@clintrichardsonclintfromny203]

Why dont you just play reputable live casinos online? They dont care if you count.

[@bryanangel5708]

Clint Richardson rules suck, deck penetration never good enough and the games are super slow. Theres no way to make money online

[@garysharp8871]

The six deck shoes at my local casinos give 50 percent deck penetration 🤣😩

[@garysharp8871]

@Angel Quintanar I'm not wasting my time playing if the penetration is not above 50 percent because with penetration like that I would have to put in alot more hours

[@andrewgarrad3571]

On the last hand you had 6 not 8. You had a 2 and a 4. Lol.

[@jeffblack4641]

And I was like wow he's wants to be crazy double on a Six. LOL. I don't think I've ever doubled on an 8 yet.

[@EaganChris]

Played along with my system and made $1,725! My system is better than card counting!!

[@will5will]

you messed up the count a lot tbh

[@dutchcunt5870]

Spoiler they count too

[@MasterVsApprentice]

Shuffling is such bullshit

[@KingSeven007]

🤓

[@will5will]

I recommend making your videos shorter and to the point. I like watching longer videos but this easily could have been done on software and there were way too many mistakes because you're too distracted

[@kidpoker007]

I still don’t understand how it’s legal for the casino to kick you out. How come they can’t kick you out for basic strategy

[@marckelly7305]

Casinos, being private properties, have the right to remove any individual at any time without reason. It is their property, and thus their right, to ask anyone to leave and to refuse service to anyone, whether they have reason to or not.

[@kidpoker007]

Marc Kelly can a coffee shop refuse to serve someone or call the police and have them removed for no reason

[@kidpoker007]

TigR 5hark still seems illegal, they can’t prove you’re counting cards.... it’s total bullshit.... how can I count cards if their going to kick me out

[@squanch4458]

It's like a restaurant, they can refuse service to anyone without any explanation. It's pretty shitty but they even kick people out for winning too much sometimes lol. Like if you could control your luck somehow haha. But also, basic strategy gives the house an edge in the long run, so they somewhat encourage basic strategy.

[@desudesudesuneechan7985]

@@marckelly7305 If they kick you out, do you still get to cash out your chips?

[@dagestanifive]

2nd

[@KylesDaddy100]

1st