Online gambling is becoming increasingly popular for a variety of reasons. One of them is that playing your favorite games of chance online is much simpler than going to a real casino. It requires zero energy, and the fact that today you can play anywhere and anytime only confirms this theory.
If your game of choice is blackjack, then you simply have to be thrilled by the fact that you can now play online, but with a real dealer. However, many of you are probably wondering if there is a chance to use your online casino welcome bonus for this game and apply your card counting strategy.
Let’s address this question….
Since there are several versions of this game available online, one of them is the version where you basically play against the computer, in which case it is not possible to use this strategy. In the online version, all the cards are shuffled after each hand, so counting doesn’t make sense then.
So what do you do when you can’t use the strategy that gives you the biggest advantage over the dealer, and btw, that made this game famous?
Well, you switch to a live online game, where you play against a real dealer. That’s a whole different story.
Why is card counting such a taboo?
Ask any dealer this question, and you risk being kicked out. If you ask why, you should know a little about its origins. The system or strategy was invented in the 1960s, so to speak, and has been something that every casino has been paying attention to ever since. Because it significantly increases your chances of winning, making you a potential threat to the table and the house.
But don’t you dare think that casinos are passive. They have their own mechanisms to catch up with the one doing it and defeat its legitimate strategy. Yes, even though the strategy is perfectly legal, you can still count on being banned from the table because of its use.
There are several versions, but the main ones are counting simple, standard and professional. Each of them requires a different level of knowledge to be applied.
But let’s get back to how a casino can know what you’re doing….
Relying on its spies
Sounds obvious, right? Yes, hiring spies (which include dealers and specialized personnel responsible for keeping track of what’s going on inside – pit bosses) is the first step they take to combat cheating. Again, even if it’s legal, venues still treat it as cheating.
Typically, a pit boss will walk around to observe the game, under the pretext of helping struggling players. And if they notice significant differences in bets, they are authorized to check the cards in the discard drawer to find any differences. In addition, they have another “dirty” trick up their sleeve. After they suspect a player, they approach him, pretending to be super friendly.
But in the end, their main goal is to make you feel uncomfortable and lose concentration. So now you know why professional card players switch between 1 and 3 unit bets.
But, to get back to history. When the strategy was proven to work, its creator decided to write a book on how to beat the casinos. And the casinos struggled to come up with rules to prevent it. Hence, the legal strategy became illegal.
But what also followed was the refinement of this method, now called professional card counting.
It is simply a more precise and improved version of the standard method. It allows precise determination of the possibilities at each stage of the game and makes it possible to determine the best strategy at each stage. The results of this method are generally the best in the long run, but learning the strategy is difficult, and using it effectively in practice requires long and detailed study and a lot of experience. There is not enough space here to fully explain and understand this method; we recommend studying professional literature, which can be found on the Internet.
What are its advantages and disadvantages?
Once again, it should be emphasized that card counting cannot be used in an online casino because of the shuffling of all the cards in the deck for each game. In a real casino, card-counting players are not welcome and various measures are taken to discourage them from playing.
Such players try to hide in the crowd, constantly change tables, avoid certain casinos and often try to look like ordinary tourists or casual players. This is an obvious disadvantage, because in a way you are living the life of an outcast. You can also be permanently banned from some places or even blacklisted.
If they share the information with other casinos, this bad reputation will only spread, leaving you without a place to play. Some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry have suffered the consequences. Ben Affleck is one of them.
The benefit is obvious. Many more chances to win. And who doesn’t gamble for the sake of winning?
This is a game where such a method is the only thing that can actually help you win. However, if you’re not skilled enough to hide what you’re doing, the staff will see through you and you won’t win again. Leaving it to chance may pay off if you have a little beginner’s luck, but keep in mind that it doesn’t happen that often.
So choose wisely whether you should use it in your games and take risks, or just be careful.
Final word
Now you know some of the ways casinos catch card players and how to avoid getting caught. The trick is to find the right online casino and try not to look too smart. And one more thing, practice enough in free games before you start playing live.