this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2023
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Anon does mental math (sh.itjust.works)
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[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 116 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Technically, card counting is not illegal. But casinos can refuse service to anyone for almost any reason, including that they are too good at the games.

Really, there's almost no advantage even if you're counting cards, because you're playing through a whole shoe just to maybe get a slight advantage deeper into the 6-8 decks the casino is using.

Successful counters work in teams, where the counter plays the table minimum and gives a signal when the count is favorable. The big money players don't even sit down unless and until the count is advantageous. They make a few big bets and then get out, making more in two or three hands than the counter has bet all evening.

If you just keep count by yourself and increase your bet from 15 to 100 when the count is good, the casino doesn't give a shit about you.

[–] simulacra_simulacrum@lemmy.world 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think I saw this happen one time. Watched a guy in sunglasses sit down at the blackjack table play 4 or 5 hands with the largest allowed bet and he won all of them. Then he got up, cashed out, and walked away.

[–] Hotzilla@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

That is just luck, no amount of card counting does that.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What does that mean when the count is favorable? Most of the 10 point cards are played so better chance at getting the low point cards?

[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago

Other way around. 10 point cards favor the player. From Wikipedia:

  • They increase the player's probability of hitting a Blackjack, which often pays out at 3 to 2 odds (although some Casinos pay at 6 to 5).
  • Doubling down increases expected value. The elevated ratio of tens and aces improves the probability that doubling down will succeed. The most common hand values that the player doubles down on are 11, 10, and 9; and drawing a high card to these will make a strong hand.[1]
  • They provide additional splitting opportunities for the player.
  • They can make the insurance bet profitable by increasing the probability of dealer blackjack.
  • They also increase the probability the dealer will bust, in the event that the dealer shows a low up-card (i.e. 2-6). This also increases the odds of the player busting, but the player can choose to stand on lower totals based on the count.

You can just keep a tally in your head adding or subtracting a number when certain cards are played. Doesn't require that much skill. The skill is in pretending everything is normal that and half of the people who just joined the table just met you for the first time.

[–] GrammatonCleric@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

21 was a great movie about this

[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It...really wasn't a great movie in general nor about card counting. Reasons:

  • Actual people it was based on were all Asian, but they had to put white people in it because Hollywood.
  • The actual people played in Atlantic City which makes sense considering Las Vegas is like 2000 miles away from MIT.
  • When they arrive at the casino, the rag tag cast shows up in style and makes it incredibly obvious that they are all a part of the same group which is like card counting kryptonite.
  • Morpheus delivers the least convincing punch since the 3 Stooges.
  • It takes place well after casinos started shuffling after every hand. The strategy would not have worked in 2008.
  • Dumbass kid stores thousands of dollars in the ceiling of a building where he doesn't even have the only key. Safe deposit boxes are not expensive.
  • MIT uses a 5 point GPA system, so a 4.0 GPA is not terribly impressive.
  • I got a 3.8 from MIT, don't tell anyone that last point.
[–] NielsBohron@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

The book was called Bringing Down the House, and it was fantastic and written by one (or more) of the MIT students, IIRC.