No, counting cards isn’t cheating, but casinos hate it as it allows players to sizably reduce the house edge. This is particularly important, as the house edge in Blackjack is already very small.

We’ve all watched The Hangover and wished we could walk out of the casino with a big pile of dollars. Unfortunately, given that casinos are trained to spot card counters, this is extremely unlikely. Even if you’re on a massive winning streak, the casino could simply accuse you of counting cards and have you removed.

In this article, we’ll be discussing card counting in detail, why it’s so controversial, and what happens if you get caught.

Card counting in Blackjack is a strategy used by players to gain an advantage over the casino. Card counters aim to keep track of the ratio of high to low cards remaining in the deck to inform them of how to bet.

Card counting sees each card assigned a value. Neutral cards 7, 8, and 9 all have a score of 0. Low cards 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, each have a score of 1. Finally, high cards 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace all have a score of – 1. The bigger the amount of high cards, the more the house edge shrinks and the better the player’s chances of winning.

As card counting is purely a mathematical equation at heart, it’s not illegal. You’re not cheating the casino, but as you are damaging the house edge by card counting, you are also hurting the casino’s profit margins. As such, if you get caught, you’ll be asked to leave.

Card counting is about changing decisions when the deck favours you, while basic strategy questions such as doubling down on 11 apply to every blackjack player.

The same bankroll discipline matters if you are playing at the casino with $20 and need every decision to count.

Counting Cards is just strategy, not cheating. You’re not breaking the rules.

Cheating the casino would involve using technology and working with others to defraud the casino. As you’re simply using a well-known mathematical strategy, you’re not cheating.

That said, just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean the casinos will let you get away with it. Far from it, in fact. As we mentioned above, casinos hate card counting as this strategy shifts the odds away from the house and into the player’s favor.

The act of counting cards itself is perfectly legal, so you can’t get arrested for it. You’re not breaking any laws, after all.

Note that this absolutely doesn’t apply if you are using technology to cheat, or are colluding with the dealers. That is completely illegal, and the consequences are much more severe.

In addition to getting blacklisted from the casino, you will end up facing criminal charges of fraud, which can lead to fines, having to pay back everything you “won”, and even prison time.

Casinos have a number of methods that allow them to tell if you’re counting cards. As it severely damages the house edge, casino employees are trained to spot card counters.

There are several signs that casinos look for to indicate that a player is counting cards.

The first two have to do with playing at the table itself. If a player regularly increases their betting amounts when the cards fall in their favor, this is likely to signal to casino employees that the person is card counting.

Likewise, if a player only reduces their bet to the table minimum when the cards go against them, this is another indicator. This signals that the player is trying to keep themselves in the game until the cards fall in their favor.

Casino employees are also trained to watch observers who aren’t at the table. It is still possible to count cards when you are not playing. In fact, this is advantageous to the player as they can ride out a bad run of cards without risking any of their own money. People who are “back-counting” will usually join the table when the cards swing in the player’s favor.

Finally, the most obvious sign of card counting is that the pit bosses are paying special attention to one particular player. Anyone can go on a winning streak as long as they get the right cards, but nobody’s luck can last forever. If a player has gone on an implausible winning streak, this is a major indicator that they are relying on card counting rather than luck.

If you get caught counting cards, you can and most likely will get asked (made) to leave the casino. However, if you’re walking away with a major profit, the chances are it won’t end there.

To prevent you from trying elsewhere, it’s highly likely that the casino will circulate your name and photo to other casinos, who will subsequently refuse you access to their establishment.

Although you can be kicked out of the casino, you won’t be sent to prison simply for card counting. You will, however, face criminal charges if you are found to be actively defrauding the casino.

It’s worth noting that online casinos won’t do anything, as their sophisticated algorithm makes counting cards nearly impossible in the first place.