Casinos' Honest Countermeasures

Frankly, we find it hard to countenance the concept that there is such a thing as an honest countermeasure. If a game is open to the public and all are allowed to play by a stated set of rules, then we think that the house must accept all the players, good and bad alike. Apparently, the house only wants bad players from whom they can take money. Somehow what the casinos preach and what they practice just don't ring true. The casinos want the public to think that Blackjack is a game of chance. We know it is a game of skill.

In Nevada, the ultimate casino countermeasure is to bar a player from playing blackjack in that club. If the casinos did this to everyone who won, or to too many good players, the suckers would soon realize that is what they are, and the game and casino profits would quickly die.

A popular countermeasure is to "Break the Deck," or reshuffle the cards. This might be done whenever a large bet is made, or if the dealer has been counting. Breaking the deck too often slows down the game and the casino's rate of profit. It really doesn't pay to do it against small-time players, as the overwhelming percentage of players are losers, and the house may be cutting it's profits by a larger figure than they save from stopping the occasional system player. Dealers who count, if there really are any, must be in violation of the Gaming Control regulations, as they are then conducting a game "which tends to alter the normal random selection of criteria which determines the results of the game."

Some casinos believe that fast dealers will discourage system players. If a person is using a difficult system, this may be so. If the player is a novice or slow, a fast dealer will confuse him. However, a fast dealer is a boon to the good system player because there is no dealer who can deal fast enough to stop the practiced pro. The faster the dealer, the greater the number of hands, and consequently, profit per hour. If the dealer is too fast for you, just take your time in playing your hand.

Changing the deck frequently is a legitimate countermeasure that makes it difficult for cheating players to mark the cards. Some people remark that the deck is "hot" or "cold." This is just a gambler's superstition.

In the mid-Sixties, after the publication of Dr. Thorp's episodes, the casinos tried to change the rules of the game. Their changes resulted in a considerable loss of player interest and the near-abandonment of Las Vegas. They quickly changed the rules back. The various rules do give the system player an advantage, if he knows how to use them.

Although the options afforded the player can be used to his advantage, the poor player usually uses them to his detriment. A poor player splits, doubles and takes insurance at the wrong time, thus increasing the house's percentage. The number of people who know the proper use of the "Surrender" rules is probably less than 4,000. The original (1971) version of Winning Blackjack was the first to publish a Surrender Strategy. As long as there is a preponderance of suckers, the casinos are better off not upsetting the applecart, but rather leaving things the way they are. Their best bet is to try to spot the system players, then quietly bar them from further play. A better policy would be to restrict suspected counters to a low maximum bet (for example, $50). This would allow the counter to win a small amount, and it would encourage the non-counter to play more. Of course, he would also lose more.