| Updated: Most casino patrons understand that it is unreasonable to expect gambling to provide a sustainable and profitable way to make a living. Very few gamblers consider themselves professionals, and those who do are almost all advantage players, aside from perhaps elite poker pros. Advantage play is what many blackjack players strive to master to beat the game and turn the odds in their favor.
Advantage play in blackjack is often associated with card counting, but many other techniques can be used in both live and online games. These techniques can be described as methods for exploiting various weaknesses in the game to make a profit. The methods used by advantage players are typically legal, although casinos may restrict or prohibit them. There are also ways to gain an edge over the house by cheating. Whether using legal methods or resorting to illegal and unethical tactics, advantage players seek to improve their odds in the games they play.
Card Counting
Card counting has been portrayed many times in books and films, but it differs quite a bit in real life. Most card counting systems for blackjack are not as complicated as people imagine; however, they are hard to apply for long stretches while sitting at the blackjack table. Players don’t need to be mathematical geniuses to learn how to count cards and gain an advantage – all they have to do is keep track of the ratio of high to low cards in the dealer’s shoe. The idea is that while low cards favor the casino, high cards favor the player.
Although this is a simplified explanation, anyone who wants to gain an edge through card counting must first master the fundamentals of blackjack. This means knowing the rules and playing perfect basic strategy. Once a player can act correctly on every hand without mistakes, he can start learning the simpler counting systems.
How It Works
Counting Systems Team PlayHow It Works
There is a widespread misconception, especially among those who have never played blackjack, that card counters memorize every card that has been dealt so they know which cards will appear next. However, this is unnecessary and would make the technique completely impractical. There are many strategies for counting cards in blackjack, and while they differ, they all assign certain point values to the cards. This helps players estimate the composition of the cards remaining in the shoe and determine whether it contains more high or low cards.
But why is this important? The standard payout for blackjack is 3:2, and a natural blackjack consists of an Ace and a 10-value card. If all Aces and 10-value cards, including face cards, were removed from the deck, it would be impossible to get a natural. If all cards from 2 through 9 were removed instead, the likelihood of getting a natural 21 would be much greater.
If the shoe is rich in high cards, such as Aces and 10-value cards, the odds are more favorable to the player, so the player should increase the bet. If more low cards remain in play, the player should use smaller stakes to minimize expected losses. This is why betting can be so uneven when counting cards. The wager per hand may rise from the table minimum to hundreds of dollars within ten hands or fewer.
Counting Systems
Different counting systems have been developed for blackjack, such as the Hi-Lo, the Zen Count, Hi-Opt I and II, Halves, and the Knockout Counting System. In the Hi-Lo system, for example, low cards from 2 through 6 are assigned a value of +1, while Aces and 10-value cards are assigned a value of -1. Cards from 7 through 9 are neutral and have a value of 0. The total count of a standard 52-card deck is 0, which is why this system is described as balanced.
We start the game with a full shoe and a count of 0, adding or subtracting values as cards are dealt. If the first three cards on the table are an Ace and a 2 for the player and a Jack for the dealer, the running count will be -1 (0-1+1-1), which means the player should continue betting the minimum. When the count is positive, the bet should be increased.
Another simple counting system is the Ace/5 Count, which assigns +1 to all 5s and -1 to all Aces. If the count is 1 or lower, the player maintains the minimum bet. When the count reaches 2 or higher, the player increases the bet. With any of these counting methods, however, players should always use basic strategy. Otherwise, the benefit of tracking the composition of the deck and counting cards will be undermined.
Team Play
The idea of blackjack counting teams and partners may seem appealing, especially because of its portrayal in movies and on TV. The famous MIT Blackjack Team, for example, is known to have won large amounts of money, but many other groups have also played in different casinos and won millions of dollars over the years. Team play, first described in the 1970s by Ken Uston, typically involves several players working together to gain an advantage over the casino.
In these teams, several skilled card counters sit at different tables in the casino and keep track of the cards. They are called “spotters” because their job is to identify a table with a favorable count. Once they notice a good count, they signal the main player, also known as the big player, who sits at the table and starts betting large sums of money. When the count drops, the big player moves to another table with favorable odds. Team members may use other strategies as well, and if they are careful, they may avoid detection by the casinos for some time.
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Other Techniques for Advantage Play in Blackjack
Wonging Technique Edge Sorting and Hole Carding Camouflage Betting Playing with Comps and Bonuses Cheating and CollusionWonging Technique
One interesting method for gaining an edge in blackjack is back-counting, or “wonging”. It has been practiced for decades, but it was most notably popularized by gambling author and researcher John Ferguson, better known by his pen name, Stanford Wong.
The back-counting method is very similar to the approach used by blackjack counting teams. Wongers simply stand or sit near a blackjack table and count the cards that are dealt. These players may remain away from the table and “wong in” once the count becomes favorable. When the count is no longer in their favor, they wong out, or leave the table.
Most casinos are aware of this technique, which is why some of them do not allow mid-shoe entry. To avoid having to re-enter in the middle of a shoe, some wongers remain at the table until the cards are shuffled.
Edge Sorting and Hole Carding
Edge sorting is a technique that advantage players have used for centuries in various card games. It involves observing the cards and identifying low and high cards by small irregularities on their backs. Edge sorters typically look for asymmetrical edges, hence the technique’s name. On many decks, the patterns along the two long edges are not symmetrical.
This becomes apparent when the cards are rotated, so edge sorters may ask the dealer to rotate certain cards under the guise of superstition. Many dealers accommodate the request, although they are not obligated to do so. The technique made headlines when famous poker player Phil Ivey and a partner used edge sorting to beat casinos in the UK and the US. They reportedly earned millions of dollars at baccarat tables but were later ordered by the courts to return the money.
Hole carding is another technique that is widespread among advantage players. It involves looking at the dealer’s face-down card, known as the hole card. In this situation, players take advantage of a dealer’s failure to protect the card from view. Some players look at the card while the dealer checks for blackjack, a practice called “first-basing”, while others rely on a partner with a better view of the hole card, a practice known as “spooking”.
Some players can also peek at the hole card as it is dealt or slid under the upcard, a practice called “front-loading.” In no-hole-card games such as European blackjack, players may instead look at the next card to be dealt. This additional information can give them a substantial advantage over the casino. Some advantage players also use peeking devices and mirrors, which are not permitted.
When performed without partners or electronic devices, edge sorting and hole carding exploit imperfections in card design, dealer mistakes, and similar weaknesses. However, in Phil Ivey’s case, these actions were deemed illegal by the court. Players should therefore be cautious, especially when working with a partner, as casinos may view this as collusion.
Camouflage Betting
Camouflage betting is one of the essential skills a blackjack card counter must master to succeed in the long term. It is exactly what the name implies: placing bets in a way that helps the card counter avoid detection by casino staff. This is extremely difficult because a core principle of all card-counting systems is adjusting the bet size based on the cards the player expects to be dealt next.
Card counters often increase their bets substantially when they calculate that they have the advantage, meaning the count is high. When the odds are against them or the count is low, they keep their stakes as low as possible. This is why casinos can easily spot card counters who are careless with their betting. They may maintain the minimum bet for several hands before suddenly raising the stakes.
To avoid detection and remain unnoticed, skilled card counters practice camouflage betting. One way to do this is to mimic how recreational players bet at the blackjack table. Casual players often change their bet size, double their wager after a win, and rely on luck or a hunch. Card counters can make their betting appear random rather than part of a pattern by doubling their bet after two or three losing hands, reducing it after three wins, and using similar tactics.
Playing with Comps and Bonuses
Most advantage players try to make the most of casino comp programs, bonuses, and promotional chip offers. Many land-based and online casinos have a loyalty scheme that rewards the most active players, such as those who wager or lose the most. Comp points can be collected when playing blackjack, poker, slot machines, or other casino games. They can then be redeemed for accommodation, dining, or other benefits.
Bonuses are usually offered by online casinos, but players should carefully read all associated conditions and requirements, particularly the wagering or playthrough requirements. For instance, if a player receives $100 in bonus funds with a 30-times playthrough requirement, the player must wager a total of $3,000 to unlock the winnings and the bonus funds.
If the player chooses a blackjack variant with a house edge of 0.50%, the expected loss from the total wager would be $15, resulting in a profit of $85 after claiming the bonus. There are, of course, various restrictions when wagering bonuses. Some casinos increase the playthrough requirement when patrons play card games, while others restrict bonuses to slot play only.
Another method of gaining an advantage over the casino is using offers that provide a rebate on losses or grant free chips worth up to $100,000. Such special offers do not target the average player. They are designed to attract high rollers willing to spend millions of dollars in a single night. These offers can improve a player’s long-term results if the player chooses a favorable blackjack variant and uses the proper strategy.
Cheating and Collusion
When discussing advantage-play techniques, cheating cannot be ignored. Although it is unethical, not permitted by casinos, and illegal, it is still used by some players to tilt the odds in their favor. Cheating often requires players to cooperate with the dealer because blackjack players are not allowed to touch the cards. Dealers can peek at the top card in the shoe, feel bumps or other irregularities previously placed on certain cards, and use similar methods. With today’s increased surveillance, however, it is extremely difficult for blackjack players to carry out this type of cheating.
Another option for would-be cheaters is to use various devices and computers. This is illegal and almost impossible to do in a modern brick-and-mortar casino. Some players attempt to cheat at online blackjack using special software. Various programs have been developed and used for virtual casino games, including poker, blackjack, and roulette.
The most notable cases involving the widespread use of cheating software were probably the Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker scandals from 2005 to 2008. It is believed that former employees of the company operating the poker platform used unauthorized software to relay information about players’ hole cards to accomplices during games. As a result, numerous users of the online cardroom lost tens of millions of dollars. Several people were fined, one individual received jail time, and the two websites are no longer operational.
Overall, cheating with special software is just as unreliable as the physical cheating techniques used in land-based casinos. Nevertheless, some players still try to gain an illegal advantage by partnering with other players. This practice is prohibited in both land-based and online casinos and is referred to as “collusion.”
Team play or collusion allows players to share information and make more accurate decisions about each hand. This type of cheating, however, is practically useless in virtual blackjack and can be employed only in live dealer games at online or brick-and-mortar casinos.