Casino Surveillance Pro

Greetings all, I have gotten some more recent (good) feedback from a reader who brought up some excellent questions that I would like to address here. The first observation is that most of my examples concern single deck games.  To that, I plead guilty. And I will do a better job of covering the double deck and shoe game. The reader also correctly pointed out that many of the rules that casinos use make card counting at double deck and shoe games not very effective. Rules such as double down only on 9, 10 or 11, and no double after split obviously increase the house advantage more than most counters care to accept.  Also, deck penetration can discourage counters as well. The last casino I worked for had the dealers on double deck games burn 24 cards at the top of deck. This keeps most serious counters from ever even sitting down at double deck games. For these reasons, I usually use single deck games as my examples, but will endeavor to use more multi deck examples in th...

I am not going to tell you how I know this, but I am sensing some blow back from certain segments of the gaming industry about what I am doing here. SO.... I am going to open up on that segment of the industry with both barrels.  I am going to reveal the dirty little secret about tribal gaming that none of them want the public to know.  This secret is a little outside the realm of blackjack and how surveillance watches it, so you will need to indulge me. So what's the secret? The "slot machines" in tribal casinos are ripping you off. Let me explain. In most corporate gaming locations in this country, like Nevada, Atlantic City and other jurisdictions where the casino is owned by a corporation and not an Indian Tribe, the slots machines work this way: Each slot machine is basically a desktop computer. It has its own CPU, and a memory chip called an EEPROM that run the game and display the graphics that you see on the screen. Each machine has its own built in random numbe...

OK, here is how I would go about masking the fact that I am counting cards like a madman. Order a drink. At least it looks like a drink to surveillance. It can be a coke or club soda, of course, the camera cant tell the difference. It's not smell-o-vision. Engage the other people at the table. Laugh, smile, fist bump, high five and talk with the other players. Talk with the dealer. Flirt with the cocktail waitress. Be friendly, dont sit there stone faced with a 1000 yard stare watching each card as it is delivered or exposed.   Look away from the table once in a while. Especially if the cut card has come out or it is the last hand of a hand held game before the next shuffle. Try to appear relaxed and casual. By the way, you should never get caught off guard by a shuffle. Know the house rule, in this case, how deep the dealer should go in to the deck before shuffling. You dont want to put out a bet that is five or ten times your base bet, only to see the dealer start to s...

I was going to post more about count checks this week, but I got a question from a reader that i decided to answer instead. We'll get back to count checks next week. This readers question, request actually, is for me to outline what I do when I go out to play blackjack. And I will be happy to talk about that, with a couple of warnings. Even though I play baclkjack very seriously, I am not a professional player. There are very few people in the world that can legitimately lay claim to that title. But you can be a good player, maybe what the casino would call an advantage player, without being a professional. What separates a professional from everyone else, is usually the bankroll (which will be a small part of their total net worth) and the proper attitude. You have to have both, otherwise your betting decisions, along with your hit/stand decisions will be tempered by a fear of losing.  Your ability has to be top notch also, of course. You need incredible focus and observation...

This blog post is a reprint of one that I did about a year-and-a-half ago about count checks, and how they are usually done in a surveillance room. those of you who are new to my blog may not have read it yet, so enjoy And now a few words about count checks. Previously, I showed you some of the initial ways that surveillance will use to canalize your play at blackjack table.  Sometimes a lazy observer will just go with that, especially if you are being obvious. Like going from one hand at $25 to three at $500. They'll just call the pit boss or casino manager and let them know what "Captain Obvious" is up to on BJ 6.  You will then be asked to stop playing blackjack and try your luck at Keno or slots. Or Let it Ride. However, if a player is not being that obvious, an observer will initiate a count check. This involves using a PTZ to get a bet shot so they can tell exactly how much you are betting each hand. Then they use a worksheet or scratch paper to monitor the count,...

Surveillance has cameras everywhere but they cant watch everything live.  When it comes to watcing card counters, most of the time surveillance will get initially notified by a pit supervisor, either about a player who is winning a lot, or one that is doing something overt, like varying his bet from, lets say, one hand at $25 to three hands at $500.  Only then will someone start to do a count check on you. To do a count check, an observer will use at least two, and probably three cameras. Each table has a fixed shot that shows the entire table and tray.Then they will use a PTZ (pan, tilt and zoom) camera to zoom in on your bet shot. Finally, either a fixed overview of the pit, or another PTZ camera will be used to watch the entire table.  This shot is used to identify all players, any indications of group play or signalling, possible collusion between the dealer and player, or between two players seated at different tables.   Some words about cameras: Most of the...