Card counting a favored hobby. Better rethink that strategy.

My feelings on card counting are rather positive. Positive because going into a casino, the odds are so monumentally against you, it almost makes more sense to simply open your wallet and tip it upside down leaving all of your cash/plastic on the floor because that’s essentially what happens to most. If someone can figure out a legal way to tip the odds in favor of the little guy looking for a buck, then why not?

First, if you didn’t know, card counting is the simple act of a person keeping track of the cards in the dealers hands and if they are for/against the players odds. When the player has higher odds, he bets higher. When he has lower odds he keeps his money close. Apparently this is either working to well or casino’s are simply getting greedy as UK researchers have developed an algorithm that can actually track the card counter. If the camera suspects a card counter, the system flags him and alerts security whom then come and give you a not so pleasant visit. Even more impressive, if the suspected card counter tries to throw off the system by betting high on unfavorable hands, it will call his bluff. I chuckle a bit as I can just imagine how humorous it would be to have a majority of casino goes labeled card counters simply because they got lucky or the software isn’t quite up to snuff.

Card carting while not illegal does come with some pretty significant punishment depending on what casino you’re at and the mood of the individual coming to end your streak. Punishments can range from a simple relocation to a new table (thereby starting fresh and giving the casino the upper hand once again), all the way to a near beating, kicked out of the casino, and banned to return for life. Extreme? Yes. Casino’s don’t like card counters. They lose money on them. As with any capitalist based nation/business needs money to survive, I can understand their frustration. But taking such extreme measures giving off such an “asshole” image seems rather futile. It will only cause more to pick up the art. Or at least I think. Agree?

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