The Truth About Rainman

by Mike Aponte on March 16, 2009

rainmanThe movie, Rainman, provided me with my first glimpse of card counting. In Rainman, Tom Cruise plays a slick, fast talking hustler, Charlie Babbit, and Dustin Hoffman, who steals the show, plays Charlie’s autistic savant brother, Raymond Babbit.  In a sub-plot of the movie, when Charlie realizes Raymond has a photographic memory and an incredible penchant for numbers, he hatches a plan to capitalize on Raymond’s abilities. This sets up a classic scene in Vegas in which the brothers try to strike it rich playing blackjack. Before I watched this scene, I knew nothing about card counting. I had never seen or read anything on the subject. As I rooted for the Babbit brothers, little did I know, one day I would become a card counter myself.

Years later, I watched Rainman for the second time with about seven of my MIT Blackjack teammates. We naturally took a special interest in the card counting portion of the movie. I watched Rainman in a very different light compared to the first time, but still, I loved it more the second time around. I did pick up on a number of flaws in the movie from a professional card counter’s perspective. I also found myself wondering what it would be like to have someone like Raymond on our team.

Before they arrive in Vegas, Charlie gives Raymond a primer on card counting which can be described as shoddy at best.

“When there’s lots of 10’s left, 10’s and picture cards, then it’s good for us.”  Hmmm, what about the aces. They’re kinda important too. 

“And you’re gonna bet one…. One if it’s bad. Two if it’s good. ”
This is not an effective betting strategy. A card counter needs to know not only when the count is favorable, but more important, how favorable it is.

“Now listen. Casinos have house rules. The first one is, they don’t like to lose. So you never, never show that you are counting cards. That is the cardinal sin, Ray.” I must admit. Charlie nails that one on the head.

When Charlie and Raymond glide down the escalator at Caesars Palace toward the casino floor in their dapper attire, it makes for one of  the most
memorable shots in the movie. Soon after they sit down, Raymond commits a different cardinal sin by hitting a hard 18, and busts with a queen.  The silver lining of Raymond’s blunder is his telling Charlie that there are lots of queens left.  Charlie’s eyes light up with this information and he then decides to go for it, doubling down on his 10 versus the dealer’s 4.  Charlie makes this play based on Raymond’s information, but he should have doubled down regardless. Doubling down on a 10 versus dealer 4 is simple basic strategy.  The number of queens left has no bearing on this decision. A perfect double down hand for the movie’s purposes would have been a player 10 versus dealer 10 (a hand most players don’t  double down on). Of course when Charlie doubles down he gets a queen and the dealer flips over another queen and then busts with a third queen.

Another thing that wasn’t right about this sequence is that knowing how many queens are left is not enough information to gain an advantage.  How about the 10’s, jack’s, king’s, and ace’s?  Not to mention the low cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).  The net difference between high cards and low cards divided by the number of decks remaining determines player advantage.  The queens are just a small piece of the puzzle. With the proper strategy and instruction, Raymond could be the ultimate card counting machine.  He could memorize a basic strategy chart in a matter of minutes. The running count and the true count would be a breeze, and anyone who can count 246 toothpicks in a flash from 10 feet away would find estimating the number of decks remaining in the shoe a snap. On the flip side, Raymond would face some challenges as far as fitting in the casino environment. In the movie, Charlie recognizes this which is why after he pawns his expensive watch for a gambling bankroll, he springs for a major makeover for Raymond and himself.  A nice suit along with new shoes and a fresh haircut go a long way toward making Raymond look like someone of consequence.

Even with their extremely limited betting scheme – one chip bad, two chips good, Charlie and Raymond hit a hot streak, winning more than $80,000 despite getting shorted a black chip on a double down payoff (you have to watch carefully).Their success prompts the floor people to call up to the eye in the sky. The conversation in the surveillance room is one of my favorite parts of the movie.

“What do you see? ”
“Well, he’s not catching the hole card, and he’s not past posting us.”
“I don’t see him using a computer.”
“No he’s not, but some thing’s not right.  You know there’s no one in the world that can count into a 6-deck shoe.”

The last line is my favorite. My teammates and I cracked up. I was impressed that the movie’s script mentioned hole card play and past posting (a cheating move in which  chips are added to a winning bet). These surveillance guys are well versed with hole card strategy and past posting, which most people have never even heard of, yet they believe no one in the world can count a 6-deck shoe?  That line, followed by the camera panning in on Raymond and his computer-like mind at work cement the legacy of “Rainman” and help perpetuate the myth that only geniuses can count cards.  Later on, the casino changes its mind. The director of security informs Charlie they are no longer welcome to play blackjack.  Their play was reviewed on tape and it was concluded that Charlie and Raymond did manage to pull off the amazing feat of counting down a 6-deck shoe.

For anyone who’s ever counted cards or even thought about counting cards, Rainman will forever be part of gambling lore. Even if you have no interest in blackjack, Rainman is a superb movie, winner of four Oscars, including best picture, actor, and director. The film captured my imagination as to how it would feel to beat the house, and years later, even with all its card counting peccadilloes, I had an even greater appreciation for Rainman. I guess it’s hard for me to take too much issue with a movie that portrays card counters as good guys and geniuses, no matter how much of an exaggeration the latter may be.

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6/5 Blackjack: Beware the Imposter

by Mike Aponte on March 13, 2009

no_6-5_bj1In recent years single-deck blackjack has made a comeback, or so it may seem.
Unfortunately, the single-deck game hasn’t been resurrected at all.  Most single-deck offerings are mere imposters that pay only  6/5 on blackjack instead of 3/2.  You aren’t quite as lucky on a 6/5 blackjack because you’re getting 20% less than what you rightfully deserve.  This reduced payout on blackjack adds 1.39%  to the house advantage which may not sound like much, but it is a staggering amount. You can make a strong argument that the 6/5 game is not really blackjack. It’s the sacrilegious equivalent of baseball moving the pitcher’s
rubber in to 50′ from it’s perfect 60′ 6” distance to home plate.  There are some things that are not meant to be changed.

Who is it that plays 6/5 blackjack? It’s largely uninformed blackjack players, many of whom are tourists and simply don’t know any better. Many players are enticed by the lure of single-deck which everyone knows is better than multi-deck.  But that’s only true if the house rules are fairly commensurate, and 6/5 blackjack throws that out the window. As if getting paid less than 3/2 on single-deck wasn’t bad enough, some casinos are now paying 6/5 on double-deck and even 6 & 8-deck games! I learned this the hard way.  A few years ago when I was in Vegas I met a friend for a few beers at O’Sheas Casino . We sat down at a 8-deck table  and I plunked down a $10 bet.  On my fifth hand I got blackjack and the dealer  paid me $12.  I  asked her, “Don’t I get $15 for my blackjack?”  She pointed to the table’s sign and said, “Sweetie, blackjack pays 6/5 here.”  I pulled my chips back and  headed to the cage to cash out.  Never did I think I would actually experience getting paid 6/5 on blackjack. 

Since I played at O’Sheas, 6/5 blackjack has been spreading.   Even within the the same casino, there can be a huge difference in the house edge,  depending on which blackjack table you sit down at. On the Vegas Strip there are a host of casinos which offer both single-deck games which pay only 6/5 on blackjack, and 6-deck games that pay 3/2 and offer  more favorable rules.
The 6-deck games with good rules have a house edge of .26%.  On the other end of the spectrum, there are games on the Strip in which the house edge runs as high as 2.02% because of the 6/5 payout on blackjack.  Talk about a wide range of prices.  Playing against a 2.02% house edge is like buying gas from a station that charges more than $15.00 a gallon when the station right next door charges $2.00 a gallon.

 As a general rule of thumb, if you come across a single-deck game, odds are the payout on blackjack is 6/5.  And if you sit down at a double-deck, 6-deck, or 8-deck table, don’t automatically assume you’re going to get  paid 3/2.  I’ve made that mistake and I’m $3 the poorer for it.  If you’re ever unsure, the payout for blackjack  should be printed on the felt as well as the sign on the table.  If the payout is not clear, just ask the dealer or a floor person how much blackjack pays. By never settling for less than 3/2 on blackjack, you not only save yourself money and get much more bang for your gambling dollar, you remind casinos that the 6/5 game is not really blackjack.

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World Game Protection Conference: Day 3

by Mike Aponte on March 10, 2009

The inaugural Golden Dome Awards was one of the featured events of the last day of the WGPC. Video of some of the best scams caught by surveillance in casinos across the country were shown in three major categories:
1)   Table Game Takedowns
2)   Slot Takedowns
3)   Theft Takedowns

Golden Dome Awards

Golden Dome Awards

 The video clips were judged on the following criteria:
1.   Slickness of move
2.   Uniqueness of move
3.   Financial reward
4.   Quality of footage

While watching the video clips two things really struck me. One, cheaters are a completely different breed. As I watched cheaters commit illegal acts such as marking and switching out cards, I was amazed by their audacity. Not only was there a lack of a moral code.  It was apparent they did not have much regard for the distinct possibility of ending up in jail.  As an advantage player, the combination is something I can’t relate to. As in any occupation, there is a wide range in skill among cheaters.  The videos of amateur cheaters and their clumsy attempts to rip off casinos drew laughter from the audience.  On the other end of the spectrum, the pros were incredibly smooth, and I could almost sense an air of adversarial respect among attendees.

The second thing that struck me was just how daunting a task it is for casinos to prevent internal theft, which is the number one threat to casinos.   Even with strict rules and protocols in place, there will always be casino employees who try to steal, especially those who find weaknesses in procedures.  Casino procedures that gamblers may find unnecessary and even amusing such as dealers clapping out their hands before leaving the table have a legitimate purpose.  Given the myriad of potential employee theft, surveillance has a very full plate, especially when you factor in the  additional responsibilities of detecting cheaters, scam artists, and advantage players. 

Among the video clips that involved employee theft there were two that stood out.  One video caught a woman who worked in a cash counting room stuffing money down the front of her pants with her co-workers very close by. She didn’t earn any style points, c0nsidering how awkward her move was.  Given that the cash counting room is always monitored I don’t know how she thought she could get away with it.  The second video clip was of a craps dealer  pocketing  chips at opportune moments after collecting  lost player bets.  Up until that point, the dealer had a clean record with nearly 30 years in the industry. He was caught with about $1400 in chips in his pocket, and odds are he stole quite a bit of money over the span of his career.

As far as player cheats and thieves, two of most memorable clips involved a grab and dash and a pickpocket.  The grab and dash unquestionably could have been on World’s Dumbest Criminals.  A man wearing a bright orange cap stood behind a table watching two ladies play blackjack .  Suddenly he snatched about $1000 in chips from the blackjack table and sprinted out the front entrance. The nearly fluorescent color of his cap made it  easy for surveillance to track him as he was running in the parking lot.   There obviously wasn’t much planning to this crime because in addition to wearing a very conspicuous cap, he parked very far out.  The real kicker was his speedy getaway vehicle – a huge rig.  He was apprehended before he could start the engine.

The highlight of the session and the winner of the Golden Dome Award for best overall video clip was the nabbing of a 58 year old pickpocket by a surveillance director.  After observing an older lady standing close to and leaning suspiciously into another gambler, the surveillance director went down to the casino floor to get a closer look.  Dressed as an average Joe with a beer in hand, the surveillance director sat down near the suspect and acted tipsy as he played a slot machine.  Sure enough, the lady moved toward him.  She stood close to him and then pointed at his slot machine display, making some comments. That’s when she made the lift.  She was very slick in her move.  It was not caught by the cameras, but after she walked away the surveillance director checked his jacket pocket.  He had not felt the pickpocket, but the money in his jacket was gone.  He calmly detained the lady on the casino floor.  As they waited for casino security, she offered the money back in hopes of getting off,  but the surveillance director was not about to cut a deal.  From detecting the suspicious behavior to going undercover to making the take down, he went all out to get the job done.

After the Golden Dome Awards I had some time to check out the surveillance software and technology  on display at the Expo.  I was extremely impressed by  the latest surveillance camera systems.  In terms of  software and technology that can help casinos evaluate the play of advantage players and cheaters, I agreed with the consensus among WGPC attendees that these tools are only as good as the human operator. Without a doubt, the surveillance cameras of today are invaluable in tracking any person of interest throughout a casino’s property, with the capability to pan in and out at multiple angles with very high resolution.  But as far as analyzing play, picking up on potential criminal activity and recognizing players who are in “the book”, there’s no substitute for  well trained, knowledgeable surveillance people.

Since I had to catch a flight home I missed out on the conference’s last event, the Innovation Forum, which was an open discussion for attendees and exhibitors on how surveillance can increase its value, especially in the midst of a challenging economy.  One of the recurring themes in my conversations with WGPC attendees is how surveillance often has to justify its value to casino management.  It’s human nature to place value on things that can be easily measured, like revenue, and minimize  the value of preventive measures whose benefits may not be as apparent in the short term.  Recognizing the significant long term payoff of a well trained surveillance staff rather than viewing surveillance solely as an expense is integral to a casino’s success. Smart companies,  for example, know that encouraging and subsidizing healthy lifestyles for their employees (such as paying for gym memberships) is a very cost effective approach that will increase productivity and decrease healthcare costs in the long run.   It may be difficult to assign an exact dollar amount to what surveillance and game protection saves casinos in terms of internal theft, cheaters, scam artists, and advantage players, but it is undoubtedly a significant amount.  And how can you put a dollar figure on the contribution surveillance makes to maintaining a safe and enjoyable casino environment that gamblers are willing to patron?  

Big picture thinking can also benefit casino management in terms of operations.  Practices such as shallow penetration, no mid-shoe entry and bad rules such as 6/5 blackjack discourage, rather than enourage players to gamble.  I know some of you may now be reminded that I am a former professional blackjack player.  True, card counters do seek  the best rules and ideal conditions.  It’s also true that casinos make money through betting volume, the overwhelming majority of which is generated by gamblers who have no chance to beat the house over the long run. I do think the surveillance and game protection community has some culpability in how the fear of card counting largely dictates casino operations.  When it comes down to it, the business model for casinos  is very simple.  More player action equals more revenue and profit.  One of the things I love most about blackjack is that its a game based on mathematics.  The same mathematics that can work in a card counter’s favor are the same mathematics that work in the casinos’ favor across all games.  There is always an optimal strategy to maximizing expected win and revenue.

Knowledge of course is the key, whether you’re a blackjack player, surveillance director or casino manager.   The people I met at the WGPC came to the conference with an open mind and a willingness to learn, just as I did. I had a great time and it was a very educational experience.  Kudos to Willy Allison and Jo Allison for organizing a very informative and engaging conference with an impressive group of attendees.  I came away with a new found respect and admiration for the surveillance and game protection industry.  To top it all off, I even left Vegas with  an open invitation for a future tour of a casino surveillance room.

World Game Protection Conference Recap: Day 2

World Game Protection Conference Recap: Day 1

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World Game Protection Conference: Day 2

by Mike Aponte on March 8, 2009

Day 2 of the WGPC began with  keynote sessions on unconventional means of beating the casinos.  Kicking off the day with High-Tech Casino Crime was Richard Martin and John Anderson from London’s Metropolitan Police Clubs & Vice.  When I think of gaming in the UK, the first thing that comes to mind is the trio of eastern Europeans who used a mobile phone equipped with a laser scanner and a microcomputer to win more than $2 million at roulette in 2004.   They won the $2 million in a matter of just two evenings at the Ritz Casino in London.  The roulette players were arrested but surprisingly, later released and allowed to keep their winnings because at the time they had not violated UK law since the scanner did not interfere with the ball or the wheel. Since 2005, when restrictions on club membership in the UK were lifted and casinos were allowed to stay open 24 hours, there has been a rise in organized gaming fraud as criminals  have much more access and opportunity than ever before.

In the second keynote session, Kevin Kelly, who is a surveillance shift manager and training manager at Borgata in Atlantic City, spoke about hole card play.  This approach is based on knowledge of the dealer’s hole card.  Most hole carders obtain this information legally when the dealer unknowingly exposes the card.  Cheaters gain hole card information by warping or marking the cards, or by colluding with the dealer.  Knowledge of the dealer’s hole card combined with the correct playing strategy makes for a very powerful game with a player advantage of up to 13%.  Hole carders have well trained eyes and with a weak dealer can catch the card in a split second.  Kelly is among those who has observed an increase in hole card play in recent years. I don’t find this surprising given that more casinos are now offering hand held single-deck games which are much more vulnerable to hole card exposure than shoe games.  Most of these new single-deck games only pay 6/5 on blackjack which is murder on blackjack players, including card counters, but for hole card players it is a price worth paying given the potential of a double digit edge over the house.

After the hole card session, Dave and I took part in a Q & A on team play which was moderated by Willy Allison.  After starting with a handful of his own questions, Allison opened it up to the audience.  Members of the game protection industry finally had their chance to ask  their burning questions about the MIT Blackjack Team.  A few examples of the questions asked were, “Which Vegas casino did you most consider a candy store?”  and “What was the most important factor to your team’s success?”  Everyone seemed to  enjoy the interactive format, and at the end of the session a lucky member of the audience received a giveaway.  Appropriately enough, it was a brand new iPhone with the card counting app installed.

Throughout the conference I had the opportunity to meet a lot of  casino surveillance people.  Many of whom have  known my face and name for years which made for interesting conversation.  Alicia Barney, the surveillance director of  Seven Feathers Casino in Oregon told me, “Your face is one of the first faces I had to learn.”  Ted Whiting, the director of surveillance at Mirage walked up to me as if we were long, lost friends.  When he introduced himself with a big smile, I had been familiar with his name for some time. Now I finally have a face to go with the name.  Everyone I met professed a respect for card counters, and a few surveillance people admitted they missed the the cat and mouse game of the 1990’s.  They reminisced about the challenge of  the good old days of high stakes team play.  During our Q & A  session, one member of the surveillance community even thanked us for our team’s impact on the casino industry.

The first of the afternoon sessions was Theft: Crime Signals for Casinos by Dr. David Givens.  Dr. Givens is an expert on nonverbal communication, and he spoke about how recognizing crucial signs in body language can help spot a criminal before it’s too late. Following Dr. Given’s session was The Tangam Report which was delivered by Max Rubin, gaming consultant and author of Comp City.  Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino conducted a study in 2008 on how video analytic software can be used to monitor and protect table games.  The information gained from the software can be used to increase game efficiency and profitability in areas such as comp management.  The keynote sessions concluded with a panel discussion with Ted Whiting, Darrin Hoke & Kevin Kelly.  The panel talked about recent developments in game protection.  Of the topics discussed the one that most caught my interest is comp fraud. From players tricking slot machines into awarding them credit for hours never played to casino employees entering inflated bet action for co-conspirators, comp fraud has risen dramatically in recent years.

The second day of the conference covered a diverse range of game protection topics, only one of which dealt with card counting.  As I spoke with other attendees at the happy hour I realized I had gained a  greater understanding and appreciation for what game protection fully entails.  I was looking forward to the Golden Dome Awards on day 3, when some of the best casino scams caught on surveillance video would be shown.

World Game Protection Conference Recap: Day 3
World Game Protection Conference Recap: Day 1

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World Game Protection Conference: Day 1

by Mike Aponte on March 5, 2009

A few days ago I returned from the World Game Protection Conference (WGPC).  It was a memorable 3 days. Shortly after arriving in Vegas,  I received some disappointing news from Willy Allison, President of  World Game Protection. Allison had been informed that Dave Irvine and I would not be allowed  on any of the tours of the Caesars surveillance room  being offered to WGPC attendees. Granted, I wouldn’t have learned anything I hadn’t already seen on numerous television shows. Still, it would have been a cool experience for a former advantage player. Apparently, some old sentiments die hard.

The conference’s program kicked off with the Game Protection Master Classes. Four 3-hour classes were offered:

Table Game Cheating: Sal Piacente
Advantage Play: Bill Zender
Poker Cheating: George Joseph
Slot Cheating: Darrin Hoke

Bill Zender

Bill Zender

I would have loved to have sat in on the cheating classes since I’m not an expert in this area, but given that the Master Classes ran simultaneously I chose Advantage Play, which was taught by Bill Zender. Zender, who was once a card counter himself and a agent for the Nevada Gaming Control Board has more than 30 years of experience in the gaming industry. He is also the former vice president and director of operations at the Aladdin Hotel & Casino. I’ve enjoyed several of his books, Advantage Play for the Casino Executive and his most recent book, Casino-ology.

Zender started with card counting and one of his major points of emphasis was how the gaming industry has an over-inflated perception of the threat  card counters  pose. Zender presented the expected win and player advantage figures for different  blackjack games based on the number of decks, casino rules, and player bet spread.  Zender put the expected win of card counters in context relative to the dynamics of time and motion which significantly impact a casino’s bottom line.  Casinos can raise their table game revenues by maximizing the number of rounds dealt per hour. It’s a very practical and effective approach. More opportunitites for players to bet per hour translates into greater revenue and profit for casinos.

Ironically, the measures employed against card counters such as shallow penetration and no mid-shoe entry are costing casinos revenue.  When dealers are shuffling, casinos aren’t making money.  When players have to wait until a new shoe to play, casinos aren’t making money. Practicing measures twenty-four seven, 365 days a year which target a minuscule percentage of players is counterproductive. Darrin Hoke, the Director of Surveillance at L’Auberge du Lac casino in Lake Charles, LA told me that over the last 4 years, the number of card counters he has backed off is .00006% of the total gamblers that have played at his casino during that period.  That works out to less than 1 in a million gamblers. The fact is very few gamblers even attempt to learn how to play perfect basic strategy, much less card counting.  Of those that do, most aren’t very good because they don’t have the skill, discipline and knowledge of money management to beat the house.

The class had comprehensive coverage of advantage  play, also hitting on shuffle tracking, ace sequencing, card steering, hole card play, and biased roulette wheels. Having some experience with shuffle tracking, ace sequencing and card steering, I found the sections on hole carding and biased roulette wheels particularly interesting. Unlike card counting, the feasibility of these approaches is extremely dealer and casino dependent. The opportunities to employ these methods are uncommon and for the most part require a very high degree of skill. I have been asked many times about advanced play techniques and I plan to cover these approaches in more detail in the near future.  Zender certainly did not disappoint in delivering a very informative class on advantage play.

Willy Allison, Me, Bobby Dauzat, Dave Irvine

Willy Allison, Me, Bobby Dauzat, Dave Irvine

The conference welcome reception was held in the evening, and the highlight of the night was the WGPC Challenge, a card counting competition for the casino surveillance community.  The challenge was to see who could accurately count down a deck in the fastest time. In the final, Bobby Dauzat from Paragon Casino in Louisiana, claimed victory with a winning time of just under 15 seconds. I was impressed by the enthusiasm and focus of the competitors.  It was apparent they took a lot of pride in their card counting skills. Dave and I filled big  shoes when we presented Dauzat with the trophy.  Last year, Ed Thorp, the father of card counting himself,   presented the trophy.  It was a fitting end to the first day of the conference.

World Game Protection Conference Recap: Day 2
Sleeping With The Enemy: The World Game Protection Conference

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Update on iPhone Card Counting App – Overhyped

by Mike Aponte on February 28, 2009

A  lot of people have called or emailed me since the iPhone card counting app made news a few weeks ago.  Since that time I have  purchased an iPhone, and true to my word, I have not downloaded  the card counting program.  I have learned more about the app from watching several videos and viewing screenshots of the program, all of which confirm what I initially believed.  This card counting app has absolutely no practical use.  Aside from the fact that using the program in a casino is illegal, the application would be nearly impossible to use  without being detected.  The app does have a  ”stealth” mode, which causes the screen to go blank, but this makes inputting the count values  even more difficult. 

Legalities aside, in talking with several  other members of the professional blackjack community,  we all agree  it is easier to count cards  using  natural ability and skill as compared to using an electronic device.  A blackjack player who has put in the time to develop his or her card counting ability can  scan the cards of a round and know the correct count  in a fraction of the time  it would take to enter all the count values manually.   In this instance, man wins hands down over machine.

I  bet  few,  if any of the people who used the application in casinos made significant money.  Those who jumped at the chance to get rich quick probably did not take the time to learn perfect basic strategy.  With average basic strategy strategy play, even mistake free use of the program is not enough to swing the odds in players’ favor.  There is also the issue of money management.  Even with perfect basic strategy and true count calculation, players’  must size their bets not only according to their advantage, but also  relative to  bankroll.  Without proper money management, the extreme swings in blackjack will eventually wipe out any player’s bankroll, regardless of skill.

Tomorrow I’m headed to Vegas for the World Game Protection Conference, and I’m eager to get the inside scoop on what the casino world really thinks about the iPhone card counting app.  The card counting counting program will surely be a topic of discussion as it involves both card counting and cheating technology. One of my goals is to learn how casinos view card counters in terms of their bottomline and the big picture of possible threats. Casinos are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of card counters and casino crime, but I imagine  there’s not too much concern about the iPhone card counting app  in the casino world since its limitations make it suitable only for home games.

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Sleeping with the Enemy? The World Game Protection Conference

by Mike Aponte on February 25, 2009

Starting this Sunday, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is hosting the World Game Protection Conference (WGPC), a 3 day conference and exhibition dedicated to casino game protection.  CEOs, surveillance managers, operations managers, and security heads from casinos all over the world are among those who will be in attendance.  I’m planning on going as well, and no, I won’t be employing an alias  or an elaborate disguise  in order to infiltrate the WGPC.  Quite the contrary.  I will be of all things, an invited guest speaker.

Looing back on my card counting days, what were the odds of a member of the MIT Blackjack Team fraternizing with casino managers and executives? It would have been considered blasphemy.  When I was an active player it was natural for the casinos and our team to view each other as adversaries as we engaged in a cat and mouse game. From our perspective, what gave casinos the right to bar us for skillfully playing blackjack within the rules of the game and the law?  As far as the casinos were concerned, they had every right to take countermeasures against our team to protect their business interests.

In the last few years I’ve had the unexpected pleasure of meeting a number of  surveillance managers. They turned out to be great people who have a lot of respect for professional card counters. Knowledgeable casino people who have taken the time to learn how to count cards understand the skill and discipline required 0f an advantage player. I also learned that detecting card counters is  just one facet of  the many responsibilites  of game protection.  Although we were from opposite sides of the table, we definitely shared a mutual respect.

At the WGPC I’m really looking forward to attending the conference’s program.  For starters they will be conducting tours of the Caesars’ surveillance room.  Having spent a lot of time getting my picture taken and being filmed by casino surveillance, I will finally get to see what it’s like on the other side of the cameras. The WGPC is also offering classes and presentations on interesting topics such as hole card play, high tech casino crime,  and table game cheating.  I anticipate a fun and very informative experience.  I’ll give you my take after the conference.

World Game Protection Conference Recap: Day 1

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Basic Strategy: Improve Your Odds by 75%

by Mike Aponte on February 22, 2009

Basic Strategy ChartAt blackjack tables around the world, it’s an all too common scene. Players contemplating, arguing, agonizing, and eventually guessing how to play their hands. Player 12 vs Dealer 3 is just one situation that has many players wanting to pull their hair out. The good news is all of this frustration and soul searching is completely unnecessary. For every blackjack player that has called upon the gambling gods for guidance, basic strategy is the answer to their prayers.

Basic strategy is the best way to play your hand versus the dealer’s up-card. For each and every possible hand, there is one and only one correct play. Regardless of whether you’re a professional card counter or a recreational gambler, basic strategy is your best friend. The first requirement for every new recuit on the MIT Blackjack Team was learning basic strategy. It’s comforting to know that brilliant mathematicians derived this optimal playing strategy. There’s no need for any guess work or analysis on your part. All the work has already been done for you.

What does basic strategy do for you in terms of dollars? The house edge over any given player can vary because blackjack is a a game of skill. The average blackjack player is at about a 2.0 % disadvantage to the house. Assuming a rate of 60 hands dealt per hour, it costs the average $25 bettor about $30 an hour to play.

Expected hourly loss = Avg Bet x Hands/Hour x House Edge
Expected hourly loss = $25 x 60 hands/hr x 2.0 % = $30

If you learn basic strategy and play it consistently, the house advantage drops to about .5 %. Look what happens to the expected hourly loss.

Expected hourly loss = $25 x 60 hands/hr x .5 % = $7.50

For a $25 bettor, basic strategy results in a savings of $22.50, and that’s just for one hour of play. If you bet more than $25 a hand, you’re savings will be proportionally larger. Basic strategy reduces a player’s expected loss by 75% which means the average blackjack player pays 4 times as much to play as a basic strategy player. That’s equivalent to paying $8.00 a gallon for gas when you could easily pay only $2.00 a gallon. If you’re not playing basic strategy, you’re paying a very steep price.

There’s no reason or excuse for not playing basic strategy. Not only can you dramatically improve your odds to nearly break even, the next time you have a 12 and dealer is showing a 3, you will know with 100% certainty that the correct play is to hit. No more angst or hesitation over what to do. A great reference for basic strategy is Blackjack Info’s basic strategy engine. To help perfect your play, my joint venture, the Blackjack Institute offers a free, online basic strategy trainer which provides instant feeback on your play.

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Use Your Mind, Not a Device: iPhone’s Card Counting App

by Mike Aponte on February 17, 2009

There’s an application for the iPhone that can count cards.  When users enter card information into the iPhone by tapping its virtual buttons, the program keeps track of the running count and calculates the true count which measures how favorable the remaining cards are for the player. Sound like an easy way to make a fortune at the blackjack tables? Not quite. There’s a very clear legal distinction between the use of external devices versus the use of your natural abilities when counting cards. News of the iPhone app has spread quickly in the casino industry after Indian reservation casinos in California caught wind that some players were using the program at the blackjack tables.

Using electronic devices in casinos hasn’t always been illegal. Prior to 1985, when Nevada passed the “anti-device” law, there were players who used computers to beat the casinos. One of those players was Keith Taft, who was featured in the History Channel series, Breaking Vegas. Taft engineered the first blackjack computer from scratch in 1970. He wrote the algorithms for the software, built the microcomputer, and designed the input apparatus. To avoid detection, the values of cards were input by levers in specially designed shoes in binary code, using one’s toes. Unfortunately for Taft, his winnings didn’t quite match his many hours of hard work and his extraordinary ingenuity.

I haven’t seen the iPhone program myself, but it’s obvious the application wasn’t intended for use in casinos. Entering all the card values by hand is a tedious process and far from inconspicuous. I suspect some of the players who have used the card counting application didn’t know they were breaking the law. Casinos are now well aware of the program and I doubt they’re overly concerned about the prospect of a legion of iPhone counters rising up and hitting casinos across the country. A felony conviction along with  jail time serve as  healthy deterrents. 

This program may be an entertaining addition to the library of available iPhone apps, but it’s not something you should ever use in a casino. No doubt there will be a few who are tempted  by the hope of getting rich quick, but when it comes to beating the house, the choice is clear. Use your natural abilities, not an illegal device. Funny thing is I’m planning on purchasing an iPhone in the next week or so. One thing’s for sure. I won’t be shelling out any money for this card counting app.

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