It's not illegal. Nobody ever when to jail for counting cards.

It's not allowed. If you do it, or have excessive "luck", you are banned by the casino, and all their allies. Think of it like "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone". They refuse to take your bets.

Professional poker player and card counter (sometimes) here.

Card counting is not illegal (only frowned upon). In some states (NJ?) it is illegal to ban a card counter so they resort to other tactics to remove the edge. This is usually capping the max bet on the table so that you are unable to bet large when the count is in your favor. Essentially this makes it impossible to gain an edge. Autoshufflers also make it impossible to beat in the long run too.

The way card counting works is by using a simple addition/subtraction system to identify when the deck has an imbalance in the composition of particular cards of the deck. These are card removal effects.

When you have identify more Tens/Aces relative to the lower cards in the deck then your play can shift from basic strategy (like the charts you can find online) to a strategy with more double-downs (since you are likely to get more Tens/Aces) and less hitting when you have hands like hard 12/13 (more likely to bust because higher composition of Tens).

The main edge (both strategy and bet size are important to get right because the edge is rather thin) when card counting comes from the bet spread you use. This is also how casinos identify card counters. When you have a low count (casino has higher edge) then you should be betting minimum to reduce losses. When the count shifts to a high count (players favor) you should be betting large to profit from the edge. Generally 12x the minimum bet is the minimum spread a counter should have. This all depends on several factors including; profitability you wish to seek, system being used, etc. When you bet large after min-betting for half an hour and the deck runs out Tens and Aces it is pretty obvious you are counting.

Gennerally insurance is a sucker bet and losing at a pretty good clip but when you are counting it can become profitable to take insurance. Also, when the player gets blackjack they get paid 3:2 while the house gets 1:1 when they get blackjack (you just lose your bet) so some of your edge comes from these 2 things.

Cover plays are used to get the "heat" off you. If the floor manager is scoping you out you start shooting big bets on low counts to make them think you are just a gambler. But you can never avoid the eye in the sky who will identify your bullshit pretty easy.

The reason card counters sometimes work in teams is to have spotters (counters) min-betting multiple tables while signaling to a shooter (the guy acting like a big gambler who is walking around from table to table) when the count is high.

Most casinos in the world, at least about 10 years ago, used Griffin and Biometrica for blackballing card counters and using facial recognition to identify them. The casinos, even though they compete, share this data so that they help each other avoid losses.

It isn't illegal. Illegal would mean there is a government law prohibiting that activity. There isn't.

What it IS is against the casino rules. Just like rules at stores that say "no shirt no shoes no service"

Casinos don't want players that will make the casino lose money. Therefore they don't allow behaviors like card counting, marking, chipping the die and others that would change the betting odds of the game.

It's not "illegal" it's just frowned upon and will likely get you kicked out and banned.
Casinos are businesses, and their goal is to make money, not lose it. So anyone who wins too much is going to look suspicious, and eventually they are going to be asked to leave, regardless of if you just got really lucky or had some kind of strategy to help you win more often.

Legally you’re allowed to. Otherwise it’s considered theft on the part of the casino and they can be fined by the gaming commission.

Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen tho

For the same reason you're not forced to gamble and lose money, theyre not forced to let you play and lose money

Generally they are pretty nice about it. They'll offer you tickets to a show and suggest you try a different game. It looks bad on teh casino if they just have two Goons kick you out.

Card counting isn't illegal. In fact, casinos love card counters -- because most of them suck at it and happily feed the casino money.

Successful card counters simply get invited to leave, and told they're not welcome back -- and generally their name and photo is quietly distributed to other casinos.

They don't have to let you play there, after all.

Looks like it's not:

>Card counting is not illegal under British law, nor is it under federal, state, or local laws in the United States provided that no external card counting device or person assists the player in counting cards. Still, casinos object to the practice, and try to prevent it,

>https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_counting

It is not technically illegal but considered “frown upon” and casinos have the authority to forbid these players from coming back to the casino after kicking them out. Reason being that it gives an “ unfair advantage”according to casino management.

It's not. But they will remove you for doing it.

It isn't.

It's not at least in the us. If you card count using your mind and no card counting tools like a 2 number tally counter its fine but the casino still has the right to ban you if they believe you are card counting.

Card counting is what we call it when a player keeps track of the relative number of high cards left in the deck or shoe in a game of blackjack compared to the number of low cards, in an attempt to enter the game or alter betting patterns when the remaining cards are favorable. There are a number of systems for doing this. A very simple one is count each ten, jack, queen, or king dealt as -1, and each two, three, four, five, or six as +1. When the count is high, that means there are proportionally more high cards in the deck, and that is an advantage to the player.

Card counting isn't illegal. It will get you politely but firmly asked to leave the establishment, but it's not illegal (though using electronic devices to help you do it probably is).

As for how it's proven - it doesn't have to be. Casinos can eject you just because. What will get you SUSPECTED of card counting are things like varying your level of bet, hopping back and forth between tables (often an indicator that you have somebody working with you, signalling you when a table has a good count), or making seemingly bad strategic decisions that are actually good when the count is taken into... account.

Card counting is usually in reference to blackjack, where it is the practice of keeping a running tally of "card values" in order to predict what the next card drawn will be. By card value, I don't mean the numerical value on the card, but rather how good each kind of card is for the player.

Card counting is not illegal, as long as you don't use any external devices to help you. As long as you count in your head, you're not breaking any laws. Of course, any business can throw you out for any reason, so just because it's legal doesn't mean the casinos will let you do it.

It can't really be proven, but it can be substantiated. Usually though, a casino will just throw you out if you play too well.

Card counting is legal in every country. Supreme court cases in the US have upheld it's legality.

Imagine going to a chess tournament, but it is illegal to think too hard about your move. This is what it would be like if card counting was illegal. All card counting is using a strategy, and a bit of hard thinking.

However, because it turns the few % margin of the house into a few % to the player, casinos don't want people employing the strategy. IE, they don't want their customers to think. So they push the idea that it is illegal. They can kick you out of a casino and ban you if they suspect you're card counting, but any private establishment can kick and ban you for any reason.

They catch you because they themselves count the cards, and if they see players who are on a table low betting, and then suddenly high betting when the count is high, it is highly suspicious. Card counters avoid this by having many people each on a table low betting. They then signal over someone who then high bets on the good table. The casino however can connect your signal to someone coming over. They then can ban you all. They are very good at this.

Card counting is a blackjack strategy in which you keep track of the cards that have already been played. Generally, high cards are good for players while low cards are good for the house. If you've already seen most of the face cards, you know you're less likely to win (and you should make low bets); if you haven't seen many, you're more likely to win (and you should increase your bets).

Casinos like to win most of the time. They're actually ok with most people who try to count cards, because most people are bad at it. If someone does start winning a lot, though, casino staff will politely tell them how lucky they've been and that they're invited to go be lucky somewhere else.

Card counting is completely legal throughout the world. It is also fairly easy to recognize by casino security staff, who know what to look for.

Casinos have no obligation to "take your bet", and so, when they discover a card counter, they simply ask them to leave the premises (trespass them). They cannot seize any winnings, but they can bar you from entry to the casino floor.

​

As for "what it is", it is simply a method of observation that assigns a point value to the various cards in a deck. By keeping track of exposed cards, a player can have a very good idea of what cards remain that will be favourable (or not) to their situation, and alter their bets accordingly.

In Blackjack, for example, when "the count" is favourable to the player, larger wagers are put in play, hoping to cash bigger wins. When it's unfavourable, the player bets smaller, minimizing losses.

This is also the easiest way for casinos to find a "counter", as well.

No.

Not unless they can prove you were cheating in a more direct way (computers, spotters, etc).

But you're not gonna win huge on ONE hand. That's not how counting works. You're just shifting the odds so that iver time you win more than you lose.

Casino's job is to spot that sooner rather than later and ask you to leave and barr you before you win too much. Before that ita just costs of doing business.

Bad answer. If counting cards was allowed, then no casino would put up blackjack tables. It wouldn’t be profitable.

Blackjack and craps are the most fair games at any casino, and blackjack wouldn’t be offered if players could guarantee winning.

>It’s literally a thought crime to use math and logic.

It’s not literally a thought crime, because it's not a crime at all; you’re not at risk of being arrested, tried, and imprisoned by the government. The worst that happens is a private property owner bans you from their property, which they have the right to do at their discretion for any reason.

Edit: even if counting cards was a criminal act, it wouldn’t be a thought crime, because it’s not literally just counting cards. You also have to take that information and use it to modify your gameplay strategy, which is an overt act and not just a thought.

Casinos are businesses that exist to generate a profit, and allowing card counting is bad for their profit margin.

Because casinos don't like it when players have an advantage. Casinos are private businesses and they're allowed to forbid someone from playing for whatever reasons.

You’d think they’d welcome it. For every MIT brainiac that can actually gain an advantage (and it’s a small edge when played perfectly), there’s 10 wannabe James Bond heroes that read a 5 minute article on card counting and think they can do it too, and end up losing money.

Casinos exist to make money, and have wide latitude to kick out anyone threatening that profit. If your legal actions make them think that they're going to lose money, they have the right to ban you from their property.

you know how many of a given type of card there are in a deck, you pay attention to those that have been dealt, increasing the chances that you'll get a good hand or the next card will be in your favor.

​

it's NOT illegal (discouraged?, yes)

​

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_counting#Legal_status

Card counting is not illegal under British law, nor is it under federal, state, or local laws in the United States provided that no external card counting device or person assists the player in counting cards. Still, casinos object to the practice, and try to prevent it,[23]banning players believed to be counters. In their pursuit to identify card counters, casinos sometimes misidentify and ban players suspected of counting cards even if they do not.[24]

​

It is not illegal, but casinos can still ban you from their private premises as the laws are made by those influenced by the often crime syndicate owned casinos. ( at least in my country, the US) {note that our current President had such casinos and still managed to make them go bankrupt!}

counting cards is just paying attention to the number of the cards used in a deck or a multiple deck deal so you know the probability of the the next cards being dealt. there is nothing illegal in it, it is a talent few people can do, but it can break the house favored odds in games such as blackjack if done properly.

It's not illegal, just banned in most casinos. It's literally counting the cards that have already been played so you predict what the next card will be (well, predict whether the next card is winning or losing). I have a friend who can do it and its terrifying, she nailed it every single time.

It's not illegal

It's not illegal.

Counting cards is a skill employed by blackjack players to get a better idea of how many "high" vs "low" cards remain in the deck.

The idea is that the blackjack table will use a whole number of full decks so that after a shuffle on a new set of decks, there's the same number of each face value. At the start of the stack, there should in theory be an equal chance of any face value, but if there should happen to be a lot more "high" cards in the first half of the stack, then you know that there will be fewer "high" cards in the second half of the stack.

Card counting can get more sophisticated, but the simplest is just to keep note of how many high values eg 10,J,Q,K,A you have seen so far, and how many low values eg 2,3,4,5,6.

This tally can influence the amount which you choose to bet, or the point at which you enter the game.

While this isn't illegal, casinos have the right to throw you out at any time for any reason, including that you are winning too much. They can't take back what you've already won, of course. They can't know for sure when you are counting but there are tell-tale signs: eg if they notice you increasing your bets at a certain point.

The funny thing about blackjack is that counting is the natural progression for someone who gets good at blackjack - it's as much a part of blackjack strategy as memorizing chess openings in chess or counting tiles in scrabble - but once you move beyond a casual blackjack player into someone who learns such strategy, casinos will consider you unwelcome.

Its not illegal, its just frowned upon(by casinos) and they can refuse you entry for whatever reason.

It only works for Blackjack. And doesnt work with multiple decks being shuffled constantly. 1 deck is the simplest for it.

Basically, you keep a running total in your head. For every card that is dealt you either +1 or you -1 depending on what that card is. Once your running total is 5 or higher, there is a VERY good chance that face cards will be coming out, and a much higher chance that the dealer will go bust. Thats when you bet hard.

It is allowed...

It is not allowed to use help (a computer or a partner) while trying to do it.

How it works is simple. Remember, about 1/3 of the cards in a deck are worth 10 points in blackjack. You add +1 every time a face card is played, and -1 for every non-face card played in your head. This will tell you what the percentage of the remaining cards are face cards. That is about the simplest form of card counting.

It's a process where you remember what cards have already been dealt and then use that information to try and predict which cards are likely to come next.

There are a few games where you don't shuffle the deck and cards are jut placed on the bottom so if you remember which cards you've just seen, you know they won't come back for a while.

It's not allowed when you play against the house because it violates house rules as opposed to not actually being allowed in the game (because the house loses money if you do that)

What does "Counting cards" mean?

It means, you count how many good and bad cards have been dealt so far. This way you can somewhat predict if your next card is good or bad and bet accordingly.

why is it not allowed in card games?

In games were Players play against each other it is allowed. In games where a player plays against the Casino (Blackjack) it isn't allowed, because the casino would loose money and couldn't do anything against it. It isn't illegal, but a Casino can throw you out for doing it.

From what I recall, it's when you specifically make note of what cards have been drawn and to whom, so you can then know what cards are left in the deck to be drawn, and a reasonable assumption as to who has what. Presumably, it gives you an unfair advantage, and it's generally frowned upon.

how u gonna count cards online

sure it may be a 2/4/6/8/whatever deck "shoe" but every hand is independent. ie: the last hand you played has no bearing on your current one.

laymans terms: the deck is "shuffled" at the beginning of each hand you play.

BTW: counting cards IS illegal (at offline casinos) if you use anything besides your brain to do so.

Card counting is indeed a skill and is just being really good at the game. The reason card counting is made illegal by the casinos is indeed just because they are losing money on it. All the casino games are designed so that the casino is on average making a small profit from every bet. The best example is roulette where betting on red or black would give you double your bet if you win. However the casino have added one or two green numbers where the casino always wins no matter if you bet on black or red. Blackjack is also designed to give the casino a slight advantage although it is less obvious. However it turns out that there was an error in their calculations and they did not consider that players could count the cards and know the distribution of the cards remaining in the deck to get a slight advantage of their own. This is just players being good at the game. There were some attempts at fixing the game but to no avail. But since casinos are private property they can just throw out anyone who is good at blackjack. In places with legislation that does not allow them to throw out people without any reasonable cause they will not have blackjack at all.

This is nearly a myth. Casinos almost never kick out card counters. Casinos will, on rare occasion, remove someone who they think is not a good customer - which includes some card counters.

Most people who try to do card counting will never make money with it, and will just boost the casino's profits. Making money with card counting is wildly over-glamorized in popular media; it is not sitting down with $100 and walking away with $1000 after an hour. In order to make money at all, you have to pay close attention to the whole game and play in a very unusual way. You need to bring in a large bankroll to be able to weather the ups and downs, because you're still gambling, you just have a tiny advantage. You need to not drink anything or get distracted by the casino's plentiful distractions, or you'll lose focus. And there's a bunch of techniques the house can easily apply to cut off your advantage, ranging from increased decks (which reduce the edge) to continuous shuffling (which just makes card counting pointless).

Further, even if you pull it off and make a few hundred or thousand dollars on the blackjack table, you need to have the discipline to then leave the casino with that - and never get drawn into the other games that will just drain your money again.

So a lot of people think they can do card counting, and try to do it casually, and end up playing more & losing more money than they would otherwise. Overall, the concept of card counting is actually beneficial to casinos. I would not be surprised if some of them actively push the "we kick out card counters" concept in order to increase the feeling of "thrill" that people get from "getting away with it" - drawing more people to try it out and lose more money.

Counting cards is, indeed, just being very good at a game. It is not "cheating" in the sense of violating the rules.

Casinos kick out card counter not because they are cheating or doing something illegal, but because the casino is losing money on them as so has decided to decline their custom. Think "we reserve the right to refuse service." The casinos, which are private businesses, are using that right.

They kick them out because the casino is a private business trying to make money. Though in practice, kicking people out for card counting is rare. A lot of casinos now just changed the rules slightly for games like blackjack that increase the house edge to the point that card counting doesn't help much. And at ones that haven't, they really don't care if you're just betting $50 in every hand.

Casino’s only run games if the expected return of the game favors the casino. “The House Always Wins” means in the long run, every game makes the casino money.

For a game like blackjack, you can actually develop a betting strategy where the expected return favors the gambler. But the strategy requires you to track whether or not cards have been used by “counting cards.”

But since it’s private property, casinos can remove you for any reason whatsoever. So if they suspect you using this strategy, they will usually kick you off the casino floor because they only care about money.

If your going to use an electronic device, why not go all the way. Make a device that does better than hi/low and without the need to push buttons?

A super tiny raspberry pi device, pico, or RP2040-Zero, with a small micro camera, zero spy, innomaker camera or similar, and use Machine Learning and image processing to determine cards shown. Instead of traditional card counting use composition dependent combinatorial analysis + risk of ruin calculations to determine perfect play.

Or, just have fun and stay out of trouble.

It's a felony in Nevada.

Yes it would be illegal.

This would be a crime

Lol, it actually wouldn't be that hard, most of it has already been done and open source. Just need to piece it together. For educational use only of course.

The reason why Card Counting is legal is because you aren't using any external devices to help you at the game. It's just your brain vs the game. The moment you add something else into that formula that helps you win, it's considered cheating.

I also think if you need a device to help you count, you're probably never going to be consistent enough to make money in the first place.