Is counting cards illegal?

Counting cards in games of blackjack is one of the most romanticized things in gambling circles. People on the outside are fascinated by the idea of tipping the statistical edge in the player’s favor. Veterans know that it takes a lot of hard work to get counting cards right.

Importantly, however, counting cards is perfectly legal and a legitimate strategy to use when playing at Las Vegas or A.C. casinos. That said, it isn't easy, and you may be flagged as an advantage player. Today, Casino Guru dives into why people try to count cards even though it can be pretty challenging.

What is counting cards?

Counting cards is a common strategy used by advantage players. It is a practice where an experienced player in casino games such as baccarat and, most commonly, blackjack pays attention to the cards played since the last reshuffle and makes decisions based on them.

Counting cards is a strategy that has been known to work, allowing rare skilled players to win consistently against the house and leave the tables with significant winnings. Counting cards is a valid strategy that has worked for many gamblers to the point where casinos today hire professional card counters to spot others on the gaming floors and alert casino security.

How does card counting work?

Card counting is not a single unique strategy, but it usually boils down to one core principle. At any time in the game, the person counting cards will have a rough estimate of how many low cards and how many high cards there are in a deck, specifically when playing blackjack.

High cards include 10, J, Q, and K, and they are each worth 10 points. Another high card is the Ace, which may be worth either 1 or 11 points in a game of blackjack. A card counter will keep track of how many such cards have already been played through.

This way, you will know, in theory, what the more likely cards are to be dealt next by estimating the density of ten-point cards, thus allowing you to introduce more strategy to your play and potentially beat the house.

Prominent card counting strategies

To truly get started with card counting, you need to look at different strategies first. There are many options out there, but the most popular of all is Hi-Lo.

Hi-Lo

This is a really simple strategy where you assign a value to each card. The low cards from 2 through 6 have a value of +1. The neutral cards of 7, 8, and 9 are assigned a 0, and then, for high cards, 10, J, Q, K, and A, they have a value of -1.

If the count is positive, this means that more low cards are out of the deck since the last reshuffling, giving you a better idea of when your wagers become less risky. This would be perfectly easy to do, were it not for the fact that casinos actively run multiple decks - four or six, or more.

However, you can calculate the true count, which is represented as a formula: true count = running count/decks remaining. This way, you can now estimate how many cards there are in play that would favor one outcome or a different outcome.

Essentially, a Hi-Lo strategy executed perfectly will statistically tilt the edge in the player’s favor - from 0.5% to 1.5%, which may appear small, but in the long run, it’s the difference between winning consistently and not.

But be forewarned that counting cards this way takes a lot of practice, time, and developing a sense of how cards flow.

Edge sorting

Edge sorting is a strategy that is not going to be applicable in every case, and is not truly a "card counting strategy." This is the type of strategy where players spot some imperfection in the cards’ make and are able to deduce what cards are coming next in the deck by looking at those imperfections.

This is a very situational strategy, where you would first need to spot a flawed deck. Phil Ivey and fellow gambler Cheung Yin Sun were able to pull a high-profile edge-sorting case, playing in Atlantic City, the U.S., and London, the U.K., between 2012 and 2014.

Ultimately, Ivey was ordered to repay the Borgata $10.1m, and in 2017, a U.K. court similarly ruled against Ivey, denying him £7.7m in marked-card winnings. The Supreme Court of the U.K. upheld the 2017 ruling.

Both cases were determined as "cheating."

Knock Out

Another popular system is the KO - Knock Out. This is a pre-set system in many ways, and the main difference here is that you won’t have to divide for true count.

The system differs in the fact that the 7 does not hold a value of 0, but rather has a value of +1, and only the 8 and 9 are assigned a value of 0 instead, when compared to Hi-Lo.

The system also features a running count that is predetermined based on the number of decks. For example, a shoe with 6 decks has a -20 running count when you start. This is fixed per table and is not itself something you need to calculate.

Once you sit down and assign the -20, you start counting. The system will then have you play through while you reach a positive value - around +4 for a six-deck game- which is when you may actually start increasing your bets.

Is counting cards cheating?

No, counting cards is not cheating. It is a legal strategy that players may use, and unlike edge sorting, which exploits a design flaw that is opportunistic and recognized by courts as unlawful, counting cards is perfectly legal.

However, there is a rub. By counting cards, players may be banned from properties. Many casinos hire professional and experienced card counters to help them catch others.

There is no law in Nevada or the United States that prohibits the practice, but ultimately - counting cards on The Strip or in A.C. will lead to the same result - you will be denied entry to gaming floors.

Can I learn to count cards?

Yes, in theory, you can learn how to count cards, but it is a rigorous process that takes meticulous studying and repetition to master it. You also need to have a basic grasp of probability and math to deal more easily with percentages and statistical odds. However, by using a simple entry-level strategy such as Hi-Lo, you can still play and count cards while trying to intuit what the next cards will be, or whether your chances have increased or decreased.

There are more advanced strategies, and also those that actually involve a partner who will signal you when a table is "hot," i.e., enough low-value cards have been played through.

Whatever strategy you end up choosing, counting cards is not as difficult as it seems, but having a firmer grasp of mathematical concepts could really help you.

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