Card Counting – Where to and Where Not To Count?

Card counting is the method you use to keep count of the number of high and low cards left in the dealer’s deck. If you can count the cards effectively then you can increase your bet when you know the odds are stacked to your advantage, making you much more likely to be successful. You have to note though that card counting is not about learning how to win blackjack consistently, or how to cheat in blackjack. It is just a skill set, in addition to your usual gameplay, to give you a better understanding of what’s in the deck. Card counting remains one of the best ways to make profits in the casino. However, you cannot simply walk into any casino and count cards. Some gambling establishments use continuous shuffling machines (CSMs) at all of their tables. Two prominent gambling destinations in particular heavily rely on CSMs. We are going to discuss these casino hotspots along with more on continuous shuffling machines.

Regardless of whether you are a new player at a top online casino or a veteran at gambling online, fair gaming is a widespread concern when it comes to playing at casinos. No matter how random a game type is, nobody would want to risk it when playing with real money. Automatic shuffling of cards has gained popularity with machines used for the purpose. When it comes to card  games at casinos, they use shuffling machines to retain the randomness of the game.

What are Continuous Shuffling Machines (CSM)?

Card shuffling is an integral part of card games and at a land casino, you would see the dealer manually shuffling the cards from the shoe. In gambling, this technique affects both the player and the house. With online casinos on the rise, card shuffling machines are designed to make games increasingly fair for players where the machines would do the shuffling instead of the dealer. These machines are used across most popular casinos. With the continuous shuffling that takes place, random cards are generated.

Advantages of the Continuous Shuffling Machine

– It generates random cards thus providing a fair winning chance for every player.

– It creates an equal scope for a house advantage.

– With the random and continuous shuffling that takes place, the moves at a faster pace.

– Games can be played without dealers having to manually shuffle the cards.

– The system is much more objective than manual shuffling.

How do the Continuous Shuffling Machines function?

Five-card decks are usually put into the CSM where it throws and assorts the cards randomly from each of the decks. This happens on a loop thus opening up the possibility of any card showing up in the player’s hands in the following round of the game. There are several types of CSMs and each machine design is constructed to ensure random shuffles at any given time.

The machine has a tray into which the shuffle master puts the cards randomly. Even during this action, the machine keeps moving to ascertain its chance. The shuffler then picks the deck for the next round and keeps it in the shoe from which the subsequent set of cards are to be distributed to the players.

Macau and Monte Carlo both feature CSMs everywhere

Monte Carlo and Macau are two of the most popular gambling spots in the world. The latter generates more gaming revenue than any other casino city or territory in the world at $35.6 billion annually. This sum dwarfs what Las Vegas casinos have gained from gaming ($6.6 billion) in the last year. Monaco’s Monte Carlo is the most popular casino spot in the world. It offers the lavish Monte-Carlo Casino, breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea, and a tradition of gambling history going back to 1863. All of these places are fun to visit as a leisure blackjack player. Nonetheless, if you are a serious card counter, you should never go to either location. Macao and Monte Carlo feature continuous shuffling machines throughout their casinos. They do not need to worry about card counters, because their CSMs eliminate this type of advantage play.

You will rarely find any tables without these machines in stakes ranging from $10 to $100. Only on the high-stakes tables do Monte Carlo and Macau casinos finally start hand-shuffling shoes.

The problem here, though, is that your minimum bet will be so high that you will have trouble keeping up with the variance. Assuming you want to use a 1-10 spread on a $100 table, you would risk up to $1,000 per hand during a positive count. You might go with a 1-2 or 1-3 spread if you are playing high-stakes blackjack for fun. However, you will not make consistent profits and you will still be risking $200 to $300 at the top range.

Why doesn’t every casino just use CSMs?

A CSM speeds up the action and boosts operator profits. Continuous shuffling machines generally increase the number of hands dealt per hour by 20%. Casinos hold an edge over every recreational gambler. Therefore, they can look forward to 20% more profits with a CSM in use.

So you might wonder why every casino does not just employ these machines. They will make more profits and stop card counters in the process. 

• But casinos also need to worry about turning off their primary clientele. Most people do not like playing at tables with CSMs. They enjoy blackjack for the classic feeling.
• A machine-dealt game, on the other hand, ruins this sentiment and makes everything feel more automated.
• Gamblers also do not like CSM Blackjack is due to misconceptions. Some people mistakenly believe that these machines increase the house edge. But the reality is that a CSM decreases the house advantage by 0.014%. But again, it also speeds up the games. Players lose more money as a result and feel that CSMs increase the house edge.
• Paranoid gamblers also feel that casinos use CSMs to rig games. They do not see any other reason why a gambling establishment would need a machine to deal Blackjack. But that is not the case as any casino that used a continuous shuffling machine to rig games would be completely foolish. They risk losing their license just to gain a bigger edge.

Where can you count cards instead?

You should take Monte Carlo and Macau off your travel schedule if you are a card counter. Here are some much better spots to hit when you are looking for profits.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas is the best card counting destination bar none. It offers over 130 casinos and several hand-shuffled games at all stakes. You should not just expect to walk into any casino and find perfect card counting conditions. But you will find enough establishments that offer worthy games.

Reno

Reno is not nearly as popular as Las Vegas. But this city, which is seven hours away from Vegas, offers some of the best blackjack rules anywhere. You can still find blackjack tables in Reno with a single deck and 3:2 natural blackjack payouts. This combination is becoming increasingly rare in the gambling world. The favourable rules give you the ability to make profits without spreading your bets as high. But they also put pit bosses more on alert.

Atlantic City

Atlantic City is the only gambling mecca where casinos cannot legally throw out advantage gamblers. By law, they must treat all players equally regardless of skill. Therefore, you can count cards all you want and not need to worry about being booted. But the blackjack rules in Atlantic City are worse on average than what is available in Vegas.

Some tips for counting cards

Blackjack card counting hasn’t changed much in terms of fundamentals. But you must also take more precautions today than ever before to avoid being caught. Here are some important tips to stay out of the pit boss’ watchful eye so you can continue counting.

Never stay in one spot for too long

It is always wise to never stay in the same casino for too long. A good rule of thumb is to only play up to 100 hands in the same gambling establishment before moving on.

Big bets attract attention

These days you will be lucky to find a table that accepts up to a $1,000 max bet. And when you do start betting up to this limit, you will attract unwanted attention from pit bosses and shift managers.

Look for games with more decks and good deck penetration

Always try to look for a six-deck game with good deck penetration. You want more deck penetration so that you can confidently determine an accurate count before betting big.

Be consistent with awkward strategy plays

You can gain something just by counting cards and using basic strategy. But advanced counters sometimes use strategy deviations to gain an extra edge over casinos.

Be careful with raising bets towards the end of shoes

You must raise your bet to take advantage of favourable counts. And the optimal time to do so is towards the end of a shoe when you are fully confident in a positive true count.

Conclusion

Card counting may not be as easy to beat as it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago. You also need to keep your sessions short, visit many casinos at different shifts, keep your bet sizes reasonable, and be careful when deviating from basic strategy. But not every gambling hotspot offers beatable Blackjack games. You simply cannot win profits on tables with CSMs. Luckily, numerous other gambling destinations exist throughout the world which does not spread CSMs across their tables. Good Luck!