Card counting isn’t just something you see in movies; there are players who try to count cards at the casino. But are there any consequences to card counting?
Is card counting legal? Can casinos beat up card counters?
Find out the answers to these top-asked questions and more in this blog post!
Do Casinos Beat Up Card Counters?
No, casinos do not beat up card counters. Some people believe, perhaps from watching too many movies, that casinos are allowed to beat up card counters. This is not the case. Casinos will never physically threaten or harm anyone who is card counting.
Can Casinos Legally Beat Up Card Counters?
Casinos have tight security measures, but they would never beat up card counters. Casinos have strict measures in place to ensure everything both players and dealers are doing is legal. While playing card games, cameras are above the tables.
Having cameras watching the tables is an example of one measure casinos use to try and prevent potential cheating methods, such as card counting.
What Happens If You Get Caught Counting Cards?
Although card counting is not illegal, if you get caught, there can be consequences. Card counting won’t get you into trouble with the law; however, card counting goes against the terms and conditions of most casinos.
When you join a casino, you accept the terms and conditions that the casino has set, and this includes not counting cards. Counting cards is considered cheating, and the casino could potentially sue you if you are caught.
Being sued is quite an extreme case, so more commonly, counting cards will get you banned from the casino or have your account suspended. These consequences can apply to both land-based and online casinos.
Is Counting Cards Dangerous?
Counting cards is not dangerous, despite what you see in movies. For some, card counting can be more boring than it is dangerous. It’s a very tedious act, requiring a lot of concentration, knowledge and counting! Additionally, counting cards is not necessarily a strategy for success; it doesn’t always work.
The most “dangerous” or “risky” part of card counting is getting caught. If a card counter is caught, they will be met with consequences. Typically, those caught counting cards will be banned from the casino.
Why Do Casinos Hate Card Counters?
Casinos hate card counters for several reasons. If everyone got away with counting cards, this would affect the house edge, and casinos would most likely make less profit in the long term.
All casino games have a house edge, a built-in statistical advantage. On average, blackjack players could have a house edge between 0.5% and 5%. This depends on various factors, including their skill level and the variation of blackjack they are playing.
If all players were excellent blackjack players and played perfectly with basic blackjack strategy, this would give them an advantage between 0.5% and 2%, respectively. If they were to also count cards, this might give some players more advantage. This then would potentially hurt the casino, which is why they dislike and ban players caught counting cards.
