Card counting has been around for many years, with some of the first books on the subject being published in the early 1960s. Employees at the casinos have for a long time tried to stop these activities around the gaming tables. Below are a number of attempts by the casinos to stop card counting:
Cutting Card
One of the first things that casinos tried was to use a “cutting card”, so that an entire playing card was never played through. This “cutting card” divided the pile of cards, after which you will shuffle again when you reached this “cutting card”.
Several sets of playing cards
Casinos also began to use multiple decks of playing cards in the games, although the number of decks doesn’t really matter if using methods like Hi-Lo, which have been described earlier.
The casino’s own card counter
Today, there are several automated systems used by casinos in hopes of detecting foul play. Some casinos scan all the cards before they are dealt in Black Jack, so the casino actually counts cards itself. Once they are sure that there is an imbalance in the deck of cards, they compare this information with irregular bets at the table.
If a player systematically raises or lowers his bet at points, then the casino can detect this behavior via their systems, which could indicate card counting. The player will then be asked to leave the casino or directed to play games at the casino that do not require specific skills to play.
Microchips in tokens
Another common way for casinos to detect betting irregularities is by inserting microchips into the game’s chips. This makes it easy for the casino to collect information about bet amounts on the gaming tables. It might seem a bit exaggerated, but you also have to remember that casinos have been using surveillance cameras for years, and their main purpose is to make money – not to give it away to players who think they are smarter than the casino.
Face recognition
One of the latest technologies in casino surveillance is facial recognition software. Facial recognition cameras can recognize players who have cheated by storing them in a database. The camera scans all guests entering the casino. Because of these new cameras, a familiar card counter may be asked to leave the casino before he/she even gets to the Black Jack table.