Do online casinos cheat blackjack
New casino sites to play real money
During most blackjack games the dealer will shuffle once a certain amount of cards have been dealt from the deck (50-60 percent on average). However, if the dealer or pit boss notices that a certain player (whom they assume to be using a card counting system) is winning too much, the dealer will reshuffle on the spot. This is most commonly done by the dealer pulling a card from the bottom instead of the top. Sometimes the pit boss will also instruct a cocktail waitress to distract the player in the middle of a big bet, thereby preventing him from seeing the dealer use a sleight of hand maneuver.
4 dirty blackjack tricks casinos have used to cheat
Instances of casino cheating happen…
Instances of casino cheating are very rare, but they can and do happen. Here are a few schemes casinos have used to screw unsuspecting blackjack players.
Most of us associate blackjack tricks with advantage play techniques like shuffle tracking and card counting. There is good reason for that, because players are much more likely than casinos to try to use subtlety to tip the scale in their favor.
The casino’s motivation is to take money out of your pocket, but when it comes to blackjack their methods are straightforward and transparent. The dealer will be happy to explain the rule variations and house edge for their blackjack table, so you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.
However, there have been cases of casinos getting caught using dirty tricks to take extra money off unsuspecting players. Here are a few dishonest maneuvers used by casinos in the past:
Removing cards from the deck
No self-respecting casino will ever try to pull this move, but in the past there were high-profile cases of casinos in vegas and elsewhere getting nailed pulling tens or face cards from decks, literally stacking the decks against unsuspecting players.
All the casino needs to do is remove a ten, jack, queen or king from the deck and the instances of player blackjacks decrease significantly, meaning fewer times that the house has to give a 3:2 payout. And pulling one or even two cards from a deck most likely won’t be noticed by anyone.
Selective shuffling
During most blackjack games the dealer will shuffle once a certain amount of cards have been dealt from the deck (50-60 percent on average). However, if the dealer or pit boss notices that a certain player (whom they assume to be using a card counting system) is winning too much, the dealer will reshuffle on the spot.
They also may do this is they notice that a lot of low cards but few high cards have been dealt, meaning that players will have favorable chances at winning up upcoming hands. In the worst cases the dealer will reshuffle after only 2-3 hands.
This isn’t considered to be outright cheating but it should be, as it essentially gives the casino the right to adjust the house edge when it looks like the cards have tipped in the players’ advantage. If you’re playing at a table and you catch the dealer doing this, you have every right to voice a complaint.
Sleight of hand
This is a pretty nasty trick that has been known to happen, usually in poorly-regulated gambling jurisdictions. The dealer has extremely quick hands and notices that the player has had a few too many frosty umbrella drinks or is simply not paying attention, so rather than dealing the card from the top of the deck, the dealer intentionally hands out a bust card.
Selective shuffling, sleight of hand, hyper-shuffling, … fair?
This is most commonly done by the dealer pulling a card from the bottom instead of the top. Sometimes the pit boss will also instruct a cocktail waitress to distract the player in the middle of a big bet, thereby preventing him from seeing the dealer use a sleight of hand maneuver.
Hyper-shuffling
This isn’t considered to be outright cheating, but when the dealer is a “speed demon” the house edge always increases. Shooting through hand after hand allows the casino to make more money over the course of the night, and it also makes things easier for the dealer to play tricks.
Dealing hands extremely quickly means that the dealer can sometimes fudge the rules without the player noticing; for example miscounting a hand here or dealing a card from the bottom of the deck there. A few minor errors per hour add a lot to the casino’s take over the course of a night.
The faster the cards are dealt the harder it is for the player to follow along. For that reason, most casino strategy experts advise blackjack players to stay away from tables at which the dealer looks to be working extremely fast.
Why would a dealer cheat?
Dealers make a living from salaries and tips, and more winnings for the casino don’t necessarily mean more money in their pockets. So why would a dealer cheat in the first place? One explanation is that casinos keep detailed statistical records of their winnings at every table and with every dealer, and thus dealers are under pressure to impress their bosses.
Some older las vegas dealers have anonymously told journalists that back in the day when many casinos were mob-run dealers would be required to run scams against players. Refusing to do so meant kissing their jobs goodbye.
These days, however, there is very little incentive for a casino to cheat. For one thing, regulatory bodies like the nevada gaming control board and the new jersey gaming commission are serious about auditing casinos and cracking down hard when wrongdoing is found.
Just as important, casinos need to look out for their reputations. In the internet age word spreads quickly, and if a player thinks they got cheated the casino stands to lose a lot of business. Cheating can and does occur (as this article makes clear) but it is most likely extremely rare.
Cheating at blackjack
If a game’s been invented, then someone’s tried to invent a way to beat that game. While uncommon and difficult, cheating at the casino does happen. It’s less common than it was in the early days of las vegas and atlantic city, before casinos became more heavily regulated with more sophisticated surveillance equipment and techniques.
Nevada state law defines cheating as “to alter the elements of chance, method of selection or criteria which determine the amount or frequency of payment in a game, the value of a wagering instrument, or the value of a wagering credit.”
The real question is who is cheating whom; is it the blackjack players who cheat the casinos or vice versa? Since it takes a cheater to spot a cheater, listed below are methods and terms people use when rigging the game in their favor
Ways blackjack dealers can cheat players:
Stacking the deck: A good dealer will have developed the kind of hand dexterity that makes sleight-of-hand manipulation of the cards seem like child’s play. There are many different ways the dealer can affect the outcome of the hand by slipping in the “correct” card at the correct time. Two of the more common methods are dealing from the bottom of the deck or dealing the second card from the top (second dealing). These work when the dealer has had a chance to sneak a peek at the bottom or top card, depending on which method is in use.
The high-low pickup: another method of stacking or setting the deck is to pick up cards in a round in alternates of high and low cards. A savvy (and sketchy) dealer will have developed a fake shuffle move that keeps the cards in the order the dealer picked them up. Then when the cards are dealt out to players they come in pairs of high and low cards, the type of hands that are more likely to bust.
Swapping hole cards: with quick hands, a dealer may replace a low hole card with a high one, and even if this type of cheating is rare in regulated casinos with decent surveillance, it is probably good strategy to assume the dealer has a ten as the hole card, as a matter of form, since there are more cards with that value than any other in the deck. There are only four cards of each value one through eleven, with the exception of ten. There are twenty cards in a standard deck that count as ten.
Mishandling money or chips: A dealer could fail to pay off a winning bet correctly or give the wrong change back. This is not necessarily cheating and could be the result of apathy or inattention. Players can help avoid this and be better at casino games by remaining vigilant.
Holdout shoes and other devices: since much of the above can be counteracted with shuffling machines and dealer shoes on the part of the casino and keen observation by the player, devices such as holdout shoes are particularly insidious. Nearly identical to a normal dealer shoe, a holdout shoe will second-deal a card. A prism or mirror is positioned in such a way in the shoe that the dealer can see the top card, but no one else can. Other devices use the same basic premise, combining second dealing with a mirrored surface. Some shoes are designed to allow a dealer to shorten the deck as well. Using a holdout shoe or any of these devices is also a sure way to lose a gambling license so that regulated casinos will stay far away from this practice. However, it is best to remember that not every gambling environment is strictly regulated and be certain you know what authority does regulate games before you play.
Pegging: pegging is a catch-all term that refers to dimpling cards subtly to mark out various high cards. Casinos that change decks frequently make methods of card marking on the part of either the dealer or players a difficult grift to sustain.
Ways players can cheat the game, the dealer, or the casino:
Palm and switch: grabbing winning cards and swapping them out with losing cards used to be one way in which players could cheat their way into money, but casinos are wary of palming methods and have many eyes trained on the tables, and many casinos will not allow blackjack players to touch the cards, rendering this method obsolete.
Daubing: this one is old and, like the palm and switch, nearly extinct. Daubing is another method of marking cards (see pegging above), but this one uses dirt or ink or whatever is available to mark the high cards. A more high tech variety involves marking cards with a substance only visible with a special kind of eyeglass worn by the cheater.
Two-man teams: two-man teams have many variations but all involve one person to spot the dealer’s hole card and signal it to the other player who makes playing decisions accordingly.
Spooking: this version of a two-man cheat has the spotter lurk behind the dealer like a ghost or a spook and signal to the player from there.
First base play: the spotter sits in the first place that the cards are dealt – first base. The player sits at the anchor or any other later position.
Front load: to front load is to spot the dealer’s hole card when it is slid over the up card rather than when the dealer peeks at it.
Card counting and advantage gambling: the number of high cards in the deck – twenty valued at ten (K-10) and four at eleven (the aces) for a total of twenty four out of fifty two cards accounts for nearly half the deck and when you add in the four nines as well than it is just over half the deck. Card counting need not be as complicated as it might seem to the uninitiated, since most methods of card counting involve calculating the ratio of high cards to low cards rather remaining in the deck rather than determining the exact suit or ranking. Whether this is cheating or not is often in the eye of the beholder. Is it a skill to be be developed alongside playing strategies in order to be a better player or is it another way of gaming the system that is itself predicated on the notion that the house ultimately wins? The debate may rage on, but many casinos watch for signs of card counting and will ask you to leave if you are caught and put you on a list. They may even share that list with other casinos. Even if it is not cheating, casinos also have the right to refuse service to anyone.
How casinos cheat at blackjack?
Although it doesn’t involve all casinos, cheating players at blackjack games does happen at some of the most prestigious casinos. Some cheating methods are extremely unfair to players, yet they’re not exactly punishable by law. However, a lot of these cheating techniques can actually get a casino’s gambling license revoked.
Some of the cheating methods that casinos use
These are some of the most commonly used cheating methods by casinos when it comes to blackjack:
- Selective shuffling
- Hyper-shuffling
- Sleight of hand
- Removing cards from the deck
- Subtle tricks
- Swapping hole cards
- Mishandling chips or money
- Pegging
- Using holdout shoes and other cheating devices
Selective shuffling
This is how cheating at blackjack using selective shuffling works:
- When around 50-60% of the deck has been used, it’s usually around that time when the dealer re-shuffles the card.
- However, if the dealer notices that a player is winning too much, he’ll reshuffle the deck of cards on the spot.
- In extreme cases, the dealer will reshuffle the cards after around 2-3 hands only.
- Customers have every right to complain if they see a dealer doing this since it messes up the house edge.
Hyper-shuffling
These are some of the ways how hyper-shuffling is used to cheat at blackjack:
- This method is being used when a dealer shuffles faster than usual.
- If a dealer works fast in handling the deck of cards, the players will find it hard to follow along.
- This practice also increases the casino’s house edge.
- When a dealer at a table seems to be working extremely fast, it’s best to avoid playing at that particular table.
Sleight of hand
This is how sleight of hand works:
- A dealer will go unnoticed in placing a bust card on one of the players’ deck of cards.
- Instead of giving the player the card at the top of the deck, the dealer will use his quick hands to give him a bust card.
- Dealers will usually look for players who had too many to drink so they won’t notice what the dealer’s about to do.
Removing cards from the deck
This is how removing cards from the deck works:
- This is one of the worst cheating methods at blackjack.
- Dealers will pull out all the important cards from the deck like a ten, jack, queen, and king.
- The chances of a player winning big is very low once the casino has resorted to this low move.
- This method goes unnoticed by players, especially if the dealer only removes one or two important cards.
The par sheet
This is how the par sheet works:
- A casino machine’s par sheet is the one which determines the odds of the game.
- It specifies each stop’s weighting, including the blanks.
- Casinos treat their par sheets with confidentiality since it’s also partly responsible for a casino’s house edge and payback percentage.
Subtle tricks
These are some examples of subtle tricks that casinos use to cheat at blackjack:
- This form of cheating uses psychological and subconscious methods to trick players into spending more money.
- One popular trick is to give out free alcoholic drinks so players will get tipsy and easy to cheat at a blackjack game.
- Offering few low stakes tables also encourage players to participate in mid to high stake games of blackjack.
Swapping hole cards
This is how casinos use swapping hole cards for cheating at blackjack:
- This method is rarely used since it’s usually prohibited or at least regulated in most casinos.
- The dealer will use his quick hands to replace a low hole card with a high hole card.
Mishandling chips or money
This is how casinos mishandle chips or money for the purpose of cheating:
- This method is very rare since it can be easily exposed when the wrong player has been cheated on.
- The dealer will give the wrong change to the player.
- The dealer could also give a player with a winning bet insufficient amounts of the prize.
- This form of cheating usually targets players who are not attentive and can easily be distracted.
Pegging
These are some of the ways how casinos use pegging for cheating at blackjack:
- This cheating method refers to putting subtle marks on high-valued cards in the form of dimpling.
- This is hard to identify and discover since only the dealer pays close attention to the cards.
- To prevent this from happening, players must always check the cards for suspicious marks.
Using holdout shoes and other cheating devices
These are some examples on how casinos use holdout shoes and other forms of cheating devices just to cheat at blackjack:
- Holdout shoes are well-known in the casino industry.
- Holdout shoes refer to a type of shoe that resembles the usual dealer shoes.
- This cheating device has a mirror which lets the dealer get a glimpse of the card that’s on the top of the deck.
- Other cheating devices are also used by dealers at blackjack games.
- If a casino gets caught allowing its dealers to use these cheating devices, it will automatically lose its gambling license.
How casinos cheat at blackjack
Be advised that these practices, many of which border on unethical or even illegal blatant cheating, are rarely seen in the larger more regulated gambling cities of the world. Big name casinos wouldn’t want to risk their reputation, or their business license, when they can make huge revenues from a clean game. Even so, one must be vigilant, particularly in the smaller hole in the wall establishments in remote less regulated areas.
That being said, here are some of the most common casino tricks used against blackjack players…
Subtle questionable tricks
While not cheating necessarily, many casinos employ a number of psychological methods to maximize the amount of play they receive from each player and in addition create an environment that is conducive to a player making errors in judgement, which over time, increases the casino’s hourly profits.
For example, dealers are instructed to deal as quickly as possible to get in more hands per hour, which allows the house’s edge to take a greater statistical effect. Playing 100 hands will more closely reflect the statistical result of a 2 percent house edge than playing 10 hands, where the player can profit from a lucky winning streak.
Another openly acknowledged tactic involves offering players free alcoholic drinks to cloud their judgement resulting in bad plays. Intoxicated players lose three times as often as sober players.
Some casinos even pump oxygen into the air to keep you awake and playing longer.
Lastly, casinos force patrons to play mid and high stakes blackjack, by raising table limits when crowded and by offering fewer low limit tables, which leads to faster profits for the house.
Dealing seconds
Dealers who use sleight of hand tricks are called card mechanics. Dealing seconds is a method of manipulating a deck of cards during a card game by way of dealing the second, rather than the top card of the deck, usually for the purpose of cheating.
Second dealing is only useful when the cheat knows the value of the top card of the deck. Once the value of the top card is known the dealer can deal seconds in order to avoid dealing a good card to an opponent, or to avoid dealing a bad card to himself or to a secret accomplice, (known as a shill).
Bottom dealing is similar, although instead of dealing the second card, the dealer has peeked at the bottom card and can deal that card to force the player to bust when needed. Dealers who cheat this way are so skilled that they can slip a player a bust card completely undetected.
The loose shuffle
The most common way of cheating at the BJ table by dealers is by false shuffling or loose shuffling. It was a common practice in the days of mob owned casinos, although some claim it is still practiced in some shady establishments today. Watch how they shuffle next time at the BJ table. Why does it help the house, very simple. The dealer collect the cards the way they were play in case there is a problem and they could show how the last round was played. The pattern of the collected cards are- high card stick together and low card stick together. It you have two 10s, you stay. If you have low cards, you kept hitting you get something. Imagine if the dealer collect all the cards and deal WITHOUT shuffling, what happen to the two 10s that was dealt to you before? No one in the next round will get those two high cards again. One player will get one and another play will get the other. That’s why some players insist on machine shuffles.
Removing cards from the deck
Before I describe, this method, it should be noted that the following is completely illegal and casinos employing it, if caught, would surely face criminal prosecution from the gaming authorities.
That said, some casinos have removed one or two 10-value cards from the shoe, which increases the house edge. Fewer tens in the deck are disadvantageous to the player because it lowers the chances of him getting a blackjack and receiving those higher hand payouts. Fewer blackjack payouts means fatter returns for the house.
These are the most common deceptive ways that casinos have been found to cheat honest people out of their hard earned money. I can’t say if it’s cheating or not, but I tend to get grouchy if the dealer changes their style of dealing or grip for no apparent reason and junk starts flying out. Sure, maybe it’s just getting clubbed over the head with luck, but it’s suspiciously coincidental-feeling…
This article was specifically about how land based, brick and mortar casinos cheat. For the scoop on online casinos, read our article entitled: do online casinos cheat?
If you know of any other ways shady casinos swindle players, or countermeasures players can take, please comment below.
Do online casinos cheat?
Although many of today’s online gaming casinos are just as tightly regulated as those in las vegas, there are more than a few that are scamming people out of thousands of dollars every day.
“it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” -warren buffet
If more online casinos followed this advice, gambling online would be far more fun and much less of a headache.
Here are the problems people are experiencing with some of the shadier operations online. Researching the reputation of these establishments before deciding to open an account can save you a huge headache and mucho dinero.
1. Delays or refusals to pay out winnings
Some fly-by-night operations may just take your money, close down, and run so buyer beware! Only make deposits and play at reputable casinos that have been in business for at least 5 years, are licensed and regulated by a responsible government, and have good reviews.
By the way, all of the online casino banners on our site have been thoroughly reviewed in terms of payout and software game fairness and therefore receive our endorsement. If you experience problems with any of our sponsored casinos, please let us know and we will make a decision as to whether they will be pulled.
2. Playing with fixed software to rig the game
This problem seems to be reported much more frequently than it actually occurs. Because players cannot see cards being shuffled, and only see the outcome of a random number generator, any streak of bad hands such as multiple dealer 21s always seems to raise suspicion. Even ten years ago, I would have advised anyone to stay away from all online casinos as they were completely unregulated and almost unaccountable for fraudulent operations such as this. Much has changed, however, especially over the past five years, as the online gaming industry matures and the community of online gamers have discovered rating sites, discussion forums, and blogs, all of which serve to police the industry. Casinos now rely on their online reputation and word of mouth advertising to attract new customers. Nothing causes people to withdraw funds faster than rumors of fraud and corruption.
Most of the problems with cheating casinos have occurred among the over 200 unlicensed, unregulated and many times illegal casinos online today. Many of these operate for only a few months to draw in customer’s deposits and then drain their accounts over a few days only to close up shop and abscond with the money.
So although gaming software designed to cheat you out of a fair game does exist, the risk of using such software is too great for an online business that has worked hard to create a name for itself in cyberspace. It is almost impossible for the common person to prove one way or another if the game has been rigged and only by an extensive computer analysis of play logs on the server, can this determination be made. It makes no sense for the bigger reputable sites to cheat when they can make huge profits from a clean game. Remember, the house has an edge and most gamblers will lose money in the long run.
Winner online, considered by many to be an authority site in this industry, has said, “online casinos are fair and honest for the most part. If you stick to the big four software manufacturers (boss media, cryptologic, microgaming, and world gaming) you shouldn’t have to worry about the fairness of the games themselves – the only thing you need to look into is their reputation for support and prompt payments.”
WHAT SHOULD ONE LOOK FOR IN AN ONLINE CASINO?
1. Reputable software
Solid software with an unhackable backend that consistently generates true and random numbers. Stick to the big four software manufacturers boss media, cryptologic, microgaming, and world gaming. If the casino uses its own in-house software, it should be verified by a competent organization.The software should be able to maintain your game status in the event of an interrupt in your internet connection.
2. Business history
Operators have at least a 5-year history of stable business operations. No prior delinquent record, recent name changes, etc.
3. Licensed and regulated
Don’t rely on the software company’s payout claims. Look for operations that are audited several times a year by unbiased, third-party organizations. A list of winner payouts should also be disclosed to confirm reliable payouts.
4. Phone support
Make sure the casino offers support via toll-free phone and/or live chat (not just e-mail). They should be able to handle any question from gaming rules to payouts and immediately escalate the issue to a supervisor if they cannot.
5. Fast payouts
Account management must offer payment options for reasonably fast payouts such as wire transfers, overnight checks etc. Some casinos charge a fee to send your funds, others restrict how frequently you can withdraw funds. Buyer beware- find a set of procedures that you can live with before making a deposit.
Bottom line: don’t be lured by big bonuses of freeplay money for initial deposits or promises of fast payouts. Do your homework and stick with the better known operations that have been around for many years.
Online blackjack strategy
How to legally cheat the online casinos at blackjack
Do you want to win at internet casinos using secret blackjack strategy?
My name is thomas fields. I created this website after winning over $5000 dollars at the online casinos playing blackjack. I want to teach you the very same methods I used to beat the casinos: online casino blackjack strategy. To date, players using my site are up over $10,000 at the casinos I have recommended. How do I know this? Well, the casinos send me reports on the players that have clicked on the links in my site. What’s in it for me you ask? I get paid to send traffic to the casinos, regardless of whether you win or lose. I hope you win!
Now, I can’t guarantee your results will be the same as mine, but if you follow my 10 steps to winning, you will have a mathematical advantage to win money. You may be asking how can this be, the casino’s would never allow the player to have an advantage. Well, the fact is, the casinos don’t believe players are disciplined enough to follow these steps.
Why should you consider gambling online?
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Can you trust online casinos?
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Do online casinos pay up?
Another reason my friends hesitated to gamble is because they were afraid the casino wouldn’t pay up. However, during the past year, I have gambled at over 100 casinos. I have won a profit at 70 casinos with a total win of just over $5000. I have NEVER been stiffed by any of the casinos I have played. This is not to say that there aren’t bad casinos out there, but if you stick with the big online casinos, you should get paid. Every casino on my site has personally sent me a check.
People also ask me if it’s legal to gamble online. Well, congress still hasn’t decided yet. While I am no lawyer, I can tell you I have never heard of anyone being charged with gambling online (although, it IS illegal to operate an online casino in the US – that’s why they are all offshore.)
Finally – is there really such a thing as an online casino blackjack strategy? Absolutely! The odds online are really much better than offline. Please read on.
There’s a lot to learn about online gambling and I want to help you with every aspect so that you can win, too. I try to present all information in a clear, concise matter, but some people want some more help. Feel free to E-mail me at any time if you have any questions. I have included as much information as possible so that you can profit from my research. Remember, I get paid to send traffic to these sites, regardless of whether or not you win or lose. Please support my site by using the links provided.
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Do online casinos cheat?
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Can you trust online casinos?
Gambling is all about taking risks, but you don't want to add uneccessary risks by playing at a casino that will cheat you out of your winnings, or not allow you to win at all.
Some gamblers insist that all online casinos are rigged, that 'impossible' things happen too often for them to be truly random.
This view is fairly widespread and seems odd to those of us involved in the industry. But online casino gambling is actually a victim of its own success, as the article below tries to explain.
1. Frequency of games
One of the big advantages of online gambling is that you play at your own pace. You're playing against your own version of the casino, so you don't have to wait for others to place their bets or be paid out. There are no physical chips or cards or balls, so there's no 'clearing up' to be done between games. The cards are dealt quicker, the roulette wheel takes less time to spin, the dice are always ready to be thrown.
As a result, you can play many more games per hour than you can in a land-based casino.
But there's a downside to this. Unusual events will seem to occur much more frequently than they would in a bricks and mortar casino. Not in terms of probablity, but in elapsed time.
As an example, the probability of getting 6 consecutive blacks in roulette is approximately 1 in 64.
In a real casino, it can take two minutes between spins of the wheel, so this event will only occur on average every two hours or so (2 x 64 = 128 minutes). Playing online, you can get in three spins every minute, or 180 in an hour. Suddenly, the unlikely event of 6 consecutive blacks is happening every 20 minutes (180 / 64 = 21.33).
In both cases, the probability is the same, but the impression is that an unusual event is happening six times more often when playing online, which leads players to the conclusion that the online casino must somehow be rigged.
It's perfectly understandable, and a hard misconception to shake off. Players generally don't study probability but have an innate feel for how often results come. Anything unusual makes them suspicious.
But we assure you that the random number generators used by online casinos are completely random and are constantly monitored and tweaked to ensure that the results they generate are as close to 'natural' as possible.
2. Playing alone
As mentioned above, when you play online, you're playing alone. That gives you a great amount of freedom, but there's an important psychological effect to consider.
Let's say you're playing blackjack in a real casino on a table with four other players and you hit an unlucky streak and lose ten hands in a row. It's highly unlikely that all the players at your table are having such a bad time as you - the probability is that one or more players at your table will win some of those hands.
Even though you're losing, you can see others winning, so you know that the casino is honest.
Online, you're focusing only on your own results. Because you don't see anyone else win or, more importantly, see the casino lose, those ten losing hands seem to be against all probability.
As with the roulette example above, it gives you an uneasy feeling that things are not quite right.
Think in terms of pure probability and you'll see that you've exactly the same chance of winning online that you have in a real casino.
3. Past reputations
Online gambling enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity. At times, it was like a new frontier. But like any new venture, it attracted some dubious characters along with the genuine operators.
Everyone involved in online casino gambling has to be honest about this: in the early days, some casinos cheated. It's an unfortunate fact, and for many years did nothing to improve players' confidence in the honesty of online casinos.
Fortunately, things have now changed. The online casino industry is one of the most regulated of all businesses. Most of those 'rogue' casinos have been run out of town - named and shamed and blacklisted by the numerous industry watchdogs.
These industry ombudsmen exist to uphold the image of fairness and reliability and will step in to investigate and resolve any player disputes. So long as you're playing at a regulated casino site, you'll be protected against any wrongdoing.
In the UK, things are even stricter. Since the gambling act was enforced, only regulated casinos are allowed to advertise or be promoted. In this case, regulated means licensed in an approved jurisdiction. This caused major headaches as many of the biggest casinos suddenly found themselves outside this so-called 'white list'. Most have now moved operations to places such as malta, but some have resisted and are now unable to promote to UK and EU players.
Of course, the big money involved in online gambling will always attract unscupulous operators, so it's always wise to be wary of new casinos. Our recommended casinos have all been around for enough time to prove themselves trustworthy and reliable - and in the unlikely event that any of them prove to be the opposite, we'll get rid of them immediately.
So do online casinos cheat?
In conclusion, reputable, long-standingonline casinos don't cheat, they're not rigged and they are fair.
But before you start to gamble online, you'd be well advised to check out your options. Our casino overview page is designed to allow you to compare and contrast our approved online casinos. When you've narrowed down your options, read our individual casino reviews, where you'll find all you need to know - games, bonuses, languages, deposit and withdrawal options, customer service details.
If you're nervous about starting to gamble online, we recommend you try out one or more of our secure casinos, safe in the knowledge that the casinos we approve are licensed, regulated and - above all - honest.
Perfect blackjack strategy chart: your blackjack cheat sheet
Want to know how basic blackjack strategy works? Check out our basic blackjack strategy chart for an easy to use guide to what to do and when
B asic blackjack strategy is a lot more useful than a few simple hints and tips on how to play blackjack. It’s a comprehensive guide to what decision to make whatever your hand and whatever the dealer’s up-card.
What is basic blackjack strategy?
Over the years, numerous computer simulations of millions of blackjack hands have enabled us to know the optimal decision to make in any situation that can arise in the game.
This means the decision that’s most likely to have a positive impact on the player’s profit and loss in the long run, so long as they always make the decision basic strategy dictates.
Blackjack basic strategy reduces the house advantage from typically around 5 per cent to 0.5 per cent, which is why blackjack is widely regarded as the most profitable game to play at casinos.
Handily for you, the results of all those simulations can be displayed in the following easy-to-read blackjack cheat sheets.
Blackjack strategy chart
Basic strategy differs slightly depending on how many decks are in the shoe (the box that holds the cards at the blackjack table).
Most land-based or online casinos will use between six and eight decks of cards on their blackjack tables. The following strategy charts are for games using between four and eight.
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Blackjack strategy for 4-8 decks, dealer stands on 17
Blackjack strategy for 4-8 decks, dealer hits on 17
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5 ways you can cheat at blackjack
Some gamblers think it’s okay to cheat. They feel that casinos are swindling them by only offering games that give the house a mathematical edge. In their minds, cheaters are just “evening out the odds.” but there are cheaters who are truly trying to get ahead.
Because casinos only make their money by gradually retaining a percentage of wagers, most of the money that people wager on casino games is actually paid back to players. But the games themselves are mathematically designed to create the house edge.
Most wannabe cheats don’t realize that if they’re cheating the casino, they’re cheating other players out of money, too. Clearly, the ability to cheat is glorified when it shouldn’t be.
If you think about all the cheating methods you’ve heard about, it means those methods are very well-known. And if they’re well-known, that must mean the people using them were caught. Keep reading and you’ll find five ways you can cheat when you play blackjack and why you should avoid them.
The only successful cheat is the guy who is never caught
How do you collect statistics on people who are never caught cheating? And what counts as never being caught? I’ve read interviews with casino security experts who say that players cheat all the time. But there are no mass arrests. Mobs of players are not routinely evicted.
Are the casinos really allowing cheaters to get away with it? And if the casinos see these players cheating, that likely means they’ve been caught and released.
Instead of arguing semantics, let me just say this…
It’s possible you could find small ways to cheat and never be held accountable. But that doesn’t mean you should count on it.
While I don’t encourage anyone to cheat, if you’re going to do it, don’t make it a habit. And don’t get greedy, because that’s how you get caught cheating.
Remember that the casinos know about all of the cheating methods that follow.
1 – replacing or swapping playing cards
The classic stereotype of a cheating blackjack player is the one where they have cards hidden up their sleeves.
There really are retractable arm-mounted card holders. They slide the card out from your sleeve into the palm of your hand. Stage magicians, the kind who depend on illusions, use them. And you’ll occasionally see them in movies and TV shows.
I’ve heard rumors of blackjack players being caught using these devices but I’ve never seen that happen.
At most casinos, you can buy decks of cards. But sometimes, they damage the cards so they can’t be used to cheat. If you’ve ever played with a deck of cards that came with a hole, it was probably bought from a casino.
Some players team up to swap cards at the table. This is a risky move and not one I would want to try. You could be prosecuted for cheating, but if you’re caught, you’ll most likely be turned out and blacklisted.
2 – replacing chips with fake or different value chips
According to some people who claim to have worked in casino security, this is the most common way blackjack players try to cheat. I’ve seen several variations on the scheme. It’s been attempted by individuals and groups.
The largest chip-swapping scheme I’ve heard about involved around 50 people playing roulette. But blackjack players sometimes do this, too.
The idea is to make a bet with say a stack of $50 chips. When you lose, you swap a $5 chip for a $50 chip, thus making an extra profit of $45.
Another way cheaters replace chips is to “cash in” chips they didn’t buy in the first place. That’s not quite the same as swapping chips during the game. The chips being cashed in might be counterfeit, stolen, or discontinued chips.
I guess it doesn’t require much imagination to run around to a lot of different casinos to try that. But that’s probably why a lot of chips have casino names and dollar values on them.
3 – arguing with the dealer
I’ve definitely seen people argue with the dealer before. At the time, I didn’t understand why they were doing that. And I can’t say I know for sure in retrospect that they were trying to cheat.
But this is a simple strategy. It usually follows one of two paths:
- The player denies asking for a bad card. If the player indicates a “hit” and is then dealt a high-value card, he may try to avoid busting by saying he didn’t really mean it. If the player is subtle enough in asking for the hit, the dealer can’t be sure the trick may work. Where small bets are concerned, some casino pit bosses have said they’ll take the loss rather than stop a game. This is a pretty ballsy move. You’re outright lying and risking ejection. If you’re going to try this, don’t be surprised if a pit boss moves over to your table.
- The player says he doubled down when he didn’t. This is an even ballsier move. You take a hit that clearly puts you in a winning position. Then, you slip an extra bet onto the table as the dealer moves onto the next player. If the dealer stops and challenges the extra wager, the player insists he called “double.” in a noisy casino this might work, but the casinos train their dealers to watch for this tactic. I’ve read that some players wait until the round is finished so they know the dealer has lost. If they move their hand over their chips, they might keep them covered long enough to fool people on the floor. Security cameras will see it, but security teams rarely intervene in small cheating unless a player is flagged. The video can be reviewed later if staff conclude the player has been cheating.
4 – marking the cards
Yes, this really happens in real life. In 2013, archie karas was accused of marking blackjack cards during gameplay with invisible ink. It took about two months for the casino to review the video and file charges.
In karas’ case, he used special eyewear to identify the cards as they came back across the table. Other cheaters have been less sophisticated.
Card marking has always been frowned upon by a majority of players because, if done successfully, it creates an overwhelming advantage for the player marking and reading the cards.
One could argue that in blackjack, other players are not hurt by card marking. I don’t think it’s worth playing with the math. This is clearly a high-risk idea.
You might win a few thousand dollars and get away with it for a while. But the karas case shows that casinos are watching out for sophisticated marking schemes.
5 – dealing with the dealer
Casinos don’t trust their dealers and with good reason. Every few months ,I hear about another dealer getting arrested for colluding with a player.
Why do dealers cheat? They have their reasons, but most dealers realize this isn’t a smart career move. They’re more likely to be prosecuted for cheating than someone who is arguing about whether he doubled down.
You already know the casinos are watching their dealers closely. They might be good at cheating in casinos, but sooner or later, they all seem to get caught.
Conclusion
I’ve never met anyone who claimed to be a successful habitual casino cheat. I’ve met a few people who said they tried something simple and got away with it.
They only did it once or twice. Or so they say. And I tend to believe them.
When you stop to think about what being caught could cost you, playing an honest game of blackjack seems a lot more fun and free. You may lose all your money the next time you play, but at least you can go home knowing the police won’t have any reason to come find you in two months time.
Cheating at blackjack
If a game’s been invented, then someone’s tried to invent a way to beat that game. While uncommon and difficult, cheating at the casino does happen. It’s less common than it was in the early days of las vegas and atlantic city, before casinos became more heavily regulated with more sophisticated surveillance equipment and techniques.
Nevada state law defines cheating as “to alter the elements of chance, method of selection or criteria which determine the amount or frequency of payment in a game, the value of a wagering instrument, or the value of a wagering credit.”
The real question is who is cheating whom; is it the blackjack players who cheat the casinos or vice versa? Since it takes a cheater to spot a cheater, listed below are methods and terms people use when rigging the game in their favor
Ways blackjack dealers can cheat players:
Stacking the deck: A good dealer will have developed the kind of hand dexterity that makes sleight-of-hand manipulation of the cards seem like child’s play. There are many different ways the dealer can affect the outcome of the hand by slipping in the “correct” card at the correct time. Two of the more common methods are dealing from the bottom of the deck or dealing the second card from the top (second dealing). These work when the dealer has had a chance to sneak a peek at the bottom or top card, depending on which method is in use.
The high-low pickup: another method of stacking or setting the deck is to pick up cards in a round in alternates of high and low cards. A savvy (and sketchy) dealer will have developed a fake shuffle move that keeps the cards in the order the dealer picked them up. Then when the cards are dealt out to players they come in pairs of high and low cards, the type of hands that are more likely to bust.
Swapping hole cards: with quick hands, a dealer may replace a low hole card with a high one, and even if this type of cheating is rare in regulated casinos with decent surveillance, it is probably good strategy to assume the dealer has a ten as the hole card, as a matter of form, since there are more cards with that value than any other in the deck. There are only four cards of each value one through eleven, with the exception of ten. There are twenty cards in a standard deck that count as ten.
Mishandling money or chips: A dealer could fail to pay off a winning bet correctly or give the wrong change back. This is not necessarily cheating and could be the result of apathy or inattention. Players can help avoid this and be better at casino games by remaining vigilant.
Holdout shoes and other devices: since much of the above can be counteracted with shuffling machines and dealer shoes on the part of the casino and keen observation by the player, devices such as holdout shoes are particularly insidious. Nearly identical to a normal dealer shoe, a holdout shoe will second-deal a card. A prism or mirror is positioned in such a way in the shoe that the dealer can see the top card, but no one else can. Other devices use the same basic premise, combining second dealing with a mirrored surface. Some shoes are designed to allow a dealer to shorten the deck as well. Using a holdout shoe or any of these devices is also a sure way to lose a gambling license so that regulated casinos will stay far away from this practice. However, it is best to remember that not every gambling environment is strictly regulated and be certain you know what authority does regulate games before you play.
Pegging: pegging is a catch-all term that refers to dimpling cards subtly to mark out various high cards. Casinos that change decks frequently make methods of card marking on the part of either the dealer or players a difficult grift to sustain.
Ways players can cheat the game, the dealer, or the casino:
Palm and switch: grabbing winning cards and swapping them out with losing cards used to be one way in which players could cheat their way into money, but casinos are wary of palming methods and have many eyes trained on the tables, and many casinos will not allow blackjack players to touch the cards, rendering this method obsolete.
Daubing: this one is old and, like the palm and switch, nearly extinct. Daubing is another method of marking cards (see pegging above), but this one uses dirt or ink or whatever is available to mark the high cards. A more high tech variety involves marking cards with a substance only visible with a special kind of eyeglass worn by the cheater.
Two-man teams: two-man teams have many variations but all involve one person to spot the dealer’s hole card and signal it to the other player who makes playing decisions accordingly.
Spooking: this version of a two-man cheat has the spotter lurk behind the dealer like a ghost or a spook and signal to the player from there.
First base play: the spotter sits in the first place that the cards are dealt – first base. The player sits at the anchor or any other later position.
Front load: to front load is to spot the dealer’s hole card when it is slid over the up card rather than when the dealer peeks at it.
Card counting and advantage gambling: the number of high cards in the deck – twenty valued at ten (K-10) and four at eleven (the aces) for a total of twenty four out of fifty two cards accounts for nearly half the deck and when you add in the four nines as well than it is just over half the deck. Card counting need not be as complicated as it might seem to the uninitiated, since most methods of card counting involve calculating the ratio of high cards to low cards rather remaining in the deck rather than determining the exact suit or ranking. Whether this is cheating or not is often in the eye of the beholder. Is it a skill to be be developed alongside playing strategies in order to be a better player or is it another way of gaming the system that is itself predicated on the notion that the house ultimately wins? The debate may rage on, but many casinos watch for signs of card counting and will ask you to leave if you are caught and put you on a list. They may even share that list with other casinos. Even if it is not cheating, casinos also have the right to refuse service to anyone.
So, let's see, what we have: 4 dirty blackjack tricks casinos have used to cheat instances of casino cheating happen… instances of casino cheating are very rare, but they can and do happen. Here are a few at do online casinos cheat blackjack
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