Experienced blackjack players often feel like everyone in the world is out to get them. This is understandable as casinos greatly dislike advantage blackjack players. Card Counting isn’t illegal, but casinos don’t appreciate it.
Earlier this year, Louisiana legislators approved a new law that would actually protect skilled gamblers. Card counters were happy to learn that they couldn’t be kicked out of a casino for using this skill when playing blackjack. The idea sounds great but it has to be enforced.
Not So Fast My Friend
The new law to protect advantage gamblers went into effect August 1 throughout the state of Louisiana. Unfortunately, it appears as though little is being done to enforce this law. US News And World Report shares the following:
“The State Police Gaming Division has received a few calls regarding this issue; however, the law as currently written does not require the State Police Gaming Division or the (Gaming Control) Board to take action against a licensee for exclusion from certain games,” State Police spokesman Doug Cain said. “At this point, it appears to be a civil matter between the patron and the licensee.”
Unsurprisingly, the Louisiana Department of Justice Gaming Division declined US News and World Report a comment on the quote. They’re legal counsel for the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Section and Gaming Control Board. It would sure be nice to hear that the customer protection is being upheld. We’ll have to wait and see.
About Blackjack Card Counting
Blackjack is a great game for recreational players since the best games have a low house edge. Using perfect basic strategy and the house edge is almost zero. Counting cards can swing the edge in the favor of the player.
Casinos generally don’t offer games that don’t have a built-in advantage. That’s why counting cards is a great skill to learn. This is one of the few occasions where the player can have an advantage over the casino. Tracking the cards played takes serious focus but can lead to a more fun and possibly profitable blackjack game.
The reason blackjack players want to count cards so that they know whether the deck is heavy in with aces and face cards or low-value cards. The more hight cards (aces and faces) the better for the player.
Card counters will often increase their bet when the count is higher. While this is advantageous for the player, it’s often a signal to pit bosses that the player is counting cards. Varying bet spreads sometimes keeps the pit bosses off the scent for card counters.
There are many different card counting methods. Visit our page on Card Counting for different options and a quick FAQ on counting cards.
