In most of the casino games you will always find people that will try and cheat the system in order to make money. So in order to improve your blackjack skills you need to be aware of certain methods that other players might use against you or the dealer. It’s always good to acquire knowledge in these areas and this is why we decided to do a post on this, by all means this is not a guide that will teach how to cheat, it’s a post covering some common methods used to cheat the system, the players and the dealer.
When playing blackjack there’s a difference between using methods to cheat and using a strategy that could potentially help you win more money. Landbased casinos have used several ways throughout the history to monitor games and players in order to spot cheaters, and we have seen loads of cases in the past of players that became famous for cheating the system and either walking away with a lot of cash or getting caught in the act. Nowadays with all the latest technologies used it’s very difficult for someone to cheat but it’s still good to know about some common methods used to cheat the system.
One the most common terms you will hear when playing blackjack in “card counting”. Card counting and basic strategy are not cheating. Card counting is basically a way of memorizing and calculating the proportions of high and low cards during a blackjack game in order to determine whether the next card is likely to give you an advantage. Although this strategy is quite popular, not many players are capable of card counting as it’s very difficult to master this technique. It’s legal because card counters don’t rely on any external factors that will aid them to win, they just rely on their intelligence, efficiency, knowledge of the game and experience.
So there’s a fine line between what’s considered cheating and what’s not especially when it comes to card counting. As it was mentioned above as long as you rely on your own intelligence and don’t use any external factors to help you with your game then technically that’s not considered cheating. If you use and electronic device or marked cards etc which are clashed as devices that will help you cheat then that is cheating. Also the problem is that every casino is different so in some cases if the casino somehow discover that you are card counting (even if its not illegal) they could ban you from the casino for life however they cannot arrest you as technically you haven’t stolen anything or cheated so you are not braking the law.
Here are some other common ways of cheating when playing Blackjack
Spooking
This is a very common form of cheating that has been used throughout the history of blackjack. Spooking is basically the process of spying on the dealer to find out the value of his cards and informing another member of the game. This usually happens with organized teams of individuals that play at different tables, one the team members is placed behind the dealer in order to view the value of the cards and then uses a “signal” to inform another player about the dealers hand.
The “signals” could be different to each team, as in there’s not a standard set of signals used to chat the dealer as it would be easily traceable. Usually the signals are determined before the game by the individuals that intend to cheat.
Card Marking
This is another common form of cheating during a blackjack game. Card marking is the process of marking the cards in order to spot them during the game and take appropriate action. There are several ways of card marking such as making tiny bumps, bends and scratches on the surface of the cards, using special ink that can be visible if wearing glasses and juice marks. All of these techniques and any other method used to mark cards is illegal.
Blackjack Cheating methods at Online Casinos
There are several methods and techniques used to cheat when playing at online casinos, these methods are not only used by players but by some rogue casinos as well. So before you sign up it’s always best to read reviews about the casino you join, make sure you do that before you deposit money. Sites like gpwa.org provide helpful information about online casinos and also list all the rogue ones that you need to avoid. The use of random number generated games is not advised as every program is different and you don’t have any evidence that the hand you will get is actually random. With RNG games blackjack bots have been used for a while now in order to reduce the house edge of the casino. Blackjack bots essentially work the same way as a really good an experienced blackjack player’s brain would. They record the input and calculate your next move. Overall it’s always best to stay clear of any cheating method, focus on building your skills and experience by playing demo versions of the games before you actually deposit money and don’t use any of the methods described above as they could result in you getting banned from casinos possibly arrested. We also recommend that you avoid RNG games, choose to play at casinos that offer live dealer blackjack games.