New System Could Stop Card Counting in Blackjack

Written by Kaus | Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

For those who play Blackjack you will know that being able to apply the basic strategy system can reduce the overall edge of the house, and for players who are able to count cards, you can have an edge of %0.5 – 2% advantage over the house.

This could very well become a thing of the past thanks to Wesley Cooper, a PhD mathematician from Dublin, who has developed a unique system which is said to be able to spot a player who may be using card counting as their strategy to beat the house.

Cooper has created a surveillance system, which would not only track a player’s betting patterns, but build a profile around him which would then compare it to spot anomalies in their game. With this information they would then evaluate the results against that player’s hands to an algorithm.

During the analysis of the player, Cooper’s system, “Clear Deal”, will compare a number of hands of that player against a simulated player, which has been designed to play the perfect game of Blackjack, to find out the players level of skill. This allows them to begin the profile process.

“Blackjack is beatable if you have a good maths brain,” Cooper said. “At the moment, casino surveillance staffs have to watch the tables and try to identify suspicious play using their experience and instincts. This system does the same job automatically using computer-vision techniques and algorithms.”

“It can determine if someone is proficient or just lucky. A skilled player with a good mathematical mind can count cards, giving them a statistical edge over the casino. Blackjack is 3,000 years old and people have been counting cards as long as it has been around,” he said.

Card counting is not against the law but it does create a solid advantage for the player and as we all know, blackjack is a house game, which means the casino does reserve the right to ban that player. Unlike the mob movies where the player would be physically removed from the casino, most casinos that catch a player counting cards will ask them to leave and added to a system wide list for other casinos to check.

The current system in place now relies on video cameras, instinct and the awareness of the dealer and his pit boss. The “Clear Deal” surveillance system is currently in a trial period and has yet to be released to the market.

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