Back to The Blackjack Page
The Blackjack Page Archive

Synergistic Blackjack - Part 1

If someone typically goes with you on your visits to a casino, most likely it's because s/he has his or her own interests in mind, but if you can work together from time-to-time, or even team up in a joint venture, there are some completely legal tricks that can help you increase your win rate. Before I go any further, let me say that there are also some not-so-legal ways for people to help one another at the Blackjack table and I'm not going to cover those. But, while I believe the "tricks" I'm going to talk about are legal in most jurisdictions, that may not be the case where you play. To be safe, check the gaming regulations for your area before you try any of these or, even better, if you think they might not be completely legal, don't use them.

A good example of what's allowed and what isn't, is viewing the dealer's "hole" card. In Nevada, the courts have ruled it is the casino's responsibility to make sure the dealer "protects" his or her hole card, but if it's exposed, the player is well within his rights to act upon that information. So, if a dealer is sloppy when s/he peeks at the hole card and you're able to see it while you're sitting at the table, then you've done nothing wrong by acting on the information. However, if you have placed a confederate behind the dealer (say at another table, across the pit) and that person can see the hole card when the dealer peeks and signals you the value of the card (a technique called "spooking"), then you are basically cheating and the casino could prosecute you. Sure, the casino should also protect the hole card in that situation, but the argument is that you have gone to extraordinary lengths to gather confidential information.

Now please remember that I'm not a lawyer, so whether something is legal or illegal isn't my call. But I like to think that I have enough experience to know the difference between a "casual" gathering of information and a "planned" attempt to gather confidential information. Also, you need to remember that casinos have their rules and those rules may or may not be the same rules of a state gaming commission. A good example of this is showing your hand to another player. Most Blackjack games that are dealt face down ("pitch" games) require that you not show your hand to the other players at the table. That is, in most jurisdictions, a casino rule. If you persist in showing your cards, the casino may ask you to stop playing the game, but it's highly unlikely you'll be arrested for it.

I'm not one to "test" a law in a casino, because I can't make any $$$ from them if they toss me out. I suggest you adapt the same attitude and err on the side of conservatism when it comes to exploiting casino weaknesses. Hopefully what I'll tell you here won't get you into trouble, but my usual disclaimer applies: Those who act upon this information do so at their own risk.

A lot of these techniques are fairly obvious, so I won't go into lengthy explanations, unless needed. What I've done is categorize the techniques according to the Blackjack playing abilities of the person who accompanies you. The way I see it, there are three types: those who don't regularly play the game, those who play but don't count and those who play and do (or could) use a counting system. Certainly, a friend who counts is capable of helping you in all three categories, so just find the situations that may work for you, practice a bit, then go have some fun. It actually is fun to go to a casino with a friend and execute your little "conspiracy." But please, please, please, keep it legal.

To keep this a reasonable size, I've created three parts. This month we'll examine the ways a non-playing friend can help you and that will be followed by the way a playing, but non-counting, friend can help and we'll end with the ways two counters can help each other.

The Non-playing Friend - If your friend, spouse, etc. doesn't play at all, s/he will probably wave goodbye as you walk into the casino, but if you can hang together for a while, it can help in several ways:

Watching for 'heat' - If you're attracting a certain amount of attention from the game supervisors ("pit critters" as we lovingly call them here), have your friend hang out at the table and just observe the game. At the same time, s/he can watch the PCs to see if anyone is watching you. Counters look "shifty" when they're trying to play AND keep an eye on the PCs, but your non-playing friend can do so without attracting undue attention. Then, if you want some really good feedback on your status in the casino, have your friend stay at the table for a while after you leave. By doing that, s/he will be able to hear any comments the dealer makes to the PCs, or the PCs make to the dealer. Obviously, for this to work, you and your friend must act as though you don't know one another, but it's worth doing since you'll likely find your play hasn't caused a stir. I think a lot of counters are overly paranoid and this will either confirm it or put it to rest. Do this several times so that you have a clear picture of the situation.

Locating empty tables - Counters get more hands per hour when playing alone, so have your friend locate empty tables for you. Of course, the minute you "open" a table, four other players will join you.

Detecting a 'tell' - If you play in casinos where the dealers "peek" (check their hole card for a 'natural') have your friend observe dealers to see if any have "tells". This is a non-verbal indication of what the dealer's hole card might be. For example, I once found a dealer who would peek, then frown if he had a good hand. The key is to find real, honest-to-goodness patterns and that's hard to do when you're playing, so let your friend give it a try. Tells are rare, but very valuable, which is why all those "optical viewers" are to be found on the tables.

Distraction - This used to work pretty well a few years ago when casinos were bastions of male chauvinism, but it can still work today. We were using a "big player" who would go from table to table (where we had a counter seated) and make bets only when the counter gave him a signal. We had a female teammate with a....shall we say...remarkable chest who would dress in such a way as to emphasize her assets and the PCs would drool all over her as the big player went about his business. The thing to remember here is that a PC will find it hard to pay attention to you while paying attention to another person, regardless of how attractive or unattractive s/he is.

Chip stashing - It's always in your best interest to appear as though you've won less or lost more $$$. Passing off chips to your friend, either openly or otherwise, can confuse the dealer and PC when it comes time for you to 'color up' and leave. Warning: In some states (like Missouri), it's against the law to give another person chips, because there is a buy-in limit.

Next time, I'll cover some tricks for a playing, but non-counting, friend.

See you then.

RETURN TO THE CURRENT BLACKJACK ARTICLES