Do you ever encounter other counters?

[letsdothis21]

I was just wondering has anyone played at a table and realized someone else was using the same betting strategy / spreading right when you tried to spread?

I've been playing with my friends lately and one of them counts with me at the same table, its not too obvious at the moment only bad thing is sometimes he wongs out when I want to, and I don't want to make it too obvious, haha.

 

[Stoney]

Never

I know there out there but I never see them, over the last year or so I've logged about 500 hours at Foxwoods, generally the quality of play is quite bad.

 

[21forme]

Yes, once. Was hard to keep from laughing.

 

[LeonShuffle]

This happened to me a few weeks ago and it was very obvious. We were both playing for a long time and raising our bets together and sitting out together. This guy kept pulling a BS card out of his pocket to "check" what he should do on certain hands. I said, "That card comes comes in handy, doesn't it?". It's hard to keep from acknowledging it at all but I refrained, other than to say, "see you around" when I left.

 

[letsdothis21]

yeah, it'd be fun to talk about it once you both wong out the same hand haha.

 

[rogue1]

yep

I've seen a few players who were counting. This one young looking guy was really good. He picks up a few black chips and announces to the table AND THE PC I'm putting these in my pocket, don't any of you let me take them out!!! Short time later he has two hands out,each with a black chip at the bottom,a few reds on top of the black and one white chip atop the reds. After he wins he kiddingly says to the table AND THE PC like hey you guys were supposed to tell me not to bet those big chips! He gets up to leave and I hear him asking the PC if he can get comped for dinner-as he won't be back again for about a year,he's just visiting-she said no. Last I saw him he was directly across the pit-I think he was backcounting the table. What a great act-later wished I had talked to him privately.

 

[TENNBEAR]

Only once did I ever realize that I was not the only counter at the table. Playing DD, the other counter bet spread was much more than mine, so I assumed this was great cover for me. The only thing I said to him ( when the count was high ) I announced the dealer was due to bust this hand, while I pushed my max bet out, I turned to him and said push it out there tight wad, he did with a smile, we both won, and he colored up and left. Never saw him again.

 

[Mimosine]

it's really not fun with other counters at the table

was playing a marathon session at a favorite place and ended up at a table with someone i thought might be a counter... wasn't sure. his bet spreads were pretty wild at not precisely in-line with my count. all i know now is that he uses different tags than me, but the one thing that was the same for us was when we wanted to wong out. that SOB was always 1 hand ahead of me. which made wonging out incredibly awkward. since we would both sit back down at the start of the next shoe. eventually i left the table....

as far as cover goes, he was the bigger bettor - but when the count tanked that was another story.

 

[shadroch]

I've seen a few players who were counting. This one young looking guy was really good. He picks up a few black chips and announces to the table AND THE PC I'm putting these in my pocket, don't any of you let me take them out!!! Short time later he has two hands out,each with a black chip at the bottom,a few reds on top of the black and one white chip atop the reds. After he wins he kiddingly says to the table AND THE PC like hey you guys were supposed to tell me not to bet those big chips! He gets up to leave and I hear him asking the PC if he can get comped for dinner-as he won't be back again for about a year,he's just visiting-she said no. Last I saw him he was directly across the pit-I think he was backcounting the table. What a great act-later wished I had talked to him privately.

Trying to talk privately to a player you think is a card counter is a waste of time.He will admit nothing and give you the bums rush. If you can,get a conversation going while playing together,then try to extend it after you leave the table

 

[Automatic Monkey]

You really can talk to other counters while playing. Obviously, you don't talk about counting or the count. But you can say things that an ordinary player would say, knowing that they have a different context when said between two counters. So if I tell you "I like the way this girl deals", the dealer is going to think I'm just complimenting her, but you will know that I mean she is either exposing cards, or giving good pen, or some other thing relevant to what we are doing. Or if I say "That other casino, I can't play there" the uninitiated would think either I can't stand the atmosphere there or have just had bad luck, but you will know that means I've been banned or there is a lot of heat. A few times I've used the word "variance". A casino employee wouldn't recognize this word and would think I said something else but it would identify me right away to another AP.

I think it's better for two counters to interact this way like two ordinary players would, because it makes you blend in with the crowd. Much better than any kind of sneaking around, which is something that security people are trained to look for and there's no way you can make it not look suspicious.

 

[Brock Windsor]

Encountering counters

I've run into three, always find them when I am backcounting (which is pretty often). It's usually the strategy deviations that I notice first. They aren't playing the side game, will hit a 12v4 when negative or stand a 16v10 when positive. I've used them as an indicator, If Im prowling the tables and see a guy I know is counting has spread to two hands, I'll get on the table if I can. Anyone I've met so far has been flattered that I've recognized their skill though I've heard this really offends some counters that you're honing in on their work. Away from the table I'll ask them what system they're using. Oddly I've never found a guy using Hi-Lo, I think the strategy deviations and betting ramps may be more obvious and more exacting with respect to the count among players using more advanced systems, but it could just be by chance.
BW

 

[EasyRhino]

Besides sitting at a table where there's a counter that I know in advance, I've spotted a few. One in Vegas, at the Stratosphere, the first time I ever played there, which was kind of uncomfortable.

And then, at one local place, I've probably spotted three confirmed and two suspected counters at tables. Including the guy with the ultimate camo. Strangely, I've only blundered into other counters at that one joint. It's becoming cliche.

Anyway, I generally don't appreciate someone else horning in on my table. Hopefully they'll leave, if not, I will (after the count drops, of course).

I actively fight against using the words "ploppy" or "variance"