Excellent article on Card counting law!

[learning to count]

Blackjack Insider Newsletter, Jan. 2004, #48
IS CARD COUNTING LEGAL?

By Henry Tamburin

Henry Tamburin is the editor of the Blackjack Insider Newsletter and author of the best-selling book Blackjack: Take The Money & Run.

This article gives a brief overview of the complicated issue of the legality of card counting. Historically most of the known cases have come from Nevada and Atlantic City.

"Is blackjack card counting illegal"?

As long as a card counter is only using his brains to decide how to play his hand, then the act of card counting is not illegal.

"How do casinos get away with excluding card counters from playing blackjack"? "Isn't this discrimination"?

The Nevada courts have allowed casinos to exclude card counters because technically they are private property, and under the ancient common law right a property owner could kick-off his property anyone for any reason, or even without a reason. Many players and lawyers believe that barring skillful players from playing blackjack is an unconstitutional form of discrimination. However, the Supreme Court prohibits discrimination only against persons who are members of "suspect classifications" based on race, creed, sex, national origin, age, or physical disability (i.e. card counters are not listed in the "suspect classifications"). Therefore, until a law is passed or blackjack players bring a challenge, casinos will continue the practice of barring card counters........

To read the full article go to: ""www.bjinsider.com""

 

[Rob McGarvey]

Love Henry's stuff. Check out my article in issue #43 if you have the time. Hope to be writing for Henry again soon. I will be writing for a bunch of new websites this coming February. Doesn't pay much, but pays me for putting finger to key and gets me "out there" like Kramer....OUTHERE! smile

 

[SammyBoy]

My Opinion

I would much prefer for casinos to kick out counters than to make the games unbeatable. I hate the casino practices as much as any other counter, and I believe casinos that backroom/mistreat counters should be punished by law. But the game would be over if they had to allow everyone to play and could not bar us. CSM's and 8 deck shoes cut in half are no fun.

 

[Automatic Monkey]

I don't know, barring counters reeks of a fraudulent practice to me. They advertise the game as one that you can win with skill, but if you have enough skill to win they won't let you play. Just think of an all-you-can-eat buffet that throws you out if you eat too much- better not call it all-you-can-eat then.

What's next? If BJ and basic strategy become too well-known, they will start throwing out good BS players. When a BS player is playing a decent and crowded game, he breaks even or maybe is slightly ahead with the comps, plus he keeps a bad player out of that seat.