The number of known card counters I have met through the years I would put in the low hundreds. They are everywhere from the biggest names in the game, to recreational weekend warriors I befriended. All of them were at least fairly smart, ranging up to gifted geniuses. However, in my opinion, you don’t need to be gifted in math or card games to make it in card counting. It really is not that hard. To learn basic strategy and a simple card counting system, like the Knockout or Red Seven, would take only about 40 hours. However, lazy card counters don’t read a book. They skip over basic strategy, and go off of what little they learned from movies like "Rain Man" and "21." They don’t know about proper capitalization, and wipe out their bankroll at the first run of bad luck. Successful people, not just in card counting, have a healthy respect for those who have succeeded before them, and learn from them. They have a healthy skepticism about the many myths that pervade blackjack. They have a respect for their bankroll, and treat it conservatively, letting them ride out the ups and downs of the game. It takes a disciplined personality to make it blackjack, and those types of people tend to be smart to begin with.
The book made it seem like counting cards was like a license to print money. Although the movie clearly took place in the present day, the events the movie was based on happened in 1994. Back then, it was easier. The table limits were higher, and some technical advances to catch counters were not available yet. The reality is that card counting is a grind. However, it would not make for an exciting Hollywood movie to watch some guy sit there playing cards, losing almost half the time.
The movie made it seem like there was only one counter catcher in all of Las Vegas. A surveillance manager seemed amazed that this one consultant could actually count cards himself. What I find to be closer to the truth is that most pit bosses know the rudiments of card counting. They may not be able to successfully play themselves, but they know the red flags. If they suspect something, they can call surveillance for a "skills check." Then somebody in surveillance can use computers to do a more accurate assessment. If the player is counting, and doing it well, the computer should be able to tell. Again, there is an anachronism in the movie, the events it is based on happened in 1994, but the movie clearly took place in the present. It may be that in 1994 surveillance didn't know much about card counting, so maybe my criticism isn't fair. Then, and more so now, card counting is simply hard to get away with. Good card counters can play tricks to avoid setting off the red flags, but often those tricks depress profitability. Card counting has become hard to get away with as a profession. Many former professional card counters have moved onto other games and angles.
The book made it seem like counting cards was like a license to print money. Although the movie clearly took place in the present day, the events the movie was based on happened in 1994. Back then, it was easier. The table limits were higher, and some technical advances to catch counters were not available yet. The reality is that card counting is a grind. However, it would not make for an exciting Hollywood movie to watch some guy sit there playing cards, losing almost half the time.
The movie made it seem like there was only one counter catcher in all of Las Vegas. A surveillance manager seemed amazed that this one consultant could actually count cards himself. What I find to be closer to the truth is that most pit bosses know the rudiments of card counting. They may not be able to successfully play themselves, but they know the red flags. If they suspect something, they can call surveillance for a "skills check." Then somebody in surveillance can use computers to do a more accurate assessment. If the player is counting, and doing it well, the computer should be able to tell. Again, there is an anachronism in the movie, the events it is based on happened in 1994, but the movie clearly took place in the present. It may be that in 1994 surveillance didn't know much about card counting, so maybe my criticism isn't fair. Then, and more so now, card counting is simply hard to get away with. Good card counters can play tricks to avoid setting off the red flags, but often those tricks depress profitability. Card counting has become hard to get away with as a profession. Many former professional card counters have moved onto other games and angles.
