REVEALED: The Top 5 Strategies BANNED in Vegas Casinos!
At PokerNews, we spend a lot of time researching and writing about the best strategies to try out on your favorite casino games, but what about game strategies so dangerous that they're actually banned in Las Vegas Casinos?
Here we'll reveal the top banned strategies for casino games that are currently outlawed in Vegas casinos, and look at when players have been caught out trying to use these methods.
The Top 5 Banned Casino Strategies
Some of these 'illegal' strategies have to be seen to be believed, but all have been used in Vegas casinos at some point, leading to the casinos themselves outlawing these methods and keeping a keen eye out for those who might try to employ them when playing the tables.
Here's our pick of the worst offenses seen in Las Vegas:
1. Card Marking
Let's be honest from the get-go: card marking is just straight-up cheating and provides an unfair advantage to those who use it. By making cards easier to identify when it comes to games of chance, this goes against the nature of most casino games.
Here's how card markers practice this method:
- Mark Cards: A player alters the appearance of the cards, either on the back or face of the card. This is done in a way that's undetectable to the naked eye, but can be identified by the player and any partners they have. Typically, these markings are very subtle so as to not be detected by the dealer or other casino workers, such as nicks, or tiny scratches.
- Identify the Cards: Once the cards have been marked, players can use the fact that they can identify certain cards to predict which cards are in play or coming up next. This provides an advantage to players over the house and other players.
- Signal Your Partner: Often, card markers work in pairs, with one player marking the cards and a partner identifying these for the purposes of making bets and deciding the strategy.
2. Edge Sorting
Edge sorting is a technique used in certain casino card games, such as blackjack and baccarat, to gain an advantage over the house by identifying certain imperfections on the backs of playing cards.
Players can use these imperfections to identify the values of certain cards and make bets appropriately, although it is an approach that requires a lot of attention to detail and making note of imperfections on cards that other players (and even the dealer) may not notice.
Legally, edge sorting is a a grey area when it comes to winning card games, as evidenced by the lengthy legal case brought by Borgata Casino against Phil Ivey to recoup the winnings from a game of baccarat, which they believed was won by using edge sorting.
As we reported at the time, Ivey reached a settlement with Borgata ending a 6 year legal wrangle, but lost a similar case he brought against Crockfords Club in London to recoup £7.7m ( $10.2m) of winnings from a game of Punto Banco. It was alleged that he'd used edge sorting to win the game, which the casino considered cheating.
As edge sorting doesn't directly involve a player physically changing the appearance of cards, it can be seen as gaining an advantage without the player actually taking an action themselves.
Find more strategies, tips and guides for your favorite casino games - blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and more!
Read more3. Dice Sliding
Dice sliding, also known as controlled shooting or dice control, is a technique used by craps players to roll dice in such a way that they can guarantee a specific outcome. As the name suggests, this method involves sliding the dice along the craps table in a controlled manner in order to influence which numbers are displayed when the dice come to rest. Players can gain an advantage and increase their chances of winning by generating specific outcomes.
Of all the methods we've listed, this technique is difficult to master and requires a lot of skill to execute to generate the desired outcome. Due to this, it is treated with some skepticism by casinos, although there have been some notable criminal cases brought against perpetrators.
4. Card Counting
Card counting is a technique used by gamblers playing blackjack in order to gain an edge over the casino.
Here's how it works:
- Tracking Cards: The basic idea is to keep track of the high cards (Aces, 10s, and sometimes 9s) and low cards (2s through 6s) that have already been played.
- Eyeing the Deck: By keeping a mental tally of these cards, the counter can estimate the ratio of high cards remaining in the deck. As the game progresses, the deck depletes, and the remaining ratio of high cards to low cards changes.
- Play the Advantage: When the count indicates a higher proportion of high cards remaining in the deck, this statistically favors the player. The reason is high cards benefit the player in two ways:
- Watch Out For Blackjack: A hand with an Ace and a 10-value card (10, Jack, Queen, King) results in Blackjack, a winning hand that pays out at a higher rate (often 3:2). With more high cards left, the probability of getting Blackjack increases.
- Adjust Betting Strategy: By counting cards, players can adjust their betting strategy accordingly. For example, if the count suggests a higher chance of winning, players will place higher bets. When the count is less favorable, the opposite betting will take place.
It's important to note that card counting does not guarantee winning at blackjack; it merely gives the player a statistical advantage. Increasingly, casinos are aware of card counters and employ various measures to combat this technique, including using more decks.
5. Using Digital Devices
With so many rapid advances in technology over the last few decades, it's no wonder that digital devices are now being used by players to gain an unfair advantage when playing casino games.
The devices used can vary, but Nevada law prohibits any hardware or software that can project the outcome of a game, count cards or keep track of cards whilst in play, or provide some sort of strategic edge.
Some notable cases involving cheating with digital devices include:
- In January 2011, a gang employed hidden cameras to cheat a game of baccarat at the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas. The gang employed one player to mark cards, recording this using the camera, and then passing this footage to another member of the gang who would determine the order of the cards.
- A poker pro sued another player in April 2020, after alleging that a mobile device was used to peak at the hole cards of other players during a poker game at Stones Gambling Hall in Citrus Heights, California. Marle Cordeiro alleged that the player, Mike Postle, was provided with information by third parties that enabled him to defraud the game and its outcome.
As you can see, there are many different types of scams that people try to perpetrate at casinos (with varying degrees of success), and casinos are constantly being vigilant for any new scams and cheating schemes in operation in their premises.
When it comes to online gaming, we would, of course, recommend protecting yourself by always playing at reputable and licensed casinos in your location. This helps to keep your personal details and financial information safe and ensures that the fairness of games is maintained as much as it possibly can be.
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