I started counting cards because I was sick of being a sucker.
Two years ago, I was a 15-year veteran of the 21 tables. After losing a few hundred bucks one day, I gave the game the kiss of death.
I wanted revenge. I’d never resort to cheating, because it’s illegal. But card counting …
Card counting is not illegal, but casinos don’t appreciate it, to say the least. Card-counting players track cards dealt from a dealer’s case, called a shoe, that contains multiple decks. Counters bet more heavily when the remaining cards favor the gamblers over the casino. In “21,” a movie opening this weekend, a team of MIT math whizzes amass millions in winnings by doing this.
My big loss came around the time I met John, a North Shore doctor and avid counter who’s been barred from most of Vegas’ blackjack tables.
I told him how I hated blackjack; he offered to lend me the book that started him counting. After knocking off the book in a day, I began practicing. Two weeks later, I felt ready to take on the casinos again.
I was still skeptical the first time I tried my newfound skills at a casino in New Buffalo, Mich. But after three hours, I’d made $55, almost enough to pay for the tank of gas that got me there.
I occasionally practiced at the riverboats, waiting for one of my frequent work- or family-related visits to Vegas. That’s where the double-deck tables were. I found those two-deck games much easier to beat than the typical six-deck shoes.
I wasn’t bringing down the house, but in four trips to Vegas, I’d made more than enough with my winnings to cover my airfare, room and meals. I’ve never been close to having a gambling problem, but I wanted more.
I wanted the five-figure paydays that would leave the casino hurting. I had this fantasy that I would do to the casinos what the MIT kids did — but by myself. Maybe then I would have my revenge.
I got my wish in January, when I was in Vegas for the Super Bowl. I hit a casino a mile off the Las Vegas Strip. It was dead. I sat at an empty table and began playing $25 a hand.
When the deck got really hot, I bet huge, and when it cooled off, I played the table minimum. This is a no-no for counters, who try not to draw attention. But I was making a lot of money fast, and that’s all I was thinking about.
Almost an hour later, I was up almost $1,000. I was so excited, my hands shook.
And just like that, I got busted.
A guy in a suit came up to the table, told me to stop what I was doing “or you’ll have to leave.” It was over in 5 seconds.
I’ve realized that I can’t bring down the house. A bunch of brainiacs barely made a dent in it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still occasionally count.
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Clay Champlin is a Eedeye special contributor
