Making a fortune in gambling is primarily based on chance. Some people want to increase their chances with a well-known technique: cheating!
Is it mainly the subject of fantasies discussed in the cinema, or are there effective strategies for cheating at the online casino even with free bet offers?
Blackjack has a specificity compared to roulette or slot machines: the odds of winning are not fixed, they depend on previous draws and cards already released.
Count the Cards
Some take the opportunity to “count the cards”, that is to keep in memory the cards already played to know which ones are likely to come out later. For example, when a majority of high-value cards remain (figures, aces, etc.), it is said that the shoe is hot: the dealer is likely to exceed 21 more often, and you increase your chances of making a blackjack.
This technique was used in particular by MIT students who had set up a blackjack team in the early 90s and won several millions of dollars. This true story inspired a film, Las Vegas 21, directed by Kevin Spacey.
Other films have honoured this system: we think of the cult Rain Man, in which Dustin Hoffman embodies a gifted autistic capable of counting at a glance a large number of cards (faculty also useful for cheat in poker).
Using Technology
Advances in technology allow cheaters to compete with ingenuity to hit the jackpot.
Thus, in 2004, the Ritz Casino in London had been plucked by a trio of Eastern Europeans who had developed a very sophisticated technique to win at roulette: their mobile phone was connected to a scanner and a mini-computer which calculated the speed of the ball, that of the roulette wheel, and consequently the square on which the ball would end its course.
This incredible scheme worked, and the astute players were even able to recover their winnings, which amounted to almost 1.3 million pounds (1.8 million euros).
More recently, 3 Italian players and 2 Nice casino employees were arrested: the croupiers wrote symbols in invisible ink on poker cards that the accomplice players could read thanks to special contact lenses. Fraudsters have received harsh penalties of up to 3 years in prison.
Nowadays, you can even cheat blackjack with your iPhone, thanks to an application helping to count cards. Other software exists to help those who engage in online games in countries where the thing is legal.