Do Casinos Cheat at Blackjack?
Recently updated on December 31st, 2022
Gamblers often believe that casinos cheat at blackjack when they do not win for a period of time. But do blackjack dealers really cheat players?
Blackjack is one of the casino games with the best odds of winning. So, if you use the best blackjack strategy, surely a win or two is bound to fall your way.
However, the answer to the question is a resounding no – even if you haven’t won for a while!
Generally, casinos refrain from cheating players because they want to maintain a good reputation. They already have a mathematical advantage over players. Therefore, it is an unnecessary risk to take by the house, especially considering the penalty they might be liable to pay if they are caught.
Go through our guide to discover some of the tricks casinos have used in the past to cheat players in blackjack.
How Casinos Cheat at Blackjack
Most stories of casinos cheating at blackjack come from a player’s gaming experience after visiting a brick-and-mortar establishment. Casinos typically hire staff that knows their way around a casino game.
Some of the most common ways casinos tip the scale in their favor with card games are card counting and shuffle tracking. Here is a list of cheating techniques used by blackjack dealers:
Removing Cards from The Deck
A standard deck is comprised of 52 cards with four different suits. A trick many dealers used to rig the game was removing the most coveted cards (King, Queen, Jack, and Ten) from the deck. This meant players would have to risk going bust more often to get hands closer to 21.
Card Shuffling
Usually, the dealer shuffles the deck once it has been used for multiple rounds. On occasion, when a blackjack cheat spots a player is on the verge of winning, they may shuffle the cards to get rid of the good cards.
Sleight of Hand
While this technique requires masterful skills and an unsuspecting player, dealers can swap cards to ensure a player goes bust instead of giving them the card on top of the deck. This pattern is highly effective, especially if a player is already intoxicated and cannot keep track of the game.
Changing Dealers
Some players have often complained that casinos have certain dealers they trust to help the house win. This hypothesis is supported by how often the blackjack live dealers are changed when players are winning, and the house is losing.
How Do Blackjack Dealers Count So Fast?
For all of these cheating techniques to be successful, live dealers must be able to keep track of each player’s hand. Also, they have to have a good memory to count the remaining cards in the deck. It takes a remarkable mind to count the potential cards that might be drawn while tracking which cards players need to form a winning combination.
Casinos prefer to have blackjack cheats on their side so they can also identify players that are not truthful. However, it is important to note that nowadays, it is almost impossible to get away with tricking players. Furthermore, casinos do not want to risk losing their gambling license by cheating players.
