New software combats cards counting

Card counters, frowned upon by most land casino operators at the blackjack tables, face a new obstacle this week following the release of software designed to monitor tables and identify culprits.

Blackjack Countdown is described by developer eConnect as a “…system [that] analyzes the cards coming out of the deck to understand when the advantage players are likely to bet larger amounts of money, giving them a greater chance to win.”

Card counting is a casino card game strategy used primarily in the blackjack family of casino games to determine whether the next hand is likely to be favourable to the player or to the house.

Card counters are a class of advantage players, who attempt to decrease the inherent casino house edge by keeping a running tally of all high and low valued cards seen by the player. Card counting allows players to bet more with less risk when the count provides them with an advantage as well as minimise losses during an unfavourable count.

Travis Whidden, eConnect’s chief technology officer, says that whilst casino surveillance teams do pick up card counters, many others go unnoticed due to the lack of human resources and other circumstances.

“With Blackjack Countdown, the software engine proactively monitors the cards and lets the staff know where to look for advantage play. We essentially reduce the amount of time wasted on table audits and instead we look at the true count just like a card counter would. Our system thinks just like the card counter, except its operated by the casino,” Whidden claims.

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