Don Million

Maths student develops anti card counting system

A recent news story, released by the BBC, said that a university student, who studies in Dundee, has developed a computer application that can monitor blackjack tables with such precision that it can spot card counters or mistakes made by the dealers. The computer programme watches the dealers card distribution and assesses the decisions that are made by the players at the blackjack table.

In the movie 21 (starring Kevin Spacey), derived from the Novel ‘Bringing Down The House’, a group of maths students make a vast amount of money from counting cards at blackjack in Sin City casinos. 21 suggests that card counting is done through a number of complex maths calculations based on the cards which are already dealt by the dealer. While not an illegal activity, counting cards can often result in casino players being banned from premises.

Counting Cards is still a much followed practice and several known groups that attempt to count cards throughout the UK. The maths student who developed the system that could put a stop to card counting is set to attract worldwide attention and is expected to be put before many of the biggest gaming operators in the near future.

A manager of a top London casino has meanwhile stated his staff are trained to “ignore” card counters unless they are visibly seen to be using a mechanical device.

With the suggestion of card counting at casinos is likely to come to an abrupt end it would be no surprise to see even more elaborate, and probably illegal, ways of beating the casinos showing up just around the corner