Remarks for the Blackjack Game
We have discussed some of the technical aspects of peeking, dealing seconds, and stacking in our site. As we have already said the reader should not infer that most casinos cheat. In fact, it is our opinion that the general policy of major casinos is to deal the games honestly. Nevertheless, we prefer the blackjack games which are dealt from a shoe. With the exception of blackjack stacking, the main method of cheating in such games is by altering the composition of the pack of cards inside the shoe. If high cards are removed and low ones are added, the expectation of the house increases. Such an alteration is, however, material evidence in case of inspection. We do not believe that such altered shoes are used in major casinos.
To place our discussion in better perspective we want to make two remarks before proceeding further:
1. Peeking and dealing seconds cannot be detected when executed competently. Those who say otherwise do not know what they are talking about. Even a slow motion replay of a film taken with a high-speed camera will not reveal anything, unless the film is taken at “the right angle.” Suspicious movements, yes, can be observed. Nevertheless, for various reasons, cheating cannot be inferred on the basis of such movements.
2. The best blackjack player cannot obtain more than a small advantage over the house. This player will end by being a loser if cheated once or twice per hour (see Refs. 19 and 23). In fact he will, probably, end by being a loser even if cheated only once every two hours, if the cheating takes place at the right time.
A skilful player will need many days of playing to recuperate what he may lose in one playing session against a skilful cheat.
The average gambler wife loses his money in any case if he plays long enough, no matter how the game is dealt.
The above remarks also explain why we prefer blackjack games dealt from a shoe. We do not like to place ourselves in a situation in which someone can cheat us, with a sleight-of-hand nobody can see. There is a major difference between participating in games in which cheating creates material evidence and participating in games in which cheating can be done by sleight-of-hand.