{"id":1606,"date":"2015-02-09T14:20:51","date_gmt":"2015-02-09T14:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beyondnumbers.lvablog.com\/?p=384"},"modified":"2023-06-21T11:07:27","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T18:07:27","slug":"ken-uston-ruined-atlantic-city-discuss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/gambling-with-an-edge\/ken-uston-ruined-atlantic-city-discuss\/","title":{"rendered":"“Ken Uston Ruined Atlantic City”\u2014Discuss."},"content":{"rendered":"

For those of you who have been sleeping under a rock, Ken Uston was a notorious card counter who, decades ago, sued Atlantic City casinos. The end result was a ruling that AC casinos could not bar players for being skillful. The card counters all rejoiced\u2014or did they?<\/p>\n

Every few years, someone brings up the argument\u2014try to follow the “logic” here\u2014that because AC casinos couldn’t bar skilled players, the casinos were then forced to make the game conditions tough across the board in order to protect themselves from the scary card counters. Before we break down this tired argument, let’s note that the only people who propose the argument are weak, amateur card counters. I’ve never heard any professional player who subscribes to the theory.<\/p>\n

The theory is flawed in its premise, logic, and data. Let’s start with the premise\u2014that casinos would try to make the game unbeatable. Why would they do that? Maximizing profit does not mean making a game so that no one on earth can beat it. Take full-pay Double Bonus Video Poker as an example. A sharp player could earn a 100.2% payback, and the casino industry knows this well. Nevertheless, they offer the game due to its popularity with the masses, competitive factors with other casinos, and the proven profitability of such games. Some casinos, such as the Palms in Las Vegas, would advertise such games with signs proclaiming “Over 100% payback!”<\/p>\n

I will concede that it feels that some casinos are so stupid and mean that they would rather make sure no one can win than maximize profit, so let’s look at the logic that there are only two options\u2014barring players or offering unbeatable games\u2014with casinos forced to choose the latter. What? There’s no option in between? What about countermeasures? The Uston lawsuits said AC couldn’t bar skillful players, but they can certainly countermeasure those players to the point where card counting is not feasible. The casino can cut the shoe in half. Heck, the casino can shuffle after every round. The casino can impose a $5 max bet. The casino could offer “normal” games and then countermeasure any identified threats, and flyer those players up and down the boardwalk as usual.<\/p>\n

Let’s get to the data. So the card counters are whining that conditions are bad. Really? By “conditions,” I figure they mean bad rules and bad penetration. Are those conditions so bad in AC? AC mostly hits soft 17, but H17 is now the default rule nationwide, even in Las Vegas, where they can and do bar players. I think when I started out, the Trump Plaza and Trop World let you hit out after splitting Aces, but one card to split Aces is now the national standard. Surrender is also a dying player option. AC has lots of 8-deck games, but so do the Las Vegas Strip properties, such as the Venetian. Mandalay Bay has CSMs, the bane of counters, and Mandalay Bay manhandles skilled players! The national trend has been more decks, worse rules, worse payoffs (6:5 on BJ), and mediocre penetration, regardless of the casino’s ability to legally bar players. The tribal casinos have some of the crummiest conditions you’ll find anywhere, and those “sovereign nations” do whatever they want to players. The deteriorating rules have nothing to do with card counters. Vegas gets 3.5 million visitors a month, and the casino might as well hit soft 17 against these apathetic, ignorant masses. The 100 card counters a month have nothing to do with it. Sorry, Copernicus.<\/p>\n

But who cares if technical conditions in AC are as poor as they are in lots of other venues? Any serious player cares little about penetration, and even less about rules. When I scout casinos, I barely notice those things. I notice the games offered, the max bet, and the most important condition of all\u2014the heat. Top players can always beat the cards. Sometimes that aspect is trivial. But the heat, that’s everything. If we take the main form of heat\u2014getting barred\u2014off the table, you’re left with a potential playground for a clever pro.<\/p>\n

And counting isn’t the only game in town. AC has had all kinds of attractive games\u2014hole-carding, tracking, cutting, machine plays, comp plays, tournaments, loss rebates, to name some. Casinos may not be aware of a particular play as it happens, and in AC they can’t just kick you out because you’re a known AP.<\/p>\n

There is one more benefit to serious APs. The fact of the matter is that when casinos are given the legal authority, or perceived legal authority, to bar players, they don’t just say, “Sir, your play is too strong for us, and you are no longer welcome on our property.” No, what they do is attempt to backroom players first, saying this is a necessary way to implement a barring. These backroomings lead to violent encounters, illegal searches, and illegal detentions. Many players, myself included, are afraid to go to certain casinos, due to the possible ugly confrontation that may occur. In AC, backroomings are quite rare, and the APs I know feel comfortable in that at least it’s safe to be in the casino and play some cards\u2014but don’t go out on the Boardwalk at night!Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"youtube\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For those of you who have been sleeping under a rock, Ken Uston was a notorious card counter who, decades ago, sued Atlantic City casinos. The end result was a ruling that AC casinos could not bar players for being skillful. The card counters all rejoiced\u2014or did they?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[41,112,141,144,189],"yoast_head":"\n"Ken Uston Ruined Atlantic City"\u2014Discuss. - Gambling With An Edge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/gambling-with-an-edge\/ken-uston-ruined-atlantic-city-discuss\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""Ken Uston Ruined Atlantic City"\u2014Discuss. - Gambling With An Edge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For those of you who have been sleeping under a rock, Ken Uston was a notorious card counter who, decades ago, sued Atlantic City casinos. 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