Do Blackjack Teams Operate Today?

Is it possible that there are blackjack teams operating today?

[Editor's Note: For this answer, we turned to Arnold Snyder, whose new book, Radical Blackjack, should be back from the printer in the next few weeks.]

Possible? I would say that blackjack teams would likely be in operation at various times, especially when the casinos are more crowded, in all major casinos today.

Team play has been shown to be legal at blackjack in U.S. casinos and most casinos throughout the world. So there would be no reason for blackjack teams not to be operating nowadays. Forming a blackjack team has many upsides for serious players

For example, team play allows players with small bankrolls to combine their funds and play at a higher level. Five players who have $5,000 each can pool the money, allowing every player on the team to bet as if they each had a $25,000 bankroll. This is one of the prime reasons players have always formed teams.

Team play also allows players to camouflage their strategies from game-protection personnel. The standard “big player call-in” strategy first popularized by Ken Uston in 1976 is still used by teams today and it still works. Casinos that disallow mid-shoe entry foil this type of play, but most casinos don’t impose this restriction. It costs the casinos more to prohibit all players’ bets until the next shuffle than they could potentially save from professionals who might have spotters secretly calling them into games. Other team strategies don't require mid-shoe entry.

Many hole-card strategies at blackjack work better with partners than if attempted by a solo player.

Team play also often enables players to use stronger strategies than a single player could. Many types of professional play can be enhanced by having two (or more) brains working on a more complex strategy than a single player could practically employ.

The most popular blackjack book published in recent years is Colin Jones' 21st Century Card Counter that came out in 2019. Much of the book describes traditional card-counting techniques, all still in use today, but with a big chapter on team play in the casino conditions you’re likely to encounter in today’s games.

If the casinos ever go to all digital cards and chips, that would foil most types of popular team play. But if there is still a way to beat the games, there will likely be a better way to beat them with a team approach.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

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Rick Sanchez Apr-09-2021

Digital Cards

If the casinos ever go digital cards I stop playing. I hate the BJ machines now even money on a BJ and they always seem to have that right number to push or win by 1.

[email protected] Apr-09-2021

Rick

Have you ever checked out Stadium Blackjack?  At least where I saw the game it had very good rules, practically the traditional Strip rules of the '90s.  3-2 blackjack, double down on anything, surrender, dealer stands on all 17s, re-split pairs except for aces, etc.

Kevin Lewis Apr-09-2021

It's great when it works, but...

The team has to stay cohesive; everyone has to be on the same page regarding playing times, bet sizing, etc., and everyone has to be scrupulously honest AND trust everyone else to be so. That's why the vast majority of BJ teams fall apart.

One problem I ran into back in the day was varying skill levels among the team members. The better players wanted the less skilled players to be paid less. They also wanted to pretty much tell everyone else what to do and when to do it. You had the classic problem of getting a bunch of smart, egotistical, yet socially inept people to cooperate, and to handle large sums of money that belonged to the group. THEN you had to deal with some team members being a lot worse at cover than others.

It was unworkable in the long term, and I heard of many, many other similar instances of teams disintegrating, sometimes with people coming to blows and in one case, suing each other (punching someone out is one thing, but hitting them with a lawyer...).

Jerry Patey Apr-09-2021

Blackjack

Answer is yes. You can play without being caught if you are not greedy. Spitters find tables with high card tables playing low stakes. You sit down at the table and bet high from start. If you can win few k and leave. Recall one player said he sat down at table with highest #?of high card he had ever seen. He lost all his money 10 or 20 k   He could not get more as he would be required to reveal identity. These guys and girls were 100% accurate at counting cards they were math students from MIT. They won 5 mil after casinos bragged of busting them. They had bad runs and good ones. Is there I team comparable to them? I doubt it. There is good documentary on the MIT team on Prime I believe. Could be Netflix. As 

As to Caesars they have added vp games at 25 and 100 dollar levels. Can't wait to play.

Jerry Patey Apr-09-2021

Blackjack

I meant spitters. The players only got 10-20% of win. Don't think many would accept that today. There was no in fighting. They had to count cards 100 % accurate. Watch the documentary that interviews the players. One guide took a contract with him even in casino. Security found it and that is how they were caught. Casinos can also ask you to leave at anytime for any reason. You could possibly win few k. Maybe. Average jo is not MIT math major. Also I understand some casinos don't deal cards from a deck. Another comment mentions digital. They better make their money soon. The MIT team was not stopped.

Question of the Day - 09 April 2021

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