Shading your winnings? Don’t bother

As with things in many walks of life, the perception of reality in the world of blackjack often can be more “real” than reality itself. And it’s under this belief that card counters are constantly trying to find ways to deflect suspicion from the pit crew and eye in the sky.

One of the major ways counters try to do this is by making it appear they’re losing much more than they actually are, or winning much less. This is also known as creating “paper losses.” It’s one of the more difficult things to accomplish, since it can be assumed someone working for the casino, somewhere, is watching everything all the time.

That said, the first option would be trying to palm chips when clearing after a winning hand. By removing these chips from the field of vision, the theory is that it’ll be generally assumed the pit crew won’t notice them as part of your winnings. This is a flawed approach, and not only will it probably never work, but is likely to backfire by creating more suspicions and assumptions.

Know this, the casino accounts for every large and medium-sized chip that’s put in play, and they count them per table on a regular basis. So when some of them turn up “missing,” it brings heat from the pit crew. Furthermore, if they get it in their heads that you’re the one with the missing chip, they’ll automatically account for it as part of your chip count, as well as assume it’s in your pocket. In the end, you draw enormous amounts of unnecessary attention to yourself. Not to mention the eye in the sky is going to notice you doing this to begin with on most occasions.

The smarter way to approach this isn’t to minimize the appearance of your winnings, but to maximize the appearance of your losses. How? After a significant down streak, and when the count is against you, cash out. If you’re a regular player, the pit crew will record your loss. At this point, my recommendation is you leave the casino for the day, not for an hour or so. The recorded loss remains on your permanent record. It also couldn’t hurt to ask to be “closed out.” That way you know it’s being recorded. If you just take a half hour break, though, and come play at another table, your loss won’t have mattered as far as the “books” are concerned.