Counting Cardsharps Out

Scott LaFee
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800
Lifestyle

In the 1988 film "Rain Man," the lead characters hope to strike it rich gambling by "counting cards" at blackjack. That is, by precisely remembering which cards have been played, they would have a better of idea of which cards remained. A lot of low-value cards in the discard pile would mean high-value cards likes queens and aces would be more likely to appear, improving a card counter's odds of a good hand and prompting them to bet higher.

Possessing the knack of remembering dealt hands isn't illegal, but the days of card-counting may be numbered, says New Scientist magazine. Researchers at the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom have developed a system that casinos can use to spot card counters long before they can cash in.

The system works like this: Cameras mounted above the playing table record the action. A computer processes the video to interpret what cards have been played and the precise height of bettors' chip stacks, which reveals betting patterns. By comparing cards and patterns, the computer can reportedly identify a card counter within 20 hands, even if the bettor attempts to confuse the system with early high bets.
Updated: Wed Nov 04, 2009

In the 1988 film "Rain Man," the lead characters hope to strike it rich gambling by "counting cards" at blackjack. That is, by precisely remembering which cards have been played, they would have a better of idea of which cards remained. A lot of low-value cards in the discard pile would mean high-value cards likes queens and aces would be more likely to appear, improving a card counter's odds of a good hand and prompting them to bet higher.

Possessing the knack of remembering dealt hands isn't illegal, but the days of card-counting may be numbered, says New Scientist magazine. Researchers at the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom have developed a system that casinos can use to spot card counters long before they can cash in.

The system works like this: Cameras mounted above the playing table record the action. A computer processes the video to interpret what cards have been played and the precise height of bettors' chip stacks, which reveals betting patterns. By comparing cards and patterns, the computer can reportedly identify a card counter within 20 hands, even if the bettor attempts to confuse the system with early high bets.

Casinos could then either move the bettors to new tables with new decks (thus making them start from scratch) or simply ask the counters to leave.

VERBATIM

There are three great things in the world: There is religion. There is science. And there is gossip.

— Poet Robert Frost (1874-1963)

BRAIN SWEAT

Find the word by answering these clues about its letters:

My first is in water but not in tears

My second in listen but not in hears

My third in three but not in she

My fourth in clear but not in tea

My last in hang but not in grand

My whole assembles in a band.

PRIME NUMBERS

19 — Percentage increase in space radiation striking Earth, raising it to the highest level in 50 years. The reason: A lull in solar activity has weakened the sun's magnetic field, which normally shields the solar system from cosmic rays.

Source: NASA

BRAIN SWEAT ANSWER

Witch

'TRUE FACTS'

The global recession has produced at least one benefit: Emissions of carbon dioxide are expected to be down by 3 percent this year compared to 2008. It's the sharpest drop in 40 years.

QUIRKS OF NATURE

In 2001, English scientists suggested that as a female cockroach's biological clock runs down, her standards for a mate decline.

WHERE IN THE WORLD ANSWER

Millennium Island, known as Caroline Island until 2000, is located at the southern end of the Line Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It belongs to the Republic of Kiribati, an island nation comprised of 32 atolls and one raised coral island.

Millennium Island is formed from a number of smaller islets built on coral reefs. The coral reefs grew around a now-submerged volcanic peak, leaving a ring of coral around an inner lagoon. The islands have a maximum height of less than 20 feet above sea level, putting them at great risk from rising sea levels.

The island is uninhabited.

POETRY FOR SCIENTISTS

The sum of 3 numbers is 4;

The product is (-2) more;

The sum of their squares,

If anyone cares,

Is just 14 less than a score.

— Karen DeVicci

(Incidentally, the numerical answer to the limerick is 1, 1 and 2.)