THE TV SHOW "BREAKING VEGAS"

[trying2win]

I've been watching a few of the episodes of this fascinating TV show called "BREAKING VEGAS" the last while. It's been shown on the DISCOVERY CHANNEL here in Canada. I'm not sure if this series has been shown in the U.S.A.

It's been real fascinating to watch how some clever gamblers used card counting techniques while playing blackjack at casinos in the U.S.A., CANADA and some Caribbean countries in the past, to gain an edge at the these casinos. I didn't see anything wrong that, but some of the casinos apparently did. Don't know if casinos still frown on card counters these days. Or even if the casinos don't, perhaps the way casinos deal cards at blackjack differs substantially from the past, thus reducing a card counters edge. Other episodes featured gamblers using mechancial devices on roulette wheels and slot machines, to cheat casinos out of money (In those instances...yes...I can see why the casinos got perturbed at that kind of thing going on).

Has anyone else watched any episodes of this TV show? What did you think of this series?


Thanks,

T2W

[DJofSD]

I believe the series is a couple of years old now. But still a worthwhile watch.

The one that really floored me was the mechanic that was able to manipulate a multi deck 21 shoe right on the gaming table!

[kenwoodallpromos]

Card counting out loud is illegal because Las Vegas games and slots are "games of chance" and the idea is for bettors to use as little skill as possible and rely on pure luck- that way every customer thinks they hjave an equal chance, and it helps insure with games where the casino acts as the bank that the casino can count on their edge. That is exactly why I hate batting other than on the races- I am very unlucky.

[JPinMaryland]

I saw the one where they would stick chips onto the table after the roulette wheel had stopped. This was done by slight of hand, so they would turn over an expensive chip they had placed on the table after they saw the number had come up.

THen Las Vegas started to use television and video cameras to reveal the slight of hand that was going on. It was easy to fool the roulette guy but it was picked up on the monitor.

That was in the old days. Then they perfected a better way to do it, the "reversal" or something. This time they had the expensive chip, a chocolate colored $5000 chip, already on the table underneath a cheap $20 chip or whatever. And every time the number came up wrong, they would pull back the choco. chip and no one thought any differently.

But then when the number hit, they didnt have to do any sleight of hand, they simply revealed the chip. THe roulette guy would pay them for the $20 andthey would say "hey that's not enuf, there's a $5000 there." And to the guys chagrin sure enuf there was a $5000 chip there.

It was near impossible to pick up on video because when they studied the actual time the number hit, there was nothing done wrong. No sleight of hand at all.It's just all the other times when there was no hit, thats when the sleight of hand came in.

The first day they tried it they made like $100,000 and I think the first week some other astronomical figure. Its hard to make sense out of all the numbers floated about on the show.

Eventually they got figured out but one of the guys I think is only semi retired and hangs out in southern France now.

[BlueShoe]

Card counting at 21 is a very complex subject.There are websites devoted to it and numerous books have been written about the 21 game and counting.Not long ago it was discussed on a thread on this site.The game of 21 is much more difficult to win at today than it was in past years.The suits that head the corporations that own todays casino/hotels have made the game much worse for every player by imposing bad rules and playing conditions.6-5 blackjack,poor penetration,bad rules;tracking software,very sophisticated cameras,and other methods thwart the skilled player and also at the same time fleece the typical dumb tourist "ploppys" that play these bad games.