When people hear about strategies that can make them better at playing casino games, they mostly shrug off the idea, thinking it’s all bluff. The story about Ben Affleck’s ban from playing blackjack at the famous Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is the perfect mind-changer for such people. The incidence is a clear indication that you can devise a good strategy that can work for land-based casinos and live casino blackjack on betting sites. Ben Affleck’s strategy earned him over a million dollars from playing in different casinos, but it also earned him a ban.
Popularly known for his role as Batman in the DC Universe franchise, Ben Affleck is one of the top superhero characters in the movie world. Like a lot of other celebrities, he loves playing casino games, especially blackjack. He probably started with the basic knowledge of playing the game, but as time went by, his interest in the game made him dedicate his time to learning more about it.
All his dedication paid off finally as there is a record of him raking in a grand profit of almost $1 million at the Hard Rock hotel and casino before he finally got the ban from the same hotel a year later. His previous wins must have probably brought the attention of the casino to him, which is why it was easier for them to quickly take note of him on that very day. According to Ben Affleck, he was playing the game just like everyone else when one of the casino security approached him and gently requested that he should stop playing blackjack because he was too good at it.
They didn’t ask him to leave the casino or stop him from playing other casino games. They simply wanted him to stop playing blackjack in particular, because, like his previous visits, he was beginning to win high. Perhaps, if they had not stopped him, he might have amassed almost a million-dollar profit again.
Ben Affleck’s Secret Strategy
The not-so-secret strategy that Ben Affleck used in becoming one of the most feared blackjack players in all casinos in Vegas is the card counting strategy. Card counting has been around for years but only a few people have been able to execute it perfectly, just like the Hollywood star did. As much as it may sound like it’s a form of cheating, card counting is completely legal in most casinos. However, it is also completely legal for the casino to politely stop anyone using the card counting strategy from playing in their halls.
Card counting requires utmost attention and calculation of how the dealer deals the deck of cards. To execute it flawlessly, you will have to assign a value to the cards. For cards between 2-6, which are technically the low cards, the value to assign is -1. For high cards, such as 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace, the value to assign is +1. The cards in between low and high cards, i.e, 7-9 do not get any value and as such, don’t affect the count.
Benefits Of Card Counting
- It minimizes losses: Employing the tactics of card counting can help reduce the risks of you losing a chunk of your capital. This certainty is because if you calculate your card counting flawlessly, you will know when you need to stake low or stake high. In the end, profit will be certain.
However, if you are not yet perfect at card counting, you may make a mistake that might cause you to lose track of the entire count. In turn, you may end up losing a lot of money in the process of trying to patch up your calculation of the count.
- It Sharpens Your Thinking Ability: Although playing blackjack is a thrilling activity that a lot of people take delight in doing, card counting makes it even more enjoyable. To faultlessly execute the card counting system, you will need your mind and brain to be at the sharpest level. Every tiny bit of the dealer’s actions must be taken note of and processed by you because if you miss as little as one card count, the consequences will be greatly detrimental to the execution of the strategy.
Also, learning and implementing the system is just one aspect of it. The most important part is how you can go through with it without being caught by the casino. Card counting is legal but it is not permitted by most casinos. Hence, why you need to be careful while employing the tactics, else, like Ben Affleck, you may also get a ban from the casino.