Editing Card counting (section)

=== Countermeasures ===
Casinos have spent a great amount of effort and money in trying to thwart card counters. Countermeasures used to prevent card counters from profiting at blackjack include:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nersesian |first1=Bob |title=The Law for Gamblers: A Legal Guide to the Casino Environment |date=May 2016 |publisher=Huntington Press |isbn=978-1935396628}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Zender |first1=Bill |title=Casino-ology: The Art of Managing Casino Games |date=October 2013 |publisher=Huntington Press |isbn=978-0-929712-56-7}}</ref><ref name="blue2" /><ref name="bjlaw2">{{cite book |last1=Rose |first1=I. Nelson |title=Blackjack and the law |last2=Loeb |first2=Robert A. |date=1998 |publisher=RGE Pub. |isbn=978-0910575089 |edition=1st |location=Oakland, CA}}</ref>
* Decreasing penetration, the number of cards dealt before a shuffle. This reduces the advantage of card counting.
* Banning known counters from playing blackjack, all games, or entering casino property (trespassing).
* Shuffling when a player increases their wager or when the casino feels the remaining cards are advantageous to the player (preferential shuffling).
* Changing rules for splitting, doubling down, or playing multiple hands. This also includes changing a table's stakes.
* Not allowing entry into a game until a shuffle occurs (no mid-shoe entry).
* Flat betting a player or making it so they cannot change the amount they bet during a shoe.
* Canceling comps earned by counters.
* Confiscation of chips.
* [[False imprisonment|Detention]] (back rooming).

Some jurisdictions (e.g. [[Nevada]]) have few legal restrictions placed on these countermeasures. Other jurisdictions such as [[New Jersey]] limit the countermeasures a casino can take against skilled players.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rose |first1=I. Nelson |title=Dealing With Card-Counters – Gambling and the Law® |url=https://www.gamblingandthelaw.com/column/dealing-with-card-counters/ |access-date=17 November 2017 |website=www.gamblingandthelaw.com |date=27 June 2017 |archive-date=10 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710010333/http://www.gamblingandthelaw.com/column/dealing-with-card-counters/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some countermeasures result in disadvantages for the casino. Frequent or complex shuffling, for example, reduces the amount of playing time and consequently the house winnings.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zender |first1=Bill |title=TABLE GAME MANAGEMENT FOR THE SMALL CASINO, PART 2 |url=http://www.billzender.com/os/resources/media/table_game_mgmt_for_small_casinos_part_2.pdf |access-date=18 November 2017 |website=billzender.com |archive-date=22 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422195308/http://www.billzender.com/os/resources/media/table_game_mgmt_for_small_casinos_part_2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Zender |first1=Bill |title=TABLE GAME MYTHS PERSIST AMONG PLAYERS AND DEALERS |url=http://www.billzender.com/os/resources/media/Table-Game-Myths-Persist-Among-Players-and-Dealers-08-2014.pdf |access-date=18 November 2017 |website=billzender.com |archive-date=27 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827103359/http://billzender.com/os/resources/media/Table-Game-Myths-Persist-Among-Players-and-Dealers-08-2014.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Some casinos use automatic shuffling machines to counter the loss of time, with some models of machines shuffling one set of cards while another is in play. Others, known as continuous shuffle machines (CSMs), allow the dealer to simply return used cards to a single shoe to allow playing with no interruption. Because CSMs essentially force minimal penetration, they greatly reduce the advantage of traditional counting techniques.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barker |first1=Jeff |title=Horseshoe adds continuous shuffle machines, stirring industry debate |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-casino-card-shufflers-20160711-story.html |access-date=18 November 2017 |website=baltimoresun.com |date=11 July 2016 |archive-date=19 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119124049/http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-casino-card-shufflers-20160711-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In most online casinos the deck is shuffled at the start of each new round, ensuring the house always has the advantage.