Blackjack Heat Radar Part3
Heat is when a pit boss or floorman instructs the dealer to shuffle up on you, or to center-cut the next shoe. If this is the first time this has happened, you might continue playing, even through a few of these shallowly dealt shoes, as the pit may simply be testing you to see if this appears to bother you. This, however, is a countermeasure that literally kills your chances of profiting from that shoe, and it also sends a fairly strong message that your play is not trusted.
This may be less a test than a message that the boss has already made a decision about you. It may be the wisest decision for you to casually leave, and simply avoid playing whenever this boss is in the pit. Most experienced pros can tell when a shuffle-up is a test or a message. If you can't tell, then you've got to make a decision. Do you want to try to play through this intense surveillance, to see if you can stay in the game? If you do just get up and leave that might affirm their suspicions. How you handle this situation depends on many factors: Are you staying at this casino? Are you a comped guest? Do they know who you are? Did you get a player's card with your real name on it?
If you are just another face in the crowd, not a guest at their hotel, not known by name, you might find it best to hit the road quickly, and avoid that boss, that pit, and that shift, for some time in the future. If you are a known entity, then you may have to deal with the consequences sooner or later, especially if you are a comped guest.
Heat is when someone who isn't playing (and sometimes more than one), appears to take a strong interest in your play from behind you or manages to get into your line of sight just enough for you to know that you are under rather intense surveillance. This could be an even more unsettling variation of the pit boss glare, or if you are a high roller, this surveillance may be done with a lighter touch. The casino person observing you may even pose as another player at your table, betting the minimum, not saying very much. But somehow, you just know he was sent to watch your game, watch your eyes, and watch your bets and decisions. If you decide to call it quits, leave as casually as you can.
Heat is when you are personally told that your play is being restricted in any way—possibly your betting spread, or the maximum amount you may bet. If this type of countermeasure follows you around from table to table, assume that the jig is up. You have been identified as a counter.
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Blackjack Heat Radar Part2
A floorman scribbling notes while looking at a table is generally of no significance as far as heat goes. One of the floorman's jobs is to estimate the average bet size of the big players, and he will regularly walk from table to table to calculate an average. The casinos use this information primarily to "rate" players for comps. At the black chip level of play, most players will be asked repeatedly if they would like a VIP card, which would require the player to give his name and address, and allows the casino to keep track of and rate his play. This rating system is how the casino determines what sort of comps to award; many casinos not only rate a big player's level of action, but they also do a "skills check" specifically to look for signs of card counting.
So, far be it from me to advise a player spreading from one green chip to five blacks to disregard his paranoia. At that level of play, you must be paranoid to survive. And, you must move around frequently to stay under the radar. A more aggressive counter would probably not leave the table in the midst of a high count, unless asked to leave. A more cautious counter would choose to avoid any kind of confrontation if he felt one was coming, and would leave the moment it crossed his mind.
A pit boss or floorman coming over to your table to talk with you, if you are playing at this level, is entirely normal. Any player betting black action should expect this. After all, you are a major customer to them, so they will try to be friendly and personable.
But let's define various types of real heat.
Heat is when a pit boss or floorman starts to obviously glare at you. This type of heat generally means that they're watching you, and are checking to see if direct surveillance unnerves, flusters, or convinces you to leave. The worst reaction to this type of heat, as you might assume, is to act nervous, and the most obvious sign that you are nervous would be your failure to look back at them, pretending not to notice. If you casually and naturally leave the table, without showing any other sign of nervousness, this may get you off the hook. The best reaction, however, is to look back at them, and if the glare continues, to strike up a conversation, ask for something, be friendly—ask for information about the showroom, or a dinner comp, whatever. If a boss who has been glaring at you reaches for his phone, or is talking on the phone, you should assume that you are, or have been, or will soon be, under eye-in-the-sky surveillance. Not a good sign.
But this is also not necessarily bad. It may be that the boss suspects you and wants the eye to watch your play. For the next shoe or two it would be a great time to play with utter disregard for the count so that their skills-check shows you to be no threat. Most pros develop a hyper-awareness to attitudes in the pit, and to any attention being paid to them by pit personnel.
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