Ben Affleck banned from Vegas casino for counting cards

[Lite Beer]

Ben Affleck banned from Vegas casino for counting cards

Washington - Hollywood actor Ben Affleck has been banned from a Las Vegas casino after being caught counting cards, news reports said Saturday.

The star of the forthcoming Batman movie was banned for life from playing blackjack at the Hard Rock casino after gambling at the casino’s high-rollers’ blackjack table, a source close to Affleck told the Daily News.

"You are too good," a security guard told the Oscar-winning star Monday night, the source said.

The ban applies only to the blackjack table at the Hard Rock.

Affleck, 41, and his wife, actress Jennifer Garner, 42, were in Las Vegas for a romantic getaway before Affleck starts filming Batman.

Casino management ordered a car to take the couple back to their hotel, the source added.

The gambling strategy he allegedly was caught doing involves counting card values to decrease betting risk. It is not technically illegal, but it can result in a casino banning a player who does it.

-- The Nation 2014-05-04

[Gsxrnz]

Hmmm.....the new Caped Crusader being caught cheating, surely not! He was simply looking for the Joker!

Edited May 4, 2014 by Gsxrnz

[JesseFrank]

Almost sounds like Vegas casinos have Thai management.

If you can beat us you will be banned. Bad losers.

[robblok]

Hmmm.....the new Caped Crusader being caught cheating, surely not! He was simply looking for the Joker!

I would not call it cheating.. its more that casino's only want losers. There should be a law against not allowing people to play. Just because they are better should not stop them. Its not like casino's dont make enough money.

Edited May 4, 2014 by robblok

[tingtongfarang]

I dont see it as cheating in anyway...if a person has the talent to count cards good for them, i rather see it as the casino is cheating by banning such people.

[lee b]

The casino mafia at it again ! They really dont want anyone to beat them do they!!

[daveAustin]

Cheating is slipping in your own cards. If he upped is odds of winning over the casino's odds (which are ALWAYS better than the punter's) by utilizing his brain, then he is not cheating IMO. Good on ya, Ben, I hope you took the greedy so 'n sos for a decent amount.

[lomatopo]

Both casinos have back-pedaled quite a bit

However, these reports may have been exaggerated as both casinos have denied any ban. The Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas released a statement which reads: "Mr Affleck, a value guest of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, is not banned from our property and is welcome back any time." The other casino in question has also denied barring Affleck from their establishment.

Read more: Ben Affleck Is "Welcome Back" At Las Vegas Casino Despite Card Counting Rumours http://www.contactmusic.com/article/ben-affleck-welcome-back-las-vegas-casino-card-counting-rumours_4178833?track=cp

The issue, I believe, is one whereby the patron uses his chip stack, continuously re-arranging it in a way which he uses to track or "count" cards. Obviously if you have a prodigious memory then you may be able to get away with counting for a bit longer. But using "artificial means" like the chip-stack method is easily discerned by a pit-boss or on video, and is deemed to be illegal.

Edited May 4, 2014 by lomatopo

[Briggsy]

Ben Affleck goes up in my estimation.

[Carmine6]

Pure publicity stunt to get him attention. That's why a source "close to Affleck" released it and not someone who had witnessed it or some other third party.

Does this really sound like something a security guard would say to him? It wouldn't be the security guard booting him out of the high stakes area, it'd be someone a whole lot higher up the chain.

"You are too good," a security guard told the Oscar-winning star Monday night, the source said.

[phuketrichard]

counting with a 4 deck shoe and where the reshuffle 3/4 of the way thru the shoe is very very hard and not like counting when they used 1 pack years ago.,

[luk AJ]

I guess, doing what Ben A. did, requires a very high IQ. He doesn't need the money, so I suppose he just wanted to make a statement. I just dont' understand how the casino can proof somebody is counting and even if so, they expect him to play dumb and shut down part of his brain?

[tingtongfarang]

Even if using the chips as a basic abacus i see no moral/ethical reason why such people should not be allowed to do so.

[lomatopo]

I just dont' understand how the casino can proof somebody is counting

Well, once you've determined that the deck is "rich", based on your counting, you need to drastically/immediately increase your bet, and casinos have extremely sophisticated and automated video surveillance capabilities, which highlight these changes in betting pattern/behavior, for additional scrutiny.

Once identified, they'll try a lot of things to distract you, walk hot babes by, have a house babe sit next to you, have a cocktail waitress distract you, substitute in a fast dealer, re-shuffle, have a pit boss hover near the dealer to intimidate you.

Not sure why Ben would do this, but assume he likes the thrill?

It was probably something presented as a joke, "Like wow, Ben, you are on a hot streak, can we count on you to keep playing at our casino", rather than having a couple of leg-breakers dragging him out the door.

I think if you're not hauling down thousands, and are counting "holistically" (Rainman-like; not using your chips, a pad and paper, your feet, radios, glasses with a computer, working in a team, etc.) you would be fine.

[krisb]

Lucky he didn't get taken down to the basement and have Robert DeNiro break a few fingers.

[outsider]

Only people who'll lose can play with me. Stupid.

[Basil B]

So now you can not count the deck to check the Casino is not cheating?

[klauskunkel]

he was transferred to an inactive post

[HerbalEd]

If you are playing alone, without someone else helping you, counting cards is not cheating ... it's skilled playing. Therefore, he was banned for being a very skillful player.

[rickirs]

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Both casinos have back-pedaled quite a bit

However, these reports may have been exaggerated as both casinos have denied any ban. The Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas released a statement which reads: "Mr Affleck, a value guest of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, is not banned from our property and is welcome back any time." The other casino in question has also denied barring Affleck from their establishment.

Read more: Ben Affleck Is "Welcome Back" At Las Vegas Casino Despite Card Counting Rumours http://www.contactmusic.com/article/ben-affleck-welcome-back-las-vegas-casino-card-counting-rumours_4178833?track=cp

The issue, I believe, is one whereby the patron uses his chip stack, continuously re-arranging it in a way which he uses to track or "count" cards. Obviously if you have a prodigious memory then you may be able to get away with counting for a bit longer. But using "artificial means" like the chip-stack method is easily discerned by a pit-boss or on video, and is deemed to be illegal.

You understand that casinos typically use a "shoe" that contains 3-5 decks of cards that is reshuffled no less than halfway through to maintain random odds against winning that always favors the House. The House has the right at anytime to replace the decks in the shoe. For someone to successfully use chips on the table to "count" cards you'd have to virtually cover the entire table with chips - that would be too obvious.

If a single customer is able to run a streak of winnings, it has no overall impact on the house odds determined by the entire number of players for a 24-hour period. What the HRC got with Afleck is free advertising and intice people in to play their own "systems" of beating the house.

[HerbalEd]

Pure publicity stunt to get him attention. That's why a source "close to Affleck" released it and not someone who had witnessed it or some other third party.

Does this really sound like something a security guard would say to him? It wouldn't be the security guard booting him out of the high stakes area, it'd be someone a whole lot higher up the chain.

"You are too good," a security guard told the Oscar-winning star Monday night, the source said.

Do you actually believe the stuff you make up? Affleck is one of the best know, well paid movie stars in the world. He doesn't need to pull stupid publicity stunts to get attention. And where in the story does it say that the security guard made the decision to boot him out?

[Adeeos]

Hmmm.....the new Caped Crusader being caught cheating, surely not! He was simply looking for the Joker!

It's NOT cheating,,, just frowned upon when you can help even the odds at a casino,, They don't want it to be illegal,, as they can ALWAYS use it as an excuse, to stop a winning player,,,, I know how to count,,, but am absolutely, TERRIBLE at math,, THE,, THE hardest part about counting?,,, do it without moving your lips,,,, and believe me, they look for that,,,,

[Adeeos]

Hmmm.....the new Caped Crusader being caught cheating, surely not! He was simply looking for the Joker!

I would not call it cheating.. its more that casino's only want losers. There should be a law against not allowing people to play. Just because they are better should not stop them. Its not like casino's dont make enough money.

There actually is in Singapore,, a family member can actually ban you from playing at any, or all casinos there,,,

[dao16]

Yeah, it is NOT illegal, but they don't like it and have the right to stop you as it is private property. Card counting isn't easy, though.

As he says in the movie: "My boy's wicked smaaat."

[Adeeos]

Hmmm.....the new Caped Crusader being caught cheating, surely not! He was simply looking for the Joker!

I would not call it cheating.. its more that casino's only want losers. There should be a law against not allowing people to play. Just because they are better should not stop them. Its not like casino's dont make enough money.

There actually is in Singapore,, a family member can actually ban you from playing at any, or all casinos there,,,

Foreigners can enter free,, Singapore citizens pay about $100us to enter

[lomatopo]

You understand that casinos typically use a "shoe" that contains 3-5 decks of cards that is reshuffled no less than halfway through to maintain random odds against winning that always favors the House. The House has the right at anytime to replace the decks in the shoe. For someone to successfully use chips on the table to "count" cards you'd have to virtually cover the entire table with chips - that would be too obvious.

Sheesh, you don't count every card; it's just a saying.

There are many, many, many different methods; some are relatively simple like high/low +1, 0, -1, which require handling ~ 4 different stacks of chips. I merely mentioned the one which some have attributed to Ben Affleck. Some tables may be single or two-decks, some counters may observe before jumping in. If it were easy you could probably do it. OK, maybe not.

Mr. Affleck made a film last year with Justin Timberlake, "Runner, Runner", so maybe he learned from "technical advisers" on that set? Or maybe his brother, Casey ( a much better actor IMO), picked up some tricks on the various Ocean's films and passed them along?

Edited May 4, 2014 by lomatopo

[brit1984]

wish i was him

[Dannyboy6]

When I used to stay at HR Hotel , the employees loved BA, but at the time he was going with J Lopez, and they told me she would always take back the Big Tips he gave the employees, when he wasn't looking, they despised her...

[brit1984]

When I used to stay at HR Hotel , the employees loved BA, but at the time he was going with J Lopez, and they told me she would always take back the Big Tips he gave the employees, when he wasn't looking, they despised her...

i still like her

[Adeeos]

I guess, doing what Ben A. did, requires a very high IQ. He doesn't need the money, so I suppose he just wanted to make a statement. I just dont' understand how the casino can proof somebody is counting and even if so, they expect him to play dumb and shut down part of his brain?

They don't, HAVE to prove,, using this,, they can simply say,, "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone",, done deal,,,,,