Are Online Blackjack Games Rigged? What You Need to Know

• No, online blackjack games are not rigged. If you are using a licensed online blackjack casino, then the games are heavily regulated and overseen by accredited auditing bodies.
• Most online blackjack card games use RNG (random number generators) to decided which cards are dealt. This also ensures that players can’t count cards.
• Licensed online casinos are regularly audited to ensure their system give the player a reasonable chance to win
• This guide will show how online blackjack isn’t rigged, explain why systems are used to ensure this, and give you some tip on which sites to avoid so you stay safe.
• Large online Casinos like Stake, High Five Casino,?and?Hello Millions have much more to lose by being caught cheating than they could win by rigging blackjack games.

Is Online Blackjack Rigged: Debunking Common Misconceptions

The vast majority of online blackjack games are legitimate, give you a fair chance of winning, and a heavily regulated. To give you complete peace of mind, we’ve busted some common misconceptions, broken down how online blackjack games are regulated and listed steps you can take to keep yourself safe while enjoying online blackjack.

The first and most common myth can debunk is the idea that all online blackjack games are some kind of scam. Unless you are a blackjack player at an unlicensed or rigged US casino, online blackjack is not fixed against the player.

How Are Online Casinos Kept Honest?

Our recommended regulated online casino games use RNGs (Random Number Generators) and are externally audited by independent testing agencies to guarantee that outcomes are completely fair and random.

So, why do you lose when playing blackjack online? Well, this is because blackjack is a game of chance. There is nothing you can do to influence the outcome or shift the odds and the cards in your favor, regardless of whether you’re playing in a casino or playing mobile blackjack on your phone.

You can use online blackjack strategies and betting systems to help your bankroll last longer, but there is no surefire way of predicting what cards will show up next.

4 More Blackjack Myths Busted

There are plenty of other harmfully myths about online blackjack, so let’s bust four more of them!

1. Online Casinos are all Scams: While the odds are against you, reputable real money casinos are not swindling you. Each game you play has been tested to ensure it provides random and fair outcomes.
2. Some Blackjack Games are Hot/Cold: Because every outcome of online blackjack is random, there is no guarantee what the next result will be. If a table has not paid for several rounds, it’s simply down to random chance and not the casino rigging the game not to pay.
3. Casinos Freeze Games During Win Streaks: Blackjack is a hard game to win, but it is possible to go on streaks and build up profits in a single session. It is a myth that when this happens, the online casino or casino app will freeze the game to stop you from winning more.
4. Live Dealer Games are More Secure: Live dealer games are no more secure or immune to rigging than online blackjack, but people perceive them as being harder to rig. Perhaps being able to see the action with a human dealer puts people at ease. The reality is virtual RNG blackjack is as completely random and secure as playing with a live dealer.

Is Online Blackjack Rigged: What Is The House Edge?

All reputable online and land-based local casinos give you a fair chance to win, but the system is set up so that the casino wins the majority of the time. You have probably heard the term “the house always wins,” and the house edge is what this refers to.

House edge is set up to favor casinos in each game. So, if blackjack has a house edge of 0.5%, that means for every $10 you bet, you could win back $9.50 and lose $0.50 on average. Those 50 cents are the profit the casino makes. The house edge isn’t a set in stone amount, but rather an average taken over millions of hands of blackjack.

You could bet $10, land a winning hand, and double your money to $20. If you walk away at that moment, the casino will be down $10. Equally, you could bet your $10 and lose all of it, meaning the casino/house makes $10 in clear profit from one single player.

Because most people do not walk away in profit, the “house always wins” eventually. If you do suffer a losing streak, I can be easy to thing online blackjack is rigged, but the answer is always just probability.

Is Online Blackjack Rigged: How Are Games Kept Fair?

We have talked a lot about how safe and fair online blackjack games are. Now lets take a look at what measures are in place to ensure that casinos and their games are held accountable and deliver fair gameplay!

RNGs

A Random Number Generator is software that randomizes the outcome of every game. Importantly, RNG online blackjack games use this technology, where the RNG generates numbers randomly to ensure they cannot be predicted.

This makes them more secure than standard land-based blackjack games, where it is possible to count cards, especially in single deck blackjack.

With an RNG, the gambler, casino, or software provider cannot influence the outcome, which is why they are widely used in games like online roulette and online poker as well as blackjack.

Auditing Bodies

Using an RNG on its own is not enough because the casino/software provider could theoretically rig the software to deliver non-random results. Of course, this is not the case at our recommended online casinos, but to ensure this does not happen and to enhance their reputability, leading software studios allow their games to be tested by independent labs.

Third-party auditors such as eCOGRA, iTech Labs, and GLI test games to ensure the RNG is random and fair.

Casino Licenses

To operate legally in the US, online casinos must obtain a gambling license in every state in which they operate. These gambling authorities, such as the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement or the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, hold online gambling sites to strict player safety and fair gaming standards.

You should always avoid any casino that does not have a license, as this is likely a rogue site that may have unfair games or not pay winnings.

Image credit: RomanR/Shutterstock

How to Protect Yourself When Playing Online Blackjack

While most casino games, and 100% of the games we recommend, are totally safe, it’s always a good idea to take a few extra steps to keep yourself safe online. Here are some easy-to-implement safety tips you can use:

• Use Our Recommended Casinos: The first thing that can help you stay safe when playing blackjack online is to choose one of the leading blackjack online casinos we recommend. Our gambling experts know exactly what to look for and have found the safest, fairest, and most reputable casino brands regulated in the US.
• Never Compromise on a License: If the online casino you are looking at does not have a license with a US state regulatory authority, leave the casino at once and absolutely do not register or deposit money.
• Read Customer Feedback: Fellow casino players are a reliable source of information. Check on sites like Trustpilot, the Google Play Store, or the Apple App Store to see how other players rate an online casino.
• Check Their Software Providers and Audits: The casinos we recommend have blackjack games from reputable providers like NetEnt, Playtech, and Evolution. These studios are open about their RNG testing and game fairness. You can also check to see if your casino has been tested by an auditor such as eCOGRA, iTech Labs, TST, or GLI.
• Use Secure Payments: If you use e-wallets or prepaid cards, you can avoid giving the casino your financial information, making deposits and withdrawals more secure.
• Play For Free: You can play free online blackjack on most online casinos. This allows you to test the game or practice before you bet your own money.
• Always Game Responsibly: Think about how much money you can afford to lose before you start betting. Do not use money that comes from your living expenses. Remember, while the games are not rigged, the house always wins. Chasing losses can lead to your bankroll running out quickly.

Online Blackjack Rigged: FAQ

It’s perfectly reasonable for a player to wonder is ‘online blackjack fixed’ if they’re on a losing streak, so to put your mind at rest, here are some of the most common questions about online blackjack being rigged, answered!

• Can online blackjack be beaten? Yes, absolutely. While the casino always has a house edge, RNG ensures that players always have a reasonable chance of winning.
• Is online blackjack predetermined? No. Whenever a card is dealt, the software used in online blackjack uses a balanced RNG system to determine a random card. It is not predetermined and is, in fact, more random than live blackjack.
• What are the odds of winning blackjack online? Blackjack odds are based on the hand you are dealt. However, there are some blackjack strategies and card counting methods you can use to
• Is virtual blackjack fixed? No. If you’re playing at a licensed, regulated online casino then RNGs and auditing by independent agencies ensure none of the casino games are fixed.

Shuffle Away Your Doubts on Online Blackjack

The myth that all online blackjack games are scams or rigged is just that, a myth. Modern online casino games are heavily regulated and audited to give you a reasonable chance of winning. You can get out there an enjoy online blackjack to your hearts content, without constantly thinking “is online blackjack rigged?”

If you looking for some expert advice on how to up your blackjack game with easy to understand tips, check out these articles:

• When To Hit In Blackjack (And When Not To)
• Blackjack Strategy Charts: Play Perfect Blackjack
• When To Double Down In Blackjack (And When Not To)
• Blackjack Strategy: When To Split And When To Stand Pat

Lead image credit: Nazarovsergey/Shutterstock

“The closest thing to dropping a bomb on the table.”

There’s nothing subtle about most cold decks, where an entire pack of cards is switched after the shuffle and dealt to a known order. It’s the ultimate weapon of mass destruction and in most cases, when the smoke clears and the hand is over it “wakes the dead”.

So, what is a cold deck and how does it work in a real game?

Get your head around the basics

A cooler is a stacked deck.

A deck switch is how two decks are exchanged in the course of play.

The result is grand larceny at the card table.

When a stacked deck is secretly introduced to a game, it’s said to be cold simply because it has yet to be handled – but if you’re sweating buckets, waiting to put a cooler into a game, that deck is absorbing plenty of heat, trust me!

The only heat a cheater should really care about is from other players. Switching decks is a big move and even in the hands of an expert, is impossible if people are paying too much attention.

Not that a great cold deck move can’t look spectacular.

I collect my favourite switches and practise them endlessly, occasionally adapting them to performance where I use the move to fool audiences who are invited to watch closely.

A great cold deck – a real cooler – needs to feel right and fit the context of a game perfectly.

I’ve seen tutorials by talented magicians showcasing variations on cheaters’ methods that look amazing but neglect the real work that makes these moves practical, workable or just plain worth the risk. During my career as a TV hustler and on a couple of real world occasions, I’ve thrown more than my fair share of deck switches. I’ve developed an appreciation for what really works and these showy, impressive stunts are just a fraction of what’s needed at the table.

More important than how a deck is switched is when

The techniques I’ve collected vary in difficulty, but the really hard part is not the sleight itself. To properly understand a move it needs to be used under fire. Practice alone for eight hours a day and you might develop the muscle memory and physical expertise needed for a move. But to execute that same move secretly in the course of a game takes nerves of steel.

A deck switch is commonly performed by the dealer or the player who cuts the deck. Other possibilities exist from players at the right position in relation to the dealer’s procedure to waiters, waitresses or anyone who interacts with the table for seemingly legitimate reasons.

A typical dealer switch happens after the shuffle and before or after the cut, depending on whether a confederate is sitting to the dealer’s right. Once the deck has been thoroughly shuffled, a switch is made, sometimes followed by a false shuffle to maintain the order. The deck is then presented for the cut to the dealer’s secret partner with a tiny brief (a small step or ledge) that marks where to cut.

Without a confederate, the switch might be made after the cut, just before the deal.

A mechanic (card cheater) taught me a method that can be scrutinised with nothing to see but two empty hands before and after the switch: the dealer simply carries an honest cut, gestures for the antes and the deck is already switched! The stacked deck was hidden in his sleeve using a special device and when the gesture was made for players to throw in their antes, the shuffled deck was dropped into the cheaters lap as the stacked deck was instantly delivered to the same hand.

To accomplish this, the cheater had invented that secret device and adapted another “secret something” to make the move perfect.

The deck switch happened at the best time: after a legitimate shuffle and cut and under natural cover that happens in every round of play. I promise you, if you zoomed into his hands with the Hubble Telescope, you wouldn’t see or suspect a thing and if you saw him do it with two differently coloured decks the change from a red deck to a blue deck looks like magic.

Many sleight of hand switches look incredible in the right hands but not all of them are practical. I’ve seen impressive exchanges that fool the camera but look highly suspicious to the naked eye or can be exposed as useless with two simple questions: how do you get into that and how do you get out of it?

For a cheating dealer, these are important considerations and few deck switches qualify as usable. In fact, if a dealer is getting ready to cheat you (or already has) you might spot it in their behaviour before or after that perfect move.

For a player switch, getting ready and getting rid of the cards you just switched is somewhat easier without the business of shuffling and dealing to worry about. A player switch is a powerful move if the dealer is completely honest since all suspicion flows in their direction after a loaded hand. When the cards are passed from player to player for the deal, cheaters might conspire to put a sucker between them so one can distract the dealer (and the table) while his partner makes the cut.

When presented with the cut, the cheater will execute a sequence of actions that match his honest actions earlier in the game. In other words, he appears to cut the cards in the same way he has been cutting them all night but hidden within this action is the exchange of fifty-two shuffled cards for fifty-two pre-stacked cards.

In the movie The Sting, Doyle Lonnegan performs an excellent example of a player switch when asked to cut the cards. This switch can look incredible but what sets this scene apart is that we see him prepare the cooler, then dispose of the slug using a pocket handkerchief. All attention follows the cards, so the cheater is only exposed for a split second.

The Real Hustle vs The Hendon Mob

Back in the first season of The Real Hustle, we invited members of the Hendon Mob to a private poker game under the ruse of two reality TV types (myself and Alex) who were aiming to learn poker from the professionals. In the course of that game I dropped more than one cooler onto the table, partly because deck switches were the subject of this scam but mostly because neither Alex nor I stood a chance against three hard-nosed professionals!

Barney Boatman, a true gent and a deadly player was knocked out by the first cooler and commented: “that was a cold deck” before retiring to the other room where our producer let him in on the scam.

When he said those words, I thought we were surely busted but it turned out it’s a common term for a hand where two or more big hands compete for the pot. Since our show was for a non poker-playing audience, I had stacked for obvious hands like fours of a kind and straight flushes.

Later he told me how he’d seen hands like that every now and then and I’ve lost four of a kind to a straight flush myself (in a fair game) so these things do happen. A subtle cooler might be safer than dealing hero hands to everyone but I’ve found some cheaters who could care less about taking time and are just there to rob the bank as quickly as possible.

The Vegas Method

In the bad old days of Las Vegas when less scrupulous managers ran the card rooms, cheaters were often employed to deal games and rip off tourists. A friend worked one of these joints where the deck switch was as easy as it gets. When a fresh tray arrived with a new dealer, there would be two decks in the tray. Joining the game, the dealer would spread his first deck face up for everyone to see. These cards were in new-deck order – all fifty two cards in sequence, separated by suits.

The dealer would then shuffle thoroughly and deal.

The deck switch was a simple lapse in procedure. At some point in the game, a house player (who was part of the scam) would call for a fresh deck. The cards would be changed and the new deck spread face down NOT face up. The dealer would then “forget” to flip the cards face up and proceed to shuffle.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thousand, no one noticed or cared that the faces were not shown and if they did, the dealer would call for a fresh deck and apologise. The rest of the time, a few false shuffles and a controlled cut was all it took to fleece the strangers at the table (locals and regulars were often avoided).

This simple sequence once led to a difficult situation where my friend mistakenly believed he had a stacked deck waiting in his tray which was actually a normal deck in new deck order. When a change of cards was requested, he spread the cards face down, false shuffled, cut and dealt a round of seven stud.

When the up cards came out, they came two of hearts, three of hearts, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine of hearts!

My friend, the dealer, quipped “What are the chances of that? Must be a hundred to one!”

He quickly resolved the matter with an “accidental” misdeal and restarted the hand.

We’re not sure we could pull this one off! If you enjoyed this, be sure to come back in two weeks for R. Paul Wilson’s next post all about the Put and Take scam.

This usually satisfies suspicious audience members, but the truth is I could hand them one of a dozen types of marked decks with complete confidence they would never suspect, let alone detect the secret information on those cards.

That’s not to say that all marked decks are created equal.

Several types are extremely easy to identify if you know what to look for and many are sold as novelty items for “entertainment purposes only” with a slip of paper or a printed card teaching how to read the code.

More sophisticated systems depend on learning to see variations in patterns, colours or shade on the surfaces of cards. But not all marked cards depend on sight and some are designed to be read by touch alone.

Others are made to work with hidden cameras, sensors or other concealed technology and cannot be detected without the help of an appropriate device.

Some systems might be glaringly obvious to those who know yet utterly invisible to casual players.

Preparing marked cards can happen in several ways but an important question is: how do cheaters get them into a game? They can’t just pull a deck out of their pocket and say “hey, let’s play with these!” or they may take the blame if the dirty work is later discovered.

In this piece, we’re going to discuss pre-prepared marking systems.

The most obvious method is to apply marks to a legitimate deck. There are many ways to do this that require varying degrees of skill.

Obviously, cheaters spend a lot of time practicing these systems and some become so good at marking cards, their work should be displayed in a gallery!

Subtly Changing the Back Design of Cards

“Block out work” uses inks or paints that can subtly adjust the back design of a card to signal suit and/or value. A needle can also be use to apply “scratch work” to a card and I’ve seen intricate work applied to the backs of cards that would be worthy of a master engraver.

Partially invisible inks have long been a favourite method of cheaters who train their eyes to see what others cannot. Green and yellow pigments on red-backed playing cards can be applied in such a manner that only those who are looking for the marks will notice. I’ve seen heavily marked versions of these decks that looked obvious to me yet were undetectable to the untrained eye.

Some “work” is completely invisible to the human eye and requires special glasses or contact lenses to see – but we’ll discuss those methods another time.

Cheaters Make Special “Juice” to Change Pigment Shades

“Juice” is a simple recipe for creating variations in the shade of pigments on the backs of certain card designs.

How the juice is made and how it’s applied are secrets passed from one mechanic to another. The strength of that juice depends on the skill of the cheater when reading patterns of blotches on the backs of cards.

To a well-trained eye, even super-subtle juice can be read from across a crowded room but if the marks are too heavy, honest players might notice something about the cards that isn’t quite right.

Professional juice is impossible to detect without the required training.

A Story to Prove It…

One morning, I had breakfast with two friends, one of whom had made some expert juice for us to add to our collections.

The marked decks were red-backed Bee cards with a simple diamond pattern on the back and my friend’s work was exceptional. My other friend was struggling to read the marks, so I handed him my deck to try. What he didn’t realise was that I happened to have an unmarked Bee deck with me and had switched the marked cards we were looking at for unmarked cards!

He struggled to see the juice that wasn’t there, then held up a card for us to read from across the table. My friend who had made the marked decks immediately called it and was a hundred percent right! I was completely fooled until he repeated the feat several times and realised he could see the cards being held up because the restaurant wall was mirrored!

We let our friend in on the joke and fortunately for me, he didn’t drive me into the desert with a shovel in the trunk.

Using “Punch Work” to Make Cards Feel Different

The shapes of cards can be changed by removing hair-like slithers from the edges of cards for use with various dishonest techniques. Shaved cards can be located while shuffling or controlled into or out of a player’s hand.

“Punch work” is where a cheater creates tiny bumps on the back or face of a card for the purpose of identifying those cards during a deal, using the sense of touch alone. There are devices designed to make perfect, imperceptible little points on a playing card but many cheaters make their own or discover perfect substitutes they can buy anywhere.

One professional shared his method with me late one night in Las Vegas: we walked into a well-known store and asked for a common medical item that allowed him to not only punch an entire deck quickly, it ensured every little bump was identical. This last part was essential since his method was to sneak the game deck into the bathroom while everyone took a break and punch the cards he wanted in seconds without accidentally pushing a needle clear through one of the cards.

More importantly, if he was suspected of anything, the device he used would appear to be for his medical condition, whereas a typical cheater’s punch would be obvious evidence of foul play.

Punch work is commonly used with an expert second deal with bumps so tiny that that you’d be lucky to feel them, even if you were trying to find something.

Punch deals require a sense of touch combined with perfect timing to execute a second deal when a marked/desired card arrives on top.

The most direct application is to deal cards honestly until you feel a punched card, then deal the second card until you reach the player you want to give the marked card to; then repeat for each round of play.

In fact, there are much more sophisticated ways to use a punched deck.

Imagine a deck that signalled whenever you dealt a high card during a game of Kansas City Lowball. You now know whose hand is broken by one or more high cards and which player might be playing a seven low.

Information alone should be enough to give a decent player an advantage so cheaters using punched card like this learn to deal quickly and fairly while feeling these tiny marks as they deal.

Re-Sealing a Deck of Cards to Look Brand New

Another consideration when making marked cards, is how to re-seal a deck without evidence of the contents being tampered with.

I’m here to tell you that this is both possible and in some cases, quite easy to do. With enough time, anyone can figure their way into a sealed deck that allows the box to be glued back together as if nothing had happened.

The cellophane wrapper, however, can be tricky but there are several solutions for that, too.

Many years ago, in a bar in Madrid, the topic of re-sealing decks came up while sharing ideas with a legendary Spanish card cheat. He told me he had a perfect solution that required no glue or special equipment and could easily be accomplished in almost any situation.

I’m not going to share that method with you (or anyone else for that matter – I was sworn to secrecy) but I can tell you this: XXXXXX took a sealed deck, popped it open, removed all the cards then re-sealed the box using a traditional method – but this left the frayed cellophane wrapper to deal with.

Smiling, XXXXXX removed two common items from his pocket and in ten seconds that box was re-sealed perfectly; the previously torn cellophane magically repaired.

I now possessed a perfectly sealed (empty) card box and a beautiful secret that I’ve used ever since.

The lesson here is simple: other than a few rank methods, a properly marked deck is hard to spot unless you know exactly what you’re looking for and how to see or feel that work.

If marked cards are being used against you, it might be easier to identify by how cheaters are acting than to discover the secret work on a professionally marked deck. In my experience, amateur cheaters have no idea how to employ a marked deck without making it blatantly obvious they’re reading both sides of the cards!

Other articles by R. Paul Wilson include card counting basics and top tips for carrying large sums of cash. Come back on September 23 for his next post that looks at advantage play in blackjack.