Clear Deal Could Clean Up Blackjack Cheats In Casinos

Wesley Cooper is a PhD student from Trinity College in Dublin. The mathematician claims that he has developed the technology that will rid casinos around the world of blackjack cheats.

The technology is called Clear Deal, and it combines statistical analysis with an automated surveillance system to catch players at blackjack tables that are counting cards. The technology is currently being tested by an international casino operator.

"Blackjack is beatable if you have good maths brain. At the moment, casino surveillance staff have to watch the tables and try to identify suspicious play using their experience and instincts. This system does the same job automatically using computer-vision techniques and algorithms," said Cooper.

The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology has funded the system for Cooper, who believes that once the trial period for the technology is over, that casinos around the world will begin using the system.

"It can determine if someone is proficient or just lucky. A skilled player with a good mathematical mind can count cards, giving them a statistical edge over the casino. Blackjack is 3,000 years old and people have been counting cards as long as it has been around," said Cooper.

Casino employees are skeptical of the new system, but then again, they have to be because it is their jobs that the technology will be replacing.

"A pit boss watches everything and, on average, we have between two and four cameras on each table. If a system could be found to streamline the monitoring, it would be hugely popular with casinos but my instinct is that it would be difficult to replace human intuition," said Teddy Hickson, from FitzWilliam Card Club in Dublin.

August 24, 2008
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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