You hear of all kinds of systems that you can use to beat a casino out of their money. A lot of these claims are myths, but some are true. Some games can be beaten, and the easiest game to beat is blackjack. It’s no simple task to beat the game, but many have and many continue to do it.

Blackjack is a game that has the house at a small edge, usually around 0.4 of a percent. If a player is able to pick up an edge their results can be drastically different. If a player knew when the deck had more big cards left in it, as opposed to small cards, it would be an advantage for that player to place larger bets when the deck is in this condition. In turn the player can lower his or her bets when the deck has more small cards left than big ones.

If you’ve seen the movie “Rainman” you’ve heard of counting cards. Slick grifters have been counting cards since these games were introduced to this part of the world, and casinos still deal with multiple card counters on a weekly basis. To combat this, casinos have staff hired to locate card counters and other players that are trying to work an advantage. Most pit bosses are trained and have a good amount of experience at recognizing counters and their schemes.

Card counting is not illegal, but if you’re discovered doing it you will be asked to stop playing and will most likely be asked to leave the casino. Because of this, counters develop intricate methods to camouflage their counting, like using other people to make their bets once they know that the deck is ripe for the bigger bets.

Lots of people make their living beating blackjack. It takes a mathematical mind and proper instruction to get good enough at counting to where you can go into a casino and not get detected, and don’t forget the bankroll required to get started.

Tipping the dealer was always a trivial thing to me. I would usually tip the dealer after I won two consecutive hands, and even then it would only be around 10 to 20 percent of my bet. I never gave any thought as to the amount I was giving away because I only did it when I was winning. As I gained more experience on the tables, I noticed that some players were tipping in different ways. It made immediate sense to me why they were tipping in this manner and I’ve tipped this way ever since.

Tipping the traditional way by just taking a chip and saying “this is for you”, is a guaranteed loss. I realized there was a better way when I noticed that players were making outside wagers for the dealer as a tip, instead of just handing them some chips. Tipping this way, the dealer is given an opportunity to win more than the original gratuity. But they also face the risk of losing the tip altogether. This gesture is recognized the same as the other method, and I’ve yet to have a dealer that doesn’t enjoy this.

Since then I’ve discovered an even better way to tip. Instead of placing an outside bet for the dealer, of which they will get the wager and the winnings, I place the tip amount on top of my original bet. If I win the hand I will control the tip that goes to the dealer. If I place a five-dollar tip on top of my wager and win the hand, I will give the dealer five dollars. I give the bet amount, not the bet and the winnings. A loss changes nothing for the dealer; and a win pays the dealer a five-dollar tip, instead of the ten dollars an outside bet would have cost.

This has other advantages other than the five bucks you’ll save. If I’m betting $20-a-hand blackjack and I start periodically playing a tip bet on top of my hand, I go from being a $20-a-hand player to a $25-a-hand player in the eyes of the pit boss. My comps go up and the dealers love me. How can you go wrong with that?