Part II: Casino Operations · Surveillance & Security

Advantage Play (AP)

Countermeasures

A category of legal (but often unwelcome) techniques used by skilled players to gain a mathematical edge over casino games without technically cheating. Advantage play includes card counting in blackjack, edge sorting in baccarat, hole-carding, shuffle tracking, dice control, and team play. While not illegal in most jurisdictions, casinos may refuse service to advantage players and maintain databases of known APs for exclusion purposes. Surveillance operators must be trained to recognize the indicators of various advantage play techniques.

In practice

The distinction between cheating and advantage play is critical; AP involves exploiting game mechanics within the rules, whereas cheating involves rule violations. Surveillance must coordinate closely with table games management on AP response procedures.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary — 1,157 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.