Part III: Business & Regulation · Casino Marketing & Player Management

Advantage Player (AP)

Player Classification

A gambler who uses legitimate skill, strategy, or system knowledge to gain a mathematical advantage over the casino in certain game scenarios. Advantage play techniques include card counting in blackjack, edge sorting in baccarat, hole-carding, and exploiting advantageous video poker pay tables or promotional overlays. Advantage players are not cheaters—they operate within the rules of the game—but they reduce or eliminate the casino’s expected win. Surveillance and table games management are trained to identify known advantage play techniques and individuals; properties may limit or exclude advantage players once identified.

In practice

The line between skilled play and advantage play is sometimes contested. Not all skilled players are advantage players; the key distinction is whether the player’s approach creates positive expected value over time.

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.