What the casino can, and will, do to combat would-be counters, is put more decks on the game, burying more cards on the shuffle, stopping mid-entry shoe betting, having the dealer shuffle half way through the deck, and when all else fails, they can, in certain gaming jurisdictions, legally bar the counters from playing and back them off the game.

Oh, and where it is permissible to count, Atlantic City for instance, they impose tougher blackjack rules, multi-deck games, and they limit deck penetration to keep the skilled counter at bay. Now, add to the mix that most budding card counters make more than their fair share of basic strategy mistakes, and yes, miscount, which then puts the edge firmly back in the casino's favor.

Sure, I've met counters that have brought the casino to its knees, but to the many who think they are the sharpest knife in the drawer, Mike Goodman in his book, Guide to Casino Gambling, Your Best Bet, put it neatly when he said, "Many so-called experienced 21 players don't know their ace from a hole in the ground."