Ben Affleck – The World’s Worst Card Counter

Posted: July 8, 2022

Updated: July 8, 2022

The whole point of counting cards is to make use of the mathematical advantage that comes from knowing when to bet on high or low counts. And to pull it off, you need to be subtle. The casino knows that counting cards isn't illegal, but it's their casino, so they can ask you to leave at any time and for any reason. Unfortunately, the actor and movie director Ben Affleck literally shouts that he's counting cards thanks to a terrible playing technique.

Image source: Flickr

The whole point of counting cards is to make use of the mathematical advantage that comes from knowing when to bet on high or low counts. And to pull it off, you need to be subtle. The casino knows that counting cards isn’t illegal, but it’s their casino, so they can ask you to leave at any time and for any reason. Unfortunately, the actor and movie director Ben Affleck literally shouts that he’s counting cards thanks to a terrible playing technique.

Why Ben Affleck Is Rubbish At Counting Cards

So what’s the story with Ben Affleck and blackjack? A little while back, he was playing at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. According to online gambling news in the US, after a time at the tables, the management hinted that he was “too good at the game” Furthermore, they said he was no longer welcome to play blackjack. Of course, he was welcome to participate in any other game in the casino. Just not 21. Now let’s be realistic here. The casino management saying Ben Affleck was “too good at the game” is not a code that you’re winning too much money. As all card counters know, its real meaning is that you’re using common sense to play. A casino doesn’t like that!

Now to be clear, nothing that Ben Affleck was doing was illegal. Notably, after the event the casino said nothing. The tabloids spiced up the turbulence by claiming that this high roller “was under investigation.” Of course, the casinos are not stupid. The last thing they want to do is to piss off their high-roller celebrity clients by claiming they’re cheating at the blackjack tables. But as with all things, if we dig a little deeper into the story, we can get a better idea of what really went down.

Let’s Spill The Tea

Some days before Ben Affleck was backed off in the LA Hard Rock Casino, he was seen playing at the Wynn and Encore Casino which is also in Vegas. The manager sent around an internal email that states, “Ben Affleck (the actor) …was informed that he was being way too obvious moving his money with the count. He was spreading $100 -10K on the double decks and $0-20K (2@10K) on the shoe games. As of now, he is still being allowed to play per casino management.”

It’s well-known that Affleck employs perfect basic strategy. And in truth, this is welcome in the casino. Even at an online casino like MyBookie.ag. In fact, they’ll provide you with a little plastic card at most casinos, which gives you the correct percentages for each hand. You can even ask the dealer and he will tell you the correct play. But most card counters don’t stick with this. In order to have fun, they like to rely on their hunches.

Ben Affleck Is A Super Aggressive Player

When the manager said that Ben Affleck was “moving money with the count,” it implies that he was betting low when the count favoured the casino and betting high when the count favoured himself. But, as any dope knows, this is the easiest way to spot a card counter. What was noticeable is that he was betting from a hand of $100. And going up to two hands of $10,000 each. That’s incredibly aggressive gameplay with a bonkers 1 – 200 spread. Talk about maintaining a low profile!

Doesn’t Know Or Doesn’t Care

This leads to the question of how well Ben Affleck can really count cards? We’re not talking about the actual process or the mathematics involved. But rather the fact that if you choose to use this strategy, then you need to do so quietly. The whole point of counting cards is you need to mitigate the risk of discovery. Anybody can play fast and loose. But once you get your first back off, then you’re going to be under the watchful eye of all the casino staff. And on borrowed time, as the card counter cannot play without counting. maybe, at this point, Ben should recognize he’s better off playing online poker in the US, as opposed to struggling with blackjack. Because math is hard!

Ben Affleck Playing Like A Rookie

Furthermore, Ben Affleck was doing the completely rookie move of using $100 chips to track his count. In reality, this is the mark of a beginner or someone with little skill. Here’s the rub. If you’ve got to count cards, then a little concessionary cover play goes a long way. Okay, it’s Ben Affleck, and we’re sure he has the whole rich celebrity thing going for him. But it just looks kinda dumb if you give away your intentions so easily. It shows someone’s batting well beyond their real ability. Still, as the fame game is about maintaining relevance, then Ben Affleck is probably doing it right by playing badly in public. After all, press coverage, whether good or bad, is still keeping you in the public eye. And that includes all the land-based and online casino news in the US who comment as well. So….well played Ben!

We suggest that Ben heads over to play blackjack at MyBookie.ag. This is one of the best online casino sites in the USA. No one here cares if he’s trying his hardest to count cards because counting cards doesn’t work online. So ben has nothing to lose. As an aside, we’re going to guess that he doesn’t really need their welcome bonus of up to $750!