Questions about RFID chips

**smalltowngirl** · 05-28-2021, 06:31 PM

I've started playing unrated at a handful of stores in my area. Historically, I've always brought cash with me and then fully cashed in my chips at the end of each trip. But I've started wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of taking at least some chips (mainly $500 chips) with me and bringing them back next time. I've done a tiny bit of research on RFID chips, enough to make me slightly paranoid, so I was curious to see if anyone had thoughts on the subject. Here are some initial thoughts:

Pros of cashing in and out each trip:

Totally anonymous. There's no way for them to use the bills to connect my play to prior sessions.
Doesn't tie up any of my bankroll in case I travel elsewhere.
Can deposit the cash at a bank. (I don't mind bank-generated CTRs, since I declare my blackjack winnings on my taxes.)

Pros of keeping chips:

Less bulky than cash.
Attract less attention when sitting down at a table with chips instead of a lot of cash.
In positive variance sessions, can win more without worrying about cashing in more than $10K in chips and generating a CTR.
Less need to visit the cage immediately after a scrutinized session, risking giving the casino a good security shot.

The key question mark for me is that I don't have a clear understanding of how sophisticated RFID chip usage is and what casinos are able to track using them. I'm assuming all $500 chips are tracked. Based on some research, it sounds like the casinos are able to use the RFID chips to more accurately determine wins/losses, even if you are able to otherwise successfully rathole chips. Sounds like they have sensors that can tell the $$ amount of the chips on your person when you walk away from the table? Does that sound right? And is there more sophisticated stuff they can do? If they suspect me of being an AP, can they flag the specific chips I take away from a table so they'll be alerted when those chips are taken to the cashier and/or used at a different table? Obviously, I want to avoid giving them an opportunity to track my play over time, nor do I want to attract elevated scrutiny as a result of a prior flagged session.

Any info/reading suggestions would be most welcome! Thanks!

**tal32bur** · 05-28-2021, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by smalltowngirl

I've started playing unrated at a handful of stores in my area. Historically, I've always brought cash with me and then fully cashed in my chips at the end of each trip. But I've started wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of taking at least some chips (mainly $500 chips) with me and bringing them back next time. I've done a tiny bit of research on RFID chips, enough to make me slightly paranoid, so I was curious to see if anyone had thoughts on the subject. Here are some initial thoughts:

Pros of cashing in and out each trip:

Totally anonymous. There's no way for them to use the bills to connect my play to prior sessions.
Doesn't tie up any of my bankroll in case I travel elsewhere.
Can deposit the cash at a bank. (I don't mind bank-generated CTRs, since I declare my blackjack winnings on my taxes.)

Pros of keeping chips:

Less bulky than cash.
Attract less attention when sitting down at a table with chips instead of a lot of cash.
In positive variance sessions, can win more without worrying about cashing in more than $10K in chips and generating a CTR.
Less need to visit the cage immediately after a scrutinized session, risking giving the casino a good security shot.

The key question mark for me is that I don't have a clear understanding of how sophisticated RFID chip usage is and what casinos are able to track using them. I'm assuming all $500 chips are tracked. Based on some research, it sounds like the casinos are able to use the RFID chips to more accurately determine wins/losses, even if you are able to otherwise successfully rathole chips. Sounds like they have sensors that can tell the $$ amount of the chips on your person when you walk away from the table? Does that sound right? And is there more sophisticated stuff they can do? If they suspect me of being an AP, can they flag the specific chips I take away from a table so they'll be alerted when those chips are taken to the cashier and/or used at a different table? Obviously, I want to avoid giving them an opportunity to track my play over time, nor do I want to attract elevated scrutiny as a result of a prior flagged session.

Any info/reading suggestions would be most welcome! Thanks!

Have you considered using one of these to block the RFID signal?

https://www.amazon.com/Faraday-Wisdo.../dp/B01HETGX00

I guess it undermines the "pro" of being less bulky than cash. But might help on the tracking/privacy front.