I disagree with the first sentence, but to ZeeBabar's underlying point, it helps to know casino protocols so you can manipulate them to your advantage and stay under the radar. I don't pretend to be an expert on this, but here are a few observations/tips from my own experience:
- Make sure you don't attract attention when you do it. Figure out how to do it when the dealer is paying attention to something else, when the floor managers are at a different table, etc. A little sleight of hand helps, especially if you do it in a way that won't be obvious to the security cameras. You might also want to think through what sort of clothing choices can help facilitate your rat holing strategy.
- The best opportunities I've spotted for staying under the radar are rat holing when someone sits down with chips or walks away without coloring up because it's a natural time for the floor to attribute the missing chips to that other person.
- There are certain colors at every table that get special scrutiny. It might differ from casino to casino, but if you're at a $25 table, for example, black chips (and up) are likely to be heavily scrutinized. Rat holing green chips is your best bet (except on the rare occasions when #2 above applies and someone sits down or walks away with a bunch of black chips).
- It's basically impossible to rat hole chips if you're playing heads up (one-on-one with the dealer). There are plenty of perks of playing heads up, just don't think you'll be able to rat hole.
- I read somewhere you should try to rat hole enough chips equal to roughly twice your EV. So if your EV is $50/hr, you should try to rat hole $100/hr in chips. I don't follow that advice specifically, but the idea, of course, is that in the long run you'll appear to be a losing player.
- I read somewhere that big-name casinos have trackers in every chip. I suspect rat holing in those casinos would be more difficult because they'd be able to tell exactly who has each chip. So you might have better luck with this in smaller casinos. But I have no insight into which casinos do and do not use these sorts of chips.
That's all based on things I've read or things I've observed in the stores I visit. You'll probably learn a lot once you actually are in a casino and playing. As best you can, try to observe what's happening around you. Look for weaknesses and opportunities. And don't be afraid to start small and get bolder as you build your confidence, skills, and knowledge.
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