Dirk Nagel
The increasing popularity of AI – even in the face of controversy over its ethics and benefits – is one of the signature topics of 2023 so far. There is story after story about how “realistic” online chatbots are, the debate over the implications of their use in generating pictures, and a lot more besides, and you only have to spend a day or two browsing broadsheet newspapers or current affairs magazines to find another new angle on the concept. So it is perhaps no surprise that some people are wondering whether AI could be of benefit when it comes to gambling and win giveaway prizes.
Everyone knows that in online gambling, as in brick-and-mortar casinos, the house always has the edge. It’s designed to be that way, and even the people checking sites like wishcasinos.com for tips on where to find the best casino games accept that they start out at a disadvantage. Even blackjack, the most player-friendly game in a casino, is still tilted in the casino’s favor. But is there a way you could use AI to iron out that disadvantage?
Machine Learning and Casino Gaming – Not a New Combo
In fact, it’s been almost sixty years since someone first looked at machine learning and thought: “Huh, maybe this machine designed to make calculations faster than any human can could have implications in the fast-paced world of gambling.” Indeed, a mathematician applied this principle to playing Blackjack and produced a seminal work called Beat the Dealer, a book that is praised for giving us the basic blackjack strategy that is still used today. There is the best way to play any hand, and we owe that knowledge to a calculation engine.
AI Won’t Guarantee You A Win
As smart as AI may be, though, you still have to reckon with the fact that blackjack, like any casino game, contains a substantial randomized element that can’t be neutralized. Sometimes, the casino will be the luckier player. And because they get to play second, they know what they need to do when you’ve called. They may not even need to play – if you bust, you lose. AI can certainly tell you the best way to play a hand – and may do it quicker than reading it off a strategy card – but the best way still isn’t enough sometimes.
Beware of Using Automation in Any Case
Even if you found an algorithm or an AI that could make your blackjack moves for you and always make the right moves, there’s a case to be made for not using it. It’s not cheating, as such, because it just means making use of existing strategy. But if you know of a way to automate your bets based on that strategy, you should still make the bets yourself. If a casino suspects you are using assistive technology to play games, it will become edgy about what else you might be using it for, and it can withdraw your right to play at any time.
