Was I getting heat?

[OregonRick]

This was my second time in the casino after learning how to card count. I go in early in the morning and lose $200 in about 30 minutes. I then leave for a few hours to play in a poker tournament and then come back to the same casino.I play for a couple of hours breaking even, and then I hit a good show with a decent count. There are 2 other people at the table, and I am playing 2 hands at $30 each. Near the end of the shoe, the TC jumps up to 8 suddenly, so I play $10 on each of my Lucky Ladies side bets and hit the 4-1 payout. This was the only time the whole shoe that I bet on the Lucky Ladies.
When the shoe is done, I end up winning back my $200 plus another $180. As I leave the table, tell everyone, "I almost got my money back, but I am still down a little bit." Lies, Lies, Lies. LOL! I go to the cage, and as I am standing there, I hear the eye in the sky say," That guy that just left; Did he cash out for 4 black chips? Ohh! Nevermind!!" They obviously were talking about me and just saw me standing there as they were finishing their question. I immediately tell the cashier, "I have been way down all day, and I got lucky on the last shoe. I almost got all my money back."
Should I be worried about this question from the eye in the sky? I felt my betting was obviously related to the True Count. Instead of betting $50 on one hand, I bet $30 on 2 hands. I did this because there were others at the table, but I am also hoping that it helped disguise my bet spread.

[shadroch]

A lot of smaller casinos are very anal about cashing $100 chips and will verify you just got them from where you say you did.I've been given the 3rd degree for 6 blacks at the Imperial Palace,which is a strip casino.

[EasyRhino]

I'm confused, how did you hear the eye in the sky? Was it God? That would be scary. I would tell the truth.

Sometimes certain denominations of chips are important to the casino. Often blacks. Any transaction involving one invokes a call to the pit (black in, black out, black action, etc). The floorman will tend to keep a much closer track of black chips than reds or greens, too.

(At Slots-a-fun over the weekend, I heard "green action" called out for the first time, and almost fell out of my chair.)

Also, cashier's are going to have escalating levels of checks and balances for large cashouts. At a local joint, when I cashed out for $900 (my biggest win), it involved writing down the number for the camera to see, a phone call, and three other employees in the cage verifying the count. I try to cashout in smaller increments now.

So, in conclusion, don't piss God off.

[OregonRick]

Originally Posted by EasyRhino

I'm confused, how did you hear the eye in the sky? Was it God? That would be scary. I would tell the truth.

There was a two way speaker/microphone at the cashier's cage. It was very loud.

[EasyRhino]

What kind of chips were you hiding?

If they were blacks, stop doing that, you've found a place that's anal about blacks. Hide greens.

If they were greens, start hiding nickels.

Don't worry, your expected winnings are low enough where even ratholing reds will make a difference (although I prefer to rathole greens).

[ihate17]

At many smaller casinos or what some might call, low roller casinos, you will see procedures that might surprise you, like the cashier calling the pit that you just left to verify the black chips. It is percieved as big money to them or they might have a counterfeit problem or they might just have some very anal management, but it is really not heat.
You might find similar procedures at places like the MGM or Belaggio if you found yourself fortunate enough to be cashing in $5,000 or higher chips. I have found both of them calling the pit on me when cashing a large denomination chip.

Same thing for the dealer yelling checks play. Bet $25 at the Western and you will hear "checks play" and have your own personal pit breathing down your neck. Bet $100 at Wynn and they do not even know or care that you are there. Sure the dealer may call it out, the pit may nod and that is it.

When I start hearing directly from the eye in the sky, you will no longer see me here. It will take me about two years in confession to make up for lost time.

ihate17