A very skilled counter I know in real life made over 6 figures a year. She played 7-8 months out of the year 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Bets sized from $25-$100 generally. It's not illegal but, once you are identified you are banned from all casinos in Vegas at least. They use facial recognition and catch you walking in the door. There is one guy that works for all casinos and recognizes faces manually along with the FR equipment. My friend mostly only played in Mississippi and other states in the East.