[The way he sees it, counting cards is a harmless scam that doesn't result in death or injury if done correctly. And if Lalo isn't likely to leave him on his own, better to agree to something simple like counting cards than have it escalate to something worse. He knows how fast Salamancas can escalate things, after all.]

I may have had some less than legal hobbies in the wild days of my youth. And it's easier to run a scam like that with two.