If card counting in blackjack is just keeping track of high cards vs low, does that mean if I could remember all the different cards used (i.e. how many 5s, how many 7s) I would be really good at blackjack?

Question

This would break online casinos because you could easily do that with electronics. Assuming the casino itself is playing fair.

If you could perfectly keep track of how many of which cards are left in the decks, and everytime make the most mathematically sound bet, would the house still have an edge?

(I assume the correct answer will start off saying I don’t understand how card counting works – fair enough, but what about the basic explanation of it did I misinterpret?)

In: Mathematics

Answer 1

This is called perfect composition-dependent strategy. There is software/websites that do the calculations for this.

This gives you the maximum possible edge with card counting assuming you don’t have any additional outside information. The edge is more than normal card counting, but not a huge difference.

Still doesn’t make online casinos worth it, though. They have high penetration, so favorable counts only show up rarely.