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

The house doesn’t even have an edge when you use simpler card counting techniques. That’s why casinos don’t want to play with card counters. If you were to know the precise composition of the remaining cards in the shoe and mathematically calculate the best bet size and strategy adjustments, yes, you will have an edge. However, that’s a lot of mental work for marginal increases in advantage over popular card counting systems.