Card counting has gained a negative reputation through movies and media for being aform of deceit and cheating in order to gain the upper hand in a card game. However, it isn’tbanned by law. Rather, it has been banned by individual casinos to prevent giving one player toomuch power. So what is card counting, and why are casinos so keen on avoiding it? It is becausecard counting is using probability and memory to gain the upper hand against the dealer. Thisinternal assessment seeks to analyze whether skill of probability is statistically higher than skillof memory.Even the greatest card counter will have to rely somewhat on probability. Their advantagelies in not only understanding the game, but in understanding probability as well.How Blackjack Works:Blackjack, also known as 21s, is one of the major gambling card games. The goal of theplayer is to have their cards reach the value of 21 without going over.Here is the layout for a standard deck of cards:4 suits (categorized by the symbol: heart, diamond, spade, club)13 cards per suit (Ace, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, KingEach numerical card is worth the same as the number on it (ex:a 5 of hearts would beworth 5 points). The Jack, Queen, and King are all worth 10 points each. The Ace can be either 1point or 11 points (the value is determined by the player who holds the Ace card).The player’s goal is to get to 21 without going over. If their card values go over 21, theylose. However, it can fall under 21 as long as the player’s card values are closer to 21 than theother players (or the dealer, depending on if there is a dealer involved in the game).
