If you’ve seen the movie 21, card counting will seem the coolest thing ever, and the infamous MIT Team the heroes of this advanced blackjack strategy. However, the UK now has its own card counting team which may blow this team’s success rate out of the water.
This team of card counting researchers, who wish to remain anonymous for the time being, focus not only on counting the cards, but also on the dealer and how he or she shuffles the decks. No matter how professional the dealer, hand shuffled decks will never result in a completely random stack of cards. Using powerful computers to track dealer shuffles, this team of researchers can do far more than just identify a dealer by analyzing a shuffled deck. Tracking dealer tells into the very shuffling of the deck can give this team an astounding edge over the casino of up to 10%!
Their work is due to be published soon, and a professor on the team will deliver a speech on their research in Vegas (of all places!) in 2010. Definitely something to look out for!
