To beat the house in blackjack: A card counting robot

Abstract: This thesis project investigated whether or not the use of an embedded system could help blackjack players to improve their game. This was done by designing and building a robot, that plays blackjack according to a card counting strategy. A robot prototype was built successfully, using a USB-camera to detect the cards and servo-motors to signal its playing decisions via hand gestures. Tests showed that the robot has a 1.4% edge over the house on average. However, due to high variance in the outcomes, the positive return found is non-significant. Recommendations of future work is proposed, including how both players and casinos can benefit from this project.