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With an unmarked deck, I don't believe the technology currently exists. I would accept that at a given magnification, every card is unique (including when view

by manarth 10y ago

With an unmarked deck, I don't believe the technology currently exists. I would accept that at a given magnification, every card is unique (including when viewed from the side), and can be uniquely identified. But without a marked deck, it would need one (probably more than one) run through the deck, to see the value of a card and associate it with an image of the side of the card. Bear in mind you only get to record cards that are shown, so it could potentially take many games to record the full deck, and that's assuming the deck stays consistent. But even with multiple run-throughs of the deck, I don't think we have the technology to produce that high resolution a camera in a small enough form-factor. Even putting aside expense, the trick here is pre-marked decks, with markings visible only to IR. Without that, we'd need serious advancements in lenses and sensors before we could have a tool that was discreet enough to pull out at a game.

Tuna-Fish 10y ago
> Bear in mind you only get to record cards that are shown, so it could potentially take many games to record the full deck, and that's assuming the deck stays consistent. Depending on what game you are playing, you don't need to mark anywhere near the full deck. In hold'em, you can get a definite edge if you manage to mark two aces. The primary problem is optics. All optical devices are limited by the quantization of light. No matter how good your camera technology, if there are not enough photons bouncing off a target, you cannot see it accurately. Modern cameras (and even your eyes!) are much closer to the hard limits placed by physics than most people think. In the case of a side of a card in not very well lit indoors, I don't think you can discern enough detail without either a large lens or a long exposure, both of which could be hard to pull off inside a casino. Even painted on markings, they need a bright IR light to pull this off at a close distance. Similarly, your camera would need a bright light source.

by manarth 10y ago

Tuna-Fish 10y ago

> Bear in mind you only get to record cards that are shown, so it could potentially take many games to record the full deck, and that's assuming the deck stays consistent. Depending on what game you are playing, you don't need to mark anywhere near the full deck. In hold'em, you can get a definite edge if you manage to mark two aces. The primary problem is optics. All optical devices are limited by the quantization of light. No matter how good your camera technology, if there are not enough photons bouncing off a target, you cannot see it accurately. Modern cameras (and even your eyes!) are much closer to the hard limits placed by physics than most people think. In the case of a side of a card in not very well lit indoors, I don't think you can discern enough detail without either a large lens or a long exposure, both of which could be hard to pull off inside a casino. Even painted on markings, they need a bright IR light to pull this off at a close distance. Similarly, your camera would need a bright light source.