***Preface***

This is not code golf. I'm looking at an interesting problem and hoping to solicit comments and suggestions from my peers. This question is not about [card counting][1] (exclusively), rather, it is about determining the best table to engage based on observation. Assume if you will some kind of brain implant that makes worst case time / space complexity portable to the human mind. Yes, this is quite subjective.

***Background***

I recently visited a casino and saw more bystanders than players per table, and wondered what selection process turned bystanders into betting players, given that most bystanders had funds to play (chips in hand).

***Scenario***

You enter a casino. You see n tables playing a variant of [Blackjack][2], with y of them playing [Pontoon][3]. Each table plays with an indeterminate amount of card decks, in an effort to obfuscate the [house advantage][4].

Each table has a varying minimum bet. You have Z currency on your person. You want to find the table where:

 - The least amount of card decks are in use
 - The minimum bet is higher than a table using more decks, but you want to maximize the amount of games you can play with Z.
 - Net losses, per player are lowest (I realize that this is, in most answers, considered to be  incidental noise, but it could illustrate a broken shuffler)

***Problem***

You can magically observe every table. You have X rounds to sample, in order to base your decision.

What algorithm(s) would you use to solve this problem, and what is their worst case complexity? Do you:

 - Play Pontoon or Blackjack ?
 - What table do you select ?
 - How many rounds do you need to observe (what is the value of X), given that the casino can use no more than 8 decks of cards for either game?

I'm calling this the "**standing gambler problem**" for lack of a better term. Please feel free to refine it.

***Additional***

Where would this be useful if not in a casino?


  [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_counting
  [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackjack
  [3]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontoon_%28game%29
  [4]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_game#House_advantage