one last example that may help
I'm really not trying to infuence the O/U here, but I continue to think of things that might help if someone still doesn't understand.
Imagine this: you have a high count and five players are at the table. This can be double deck, if you like, but it doesn't really matter. The dealer will not run out of cards on this round. Counters at first and third base are using the same system and both place their bets, bets of the same size.
Now the deal:
We deal the first card to first base face down. Nobody sees it. For the next three table positions we deal the cards face up, they come T,T,A. Now we deal the first card to third base face down.
Now, we can see that the true count has dropped from the time we dealt to first base to the time we dealt to third base. But does it make any difference? No. Does the face down card at first base have a higher probability of being high than the one at third, by virtue of coming out of the shoe first? No.
If you were an outsider who now had the opportunity to bet on either hand, let's say the dealer has a six up, which hand would you prefer to bet on. Would you put your money on first base because he got that unseen card before third base?
Now: imagine that third base had not yet made a bet when these cards were dealt. He would now have more information and would bet smaller than first base had bet. He has better betting information and would have an advantage over first base. But, had first base known in advance that the three cards to follow his would all be tens or aces, he also would have bet smaller. But neither knew. Because they placed bets while having the same information available to them, the additional information makes no difference in edge.
One related example that I used the last time this came up. We have two sports bettors with equal handicapping ability and equal skill at betting. Both are going to place a bet on a game. Bettor #1 makes his bet first. After bettor #1 makes his bet a new list of injuries comes out. (this is analogous to the cards being dealt to the players between first and third) This would change the edge if it was available before he placed his wager. Now it is bettor #2's turn. If bettor #2 does not have any knowledge that a new injury list just came out, and he makes his bet based only on the same information that was available to bettor #1, then his edge is identicle. BUT, if he is able to look at the injury list before he bets then he has an edge by virtue of having better information. Bettor #1 may also have bet differently had he known this information in advance (as first base may have bet differently if he knew what cards were to follow his in advance).
While new information can change our edge in retrospect, it cannot change the edge we had a the time we placed our bet.