Newbie starting counting..

Was looking to start a thread for newbies that want to know how to start and what people think are the the best ways of progressing with learning BJ and cardcounting.

It's just on the threads on Blackjack they seem quite confusing with all these different strategies poeple use.

I haven't been doing it properly for long enough so would like people to list how they did it.

So far I've learnt basic and played a bit but am going to get Casino Veritas and practice on that for a while before I go into a casino again.

I've also ordered 12 decks of Casino Cards and a Dealer shoe to practice at home.

Is it better to learn card counting in a casino ie watch and do the count yourself without betting?

If you've got any mates interested in it, they could deal to you and you could keep the count. I would ignore betting first, and maybe don't even play the hands, just see if you can count a table (5-7 hands) in 5 - 10 seconds. Use the pairs to cancel out. I think counting a table is much more realistic than just counting down a deck. Once you've got this, try playing the hands whilst keeping the count. Then try betting.

Casino Verete is very good for practicing, and you might be able to try shuffle tracking... once you get good.