After 6 Months Of Practice...I Failed In The Real World.

[A.L.F.]

I can count 5 out of 5 decks in a row flawlessly at 25 seconds each. I've been practicing on CVBJ non-stop for 6 months. I know KO Full in my sleep...but when the chips hit the felt in the real world for the first time, I kept losing the count.

I don't get it: I was pretty good in the "laboratory"...but played two Red sessions about 4-5 shoes each time and something always distracted me to lose the count. Usually, it was having to talk to players or the dealer that did me in.

1. Did anyone else have this same problem when they started?

2. What worked for you?

3. What's the remedy for me based on what you've read: is it just more real-world live play--or is it more CVBJ counting drills (single decks or six decks start to finish) before I go again?

Thanks in advance,

A.L.F.

[InPlay]

Originally Posted by A.L.F.

I can count 5 out of 5 decks in a row flawlessly at 25 seconds each. I've been practicing on CVBJ non-stop for 6 months. I know KO Full in my sleep...but when the chips hit the felt in the real world for the first time, I kept losing the count.

I don't get it: I was pretty good in the "laboratory"...but played two Red sessions about 4-5 shoes each time and something always distracted me to lose the count. Usually, it was having to talk to players or the dealer that did me in.

1. Did anyone else have this same problem when they started?

2. What worked for you?

3. What's the remedy for me based on what you've read: is it just more real-world live play--or is it more CVBJ counting drills (single decks or six decks start to finish) before I go again?

Thanks in advance,

A.L.F.

I can count 5 out of 5 decks in a row flawlessly at about 35 seconds each. No need for speed for me. Is a dealer going to deal you a deck in 25 seconds ? It's way overated ! I don't see the point but I am sure a lot of people will tell you the opposite. Try bringing a Lucky Charm with you to the casino next time. Just keep plugging along you have just started.

[KOLAN]

1.no body dont pay you becos you count wery quikly
2.it is only 47%-48% to win if true count is +5+6

[takinfromindians97]

The only way to get good in the casinos im sorry to say my friend, is to actually put in hours in the casino. Nothing your gonna do at home no amount of practice and no matter how fast you can count a deck doesnt do anything for actual casino play. Yea it makes it so counting is natural to you but you have to put that together with alot of other things that just take time and experience. Its the only way to get good in live casino play, everyone has trouble when they start off we just put in our hours. Another thing too, I agree with Inplay on this one STOP WITH THE COUNTING WITH A TIMER, it doesnt really have any value to count down 5 decks in 25 seconds each, spend your time elsewhere, like playing in the casino.No matter what dont think that what you do at home will simulate what happens in the casino. You have drink girls coming up you have to tip,dealers talking to you, pit bosses wanting your card, hot girls walking by, drunk idiots, way to many things for you to ever possibly properly prepare for. SO like we all did just get your stripes on the battlefield, see ya in the trenches

[KOLAN]

Originally Posted by A.L.F.

I can count 5 out of 5 decks in a row flawlessly at 25 seconds each. I've been practicing on CVBJ non-stop for 6 months. I know KO Full in my sleep...but when the chips hit the felt in the real world for the first time, I kept losing the count.

I don't get it: I was pretty good in the "laboratory"...but played two Red sessions about 4-5 shoes each time and something always distracted me to lose the count. Usually, it was having to talk to players or the dealer that did me in.

1. Did anyone else have this same problem when they started?

2. What worked for you?

3. What's the remedy for me based on what you've read: is it just more real-world live play--or is it more CVBJ counting drills (single decks or six decks start to finish) before I go again?

Thanks in advance,

A.L.F.

spend 2-5 days only count not bet
after no girls no dealer can stop you.

[Canceler]

Originally Posted by A.L.F.

1. Did anyone else have this same problem when they started?

You betcha!

Originally Posted by A.L.F.

2. What worked for you?

Having someone deal hands to me while I practiced playing and counting helped a lot.

Originally Posted by A.L.F.

3. just more real-world live play

That one.

[bjtocki]

Yes, everybody will experience the same. The speed is really no use in the real environment because the players (ploppies) will almost always slow the game down. I counted down a deck in 17 seconds before hitting the casino, but I realized that doing so within 45 seconds is all you need for speed.

The drill you've done in the lab will payoff very soon. I practiced like 4 months before hitting it. For me, it took me 7 trips to get used to all the distractions. I was able to estimate the decks quite accurately after a lot of practice for Hi-Lo at home (I bought the used casino cards from Amazon, they are quite different from the ones you buy at the store), but on the first trip, I couldn't believe that I had a hard time to even figure out if the table game was 6 or 8 decks after sitting on the table! I think the nervousness have blurred my vision, it's incredible.

Now I can tell if it's single to 8 decks miles away.

[blackchipjim]

One word to you alf is to learn to relax and take the whole thing in. The best way to remember the count is to word associate the number such as a dozen=12 sweet 16, sex =6 that way you can carry a conversation and remember the word. It does take practice and hours to refine your shitck so you look natural and not preoccupied good luck to you. blackchipjim

[Tarzan]

Some 25 years ago, I started practicing and learning my count, reading, etc. I never walked into an actual casino until I felt I was ready to rock'n'roll. I had it down to a science by the time I played my first hand in the casino, complete with charts, statistical data, notes, you name it and I prepared for it! My count was dead accurate, dead on... never off by even one card.

All except for one thing that I HADN'T prepared for! The noises, distractions, etc. I found that the clanging and bells of the slot machines in the background had a definitve disorienting effect on me, the lights were a distraction, along the people and scrutiny. I found that where I had been able to keep an exact count and never go off by even one card, suddenly I was losing the exact count in the actual casino conditions! This was alarming to me and I then started to create diversions and noise while practicing flipping cards at home, take phone calls, whatever... it still took a long time to be able to block out things to focus on what I was doing, maybe about a year or so of infrequent trips.

After a time the lights, the background noise, the distractions are all easily blocked out and you acclimate to be functional in this environment. Anymore nothing has any effect on me and the waitress could whip out her breasts and start singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the top of her lungs and I won't lose focus or lose the count. The Pit Boss could do cartwheels across the pit while John Phillip Sousa style marching band tunes blast in the background and I will not lose focus or lose the count. Purple flying monkeys could come flying out from the ceiling and...okay... you get the idea.

[StandardDeviant]

Originally Posted by A.L.F.

I can count 5 out of 5 decks in a row flawlessly at 25 seconds each. I've been practicing on CVBJ non-stop for 6 months.

I am at about the same spot as you and having some of the same issues. I am also using CVBJ for practice. I find that I have to get in the casino environment to really practice.

It's sorta like learning a new language. You can listen to all the tape and read the books on grammar, but you have to get immersion to bring it all together.

I get to the casino as often as I can, and play at the table minimums for practice. Sometimes I play a shoe using just BS. Other times I'll count and do some modest bet ramp up and down, but not the full spreads I will do when I'm more confident of the count. Also I'm playing 2-3 hour sessions, and I don't want to sit there that long with large bet spreads. I'm not trying to make money now, I'm trying to learn and practice. The money will come later.

One thing I've thought about but haven't tried yet is using CVBJ with some distractions, like playing iTunes at the same time. Another thing I want to work at is having phone conversations while counting.

I am also finding, and I don't quite know how to explain this, but if I don't say the count to myself but just visualize the count, it is somewhat easier to deal with distractions. I use the word "visualize" but actually it's not visualization. I just find that after playing a while I can look at the cards and know the count without saying it to myself. It's a little bit like when we speak; we don't think about the words, they just come out. When I am able to do that in counting it quite a rush.

And one closing thought. Stop saying to yourself that you've failed. You only fail if you quit. If you keep at it, you'll get there, and so will I. It just takes time and practice, practice, practice.