Any tips for getting better at counting?

[theACEofSP4DES]

Right now I am using afrograff's online CC practicer, and it is a great tool first off, so thanks Afrograff. I've tried counting cards in the past, but I never really had my mind set on it. Lately, I've really been wanting to get better at CC, and possible in the future (long future) hit some Casinos up.

My problem is is that I just get confused when counting cards. I am a smart guy, and really good with math, but say Im running that program on a speed of 4 (thats the right speed for me at the moment), I get confused when 7, 8, or 9s pop up and then I have to remember no to count those, and I get behind and eventually lose count.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for getting better and being able get good at it. My goal is to be able to count at a speed of 10 on that program by the end of next month (realistic or not?), and if anyone has any tips on accomplishing that, I ask that you please let me know. Thanks!

[wvbjplayer]

Originally Posted by theACEofSP4DES

Right now I am using afrograff's online CC practicer, and it is a great tool first off, so thanks Afrograff. I've tried counting cards in the past, but I never really had my mind set on it. Lately, I've really been wanting to get better at CC, and possible in the future (long future) hit some Casinos up.

My problem is is that I just get confused when counting cards. I am a smart guy, and really good with math, but say Im running that program on a speed of 4 (thats the right speed for me at the moment), I get confused when 7, 8, or 9s pop up and then I have to remember no to count those, and I get behind and eventually lose count.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for getting better and being able get good at it. My goal is to be able to count at a speed of 10 on that program by the end of next month (realistic or not?), and if anyone has any tips on accomplishing that, I ask that you please let me know. Thanks!

Sure: count down a (shuffled) deck of cards over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. Then, once you can do that in 25-30 seconds, count down 2 decks of cards shuffled together over and over and over and over and over and over again. Then, once you can do that in 50-60 seconds, add another deck. And then another, until you can proficiently count down as many decks as you'll have to at the casino you intend to visit.

Also, on your kitchen or dining room table, deal 4-6 hands for 4-6 imaginary players (and one for the dealer), then, while keeping the count, play out the hands as good players would following basic strategy. Play through 4-6 decks at a normal speed (3-5 mins per deck) to simulate a real shoe as it would be dealt in a real casino. (It would be helpful to HAVE a real shoe, by the way; I actually bought one just for that purpose.)

When you can successfully nail the count (perhaps allowing a tiny margin of error of 1-2) at the end of each of five consecutive shoes, you're probably ready to try counting at a low-limit ($5-10) table.

Hope this advice helps.

wvbjplayer

[theACEofSP4DES]

Thanks for the advice, but Im just wondering if anyone does this. I switch the - and + in the hi-lo count, so 10-A are +1 and 2-6 are -1. Less confusing for me, so if it works for me Im guessing I should stick with that, right?

[rollem411]

Originally Posted by theACEofSP4DES

Thanks for the advice, but Im just wondering if anyone does this. I switch the - and + in the hi-lo count, so 10-A are +1 and 2-6 are -1. Less confusing for me, so if it works for me Im guessing I should stick with that, right?

Generally, I think people mess up the RC more in negative counts than in positive. The disadvantage here would be that if you mess up, it will effect your max bets and not your minimum bets and have a greater impact on your results...you will be overbetting or underbetting. If you prefer working with negatives, then I'd continue to do it your way, but I see it only as something working against you.

[ChefJJ]

Originally Posted by theACEofSP4DES

Thanks for the advice, but Im just wondering if anyone does this. I switch the - and + in the hi-lo count, so 10-A are +1 and 2-6 are -1. Less confusing for me, so if it works for me Im guessing I should stick with that, right?

You just have to keep at it. There's nothing like practice and more practice to memorize how to do something. Once the strategy training gets the count ingrained in your head, you need to count with cards to get those rules ingrained with what you'll be using at the casino...cards. By dealing out several hands in a game-like situation, you can learn to simplify the count by combining cards in hands that get dealt and get used to other little tricks like that.

good luck

Practice, practice, practice.

[vonQuux]

Originally Posted by theACEofSP4DES

Thanks for the advice, but Im just wondering if anyone does this. I switch the - and + in the hi-lo count, so 10-A are +1 and 2-6 are -1. Less confusing for me, so if it works for me Im guessing I should stick with that, right?

I tried doing the exact same thing (and for the same reasons) but after only a day of doing it the "right" way, I found it to be perfectly comfortable. Just think of the big cards as negative (because they are, the less you see of them on the table, the better off you are).

The fool-proof way is to simply carry a deck of cards with you everywhere. When you have a spare moment, when you're waiting for something, when you're taking a dump, flip through a stack. Don't try doing it fast at first, just do it at the speed where you can "keep up" and your speed will increase naturally.

vQ

[wvbjplayer]

Originally Posted by theACEofSP4DES

Thanks for the advice, but Im just wondering if anyone does this. I switch the - and + in the hi-lo count, so 10-A are +1 and 2-6 are -1. Less confusing for me, so if it works for me Im guessing I should stick with that, right?

Yes, I, too, originally counted big cards as positive and small cards as negative, b/c I, too, found it less confusing (big = plus and small = minus, right? seems intuitive). But, eventually, the more I practiced and played in real casinos, the more I came to understand why counters traditionally use the opposite method: big cards tend to spill out sooner and faster, and when they do, immediately setting the count at something like -6 or -7, you can simply drop the plus/minus sign in your head and simply add/subtract; there will be no confusion about which side of 0 you're on at any given moment. If you keep doing it the way you're doing it now, you'll find yourself getting tripped up on whether you're still in the positive or have slipped into the negative, and by how much. This may sound weird, but if you do it long enough, you'll see what I mean.

Also, as another poster astutely pointed out, big cards really ARE negative, in the sense that counters don't want to see them early on. They want to see them later, when they're coming out in huge clumps, making 20s & bj's everywhere, w/ big money down on the felt. Try thinking of it this way and, I suspect, you'll naturally want to assign a plus value to small cards.

wvbjplayer