New to this

[WannabeCounter]

Hey people. I'm new to this site and just started practicing card counting. I'm not looking to get rich or anything, it's just a recreational thing.

I decided to learn counting (Hi/Lo) before BS because I thought it would be the hardest part to master. I do have 1 problem though: the only way I can count a deck in close to 30 seconds is when I put 3 cards down in front of me and count them as a group. Whenever I try and count a deck 1 by 1 I feel inclined to say the count after every card has been put down and this makes me count alot slower. Is this a big problem?

 

[cardcounter0]

Not a problem at all. Since you don't have an absolute solid foundation in basic strategy, it doesn't matter how you group flipped cards.

Much like someone learning to drive, who can't even steer a car in a straight line, asking for advice on the proper way to heel/toe the brake and clutch thru a banked s-curve.

Learn to walk, once you can walk, practice running. Then ask for advice about leaving the starting blocks.

 

[Kasi]

Is this a big problem?

No problem at all. There's plenty of time to count the cards at a table.
Probably most people use groups - maybe 2 cards becasue alot of time they will cancel out anyway and you don't even have to count them lol.

Counting is easy. Learning BS is easy. Coverting a RC to TC isn't really that hard. Or even maybe matter all that much if you are off by a little. Learning indexes maybe a little harder. It's just memorization - no math lol.

Betting your money, choosing how much and when, is the tricky part. All else pales in comparison lol.

 

[callipygian]

cardcounter0's advice is a little mean-spirited, but it's accurate.

Learn basic strategy first, for two reasons.

(1) You will naturally start to group cards together as you learn basic strategy, because certain combinations come up over and over again; 27T and T27 will be instantly recognizable while T72 will look weird.

(2) Basic strategy mistakes will hurt you more than counting mistakes will hurt you; you want to know basic strategy ice cold so that you can put your effort into things like good deck estimation and strategy change indices. If you have to think about whether you should double or hit A4 vs. 4, you're going to lose the count or miscount.

 

[mdlbj]

Deal 4 or 5 hands out and use the pairing method, much easier. This way you will start to see the BS play as you count.

Hey people. I'm new to this site and just started practicing card counting. I'm not looking to get rich or anything, it's just a recreational thing.

I decided to learn counting (Hi/Lo) before BS because I thought it would be the hardest part to master. I do have 1 problem though: the only way I can count a deck in close to 30 seconds is when I put 3 cards down in front of me and count them as a group. Whenever I try and count a deck 1 by 1 I feel inclined to say the count after every card has been put down and this makes me count alot slower. Is this a big problem?

 

[MartyAce]

I have to agree with Callipygian.

I think the first thing you need to do is learn basic strategy, by studying charts and just simply dealing out hands to yourself, and also even quizzes where parts of the strategy chart are blank and you fill it in.

Being able to play blackjack without thinking about what you need to do on your hand is vital to being able to count and bet optimally. If you are sitting there trying to decide if you are suppose to double on your soft 15 versus the dealer 4 then you won't be playing the best you can. (PS I didn't see callipygian using the same example as me, lol, seemed like a good one to use).

Learning basic strategy will also allow you to just know the card total of your hand (not the count, but your hand value), without having to sit there and say ok A+4+T+2 = 17.

The main message is you want to have to think about as little as you can while playing blackjack so you can (1) count accurately (2) don't look like your counting (3) can sit there and enjoy yourself.

 

[jaredmt]

well counting multiple cards at once is better but i thought it was still useful to be able to do 1 by 1 pretty fast too for when other players are hitting.

just do some brain exercises. count in ur head as fast as you can without even looking at cards. if you can say it fast in ur head then u'll have no problem doing 1 by 1 really fast

 

[rukus]

3-4 at a time is very useful

if you are sitting at 3rd base or close to it, you dont even have to look at the table at all until some players have already taken hit cards. great for when youre in the middle of a conversation with the pit or dealer or someone else.

 

[mdlbj]

This resembles a blackjackinstitute seminar....

I have to agree with Callipygian.

I think the first thing you need to do is learn basic strategy, by studying charts and just simply dealing out hands to yourself, and also even quizzes where parts of the strategy chart are blank and you fill it in.

Being able to play blackjack without thinking about what you need to do on your hand is vital to being able to count and bet optimally. If you are sitting there trying to decide if you are suppose to double on your soft 15 versus the dealer 4 then you won't be playing the best you can. (PS I didn't see callipygian using the same example as me, lol, seemed like a good one to use).

Learning basic strategy will also allow you to just know the card total of your hand (not the count, but your hand value), without having to sit there and say ok A+4+T+2 = 17.

The main message is you want to have to think about as little as you can while playing blackjack so you can (1) count accurately (2) don't look like your counting (3) can sit there and enjoy yourself.

 

[standard toaster]

Hey people. I'm new to this site and just started practicing card counting. I'm not looking to get rich or anything, it's just a recreational thing.

I decided to learn counting (Hi/Lo) before BS because I thought it would be the hardest part to master. I do have 1 problem though: the only way I can count a deck in close to 30 seconds is when I put 3 cards down in front of me and count them as a group. Whenever I try and count a deck 1 by 1 I feel inclined to say the count after every card has been put down and this makes me count alot slower. Is this a big problem?

the best thing for you truly at this point is to learn basic strategy becuase the counting part is useless without it.

that being said if you want to get your speed up just turn the deck upside down in your hand and shuffle through them pushing them into your other hand. this way you can go through a deck in about 15 seconds if you wish.

But dont judge your counting ability by your speed. Theres much more to it your just begining!

 

[sagefr0g]

..... I do have 1 problem though: the only way I can count a deck in close to 30 seconds is when I put 3 cards down in front of me and count them as a group. Whenever I try and count a deck 1 by 1 I feel inclined to say the count after every card has been put down and this makes me count alot slower. Is this a big problem?

an easy way to practice is just randomly remove three or so cards from a deck of cards, then fan the deck out on a table face up. then count your cards according to your count system. check your count against the removed cards. it's very easy and quick that way. does away with time wasted manually flipping cards.

 

[MartyAce]

This resembles a blackjackinstitute seminar....

Never went to any of those. My only real training has been several books and on and off contact with Bojack on these forums. That method just seemed like the most appropriate to me after teaching myself.

 

[mdlbj]

It is the best way to learn hands down. The pairs method took away the whole counting stress. Counting is the easy part.. Putting your bankroll into a place that is beneficial is what people should focus on.

Never went to any of those. My only real training has been several books and on and off contact with Bojack on these forums. That method just seemed like the most appropriate to me after teaching myself.

 

[takinfromindians97]

Hey people. I'm new to this site and just started practicing card counting. I'm not looking to get rich or anything, it's just a recreational thing.

I decided to learn counting (Hi/Lo) before BS because I thought it would be the hardest part to master. I do have 1 problem though: the only way I can count a deck in close to 30 seconds is when I put 3 cards down in front of me and count them as a group. Whenever I try and count a deck 1 by 1 I feel inclined to say the count after every card has been put down and this makes me count alot slower. Is this a big problem?

Maybe seeing as how you are slower to count you will be slower to convert to a TC. You should try an unbalanced like the kiss counts, k-o, or red 7. They are all level one and easy to learn, but do not require TC conversion.