Play and Count

iDoc

New Member
Can somebody give me some tips?

I'm learning the Hi/Lo count and when I practice at home I have found it difficult to keep count while i'm playing. After I play my hand I forget what the count was. It's like when you're counting your pennies and then somebody ask you "Hey, whats on channel 27?" "28,29,30....Damn you made me lose count."

How can I keep it straight especially when you get a complicated hand (like one with multiple A's or splits)? What do you guys do mentally in your head. What are the steps you take to play your hand and count cards?
 

Harman

Well-Known Member
...

When I play, i let all the cards get dealt, and then quickly add them up, using the pairs to cancel out etc. This is why i find it best to sit at a far base. This means you can talk whilst the cards get dealt. When you add them up, try and put them in a bit of your brain where you can remember them. Keep practicing this. Then you can talk, and just make adjustments to this number as people hit.
Do the same with the nexts hands and........





PRACTICE!!!!!!!
 

jack.jackson

Well-Known Member
Break it down!

iDoc said:
Can somebody give me some tips?

I'm learning the Hi/Lo count and when I practice at home I have found it difficult to keep count while i'm playing. After I play my hand I forget what the count was. It's like when you're counting your pennies and then somebody ask you "Hey, whats on channel 27?" "28,29,30....Damn you made me lose count."

How can I keep it straight especially when you get a complicated hand (like one with multiple A's or splits)? What do you guys do mentally in your head. What are the steps you take to play your hand and count cards?
This may seem a little strange, but half of my practice, is just sitting around running numbers through my head.

Card counting Involves different areas of practice:

1. Learn two-card combos down cold.

2. Learn all Indices down cold.

3. Visually practice all Intergers, in Increment's of two from -30 to +30, and vice-versa. This really helps later on.

4. Study and practice, TC divisions, when just sitting around. Both for betting and play of hands.

5. Play all ghost hands, if any, according to the count, to enhance practice skills.

6. Know in advance how your going to be betting your money.

7. Now put it all together.

ps.Ever seen karate kid,pt.1 Its just like that.
 

Bojack1

Well-Known Member
iDoc said:
Can somebody give me some tips?

I'm learning the Hi/Lo count and when I practice at home I have found it difficult to keep count while i'm playing. After I play my hand I forget what the count was. It's like when you're counting your pennies and then somebody ask you "Hey, whats on channel 27?" "28,29,30....Damn you made me lose count."

How can I keep it straight especially when you get a complicated hand (like one with multiple A's or splits)? What do you guys do mentally in your head. What are the steps you take to play your hand and count cards?
The best advice I could tell you is to practice until what is conscience effort now becomes habit. As many will tell you there are steps to getting there. First off learn basic strategy until there is no hesitation or real thought put into your playing decisions. This will free up the thought process to function with less effort. Then practice counting until seeing groups of cards will appear as numbers and not cards. What I mean by this is compare it to reading. At this point in your life does reading a stop sign take any real conscience effort? I hope not. The reason being you have gained through learning and repetition the ability to read without having to think. Thats what counting can be like, its reading cards, but actually easier. Once you learn the counting system of your choice, the tags for the numbers will never change regardless of the order they come out in. There are many different rules that change sounds of letters in the alphabet when reading, not so when reading numbers. If you put the time in to really learn what you are doing you will see what I am talking about. Some people say they will use distractions when practicing like playing loud music. Okay, but don't try to tune out the music, tune it in and sing along with song. Do this while counting. You can read when doing other tasks correct? Well that means you can do it while counting too.

Most that I have met or helped with counting have the same problems you have. Its just my opinion but I think as we get older there is almost a feeling that we won't learn much more than we already know. What I mean by this is at a certain age we believe we know all the basic fundamentals and as far as they go there is nothing else to know. As a child we are students that are sponges for information that we drill into are heads until it is second nature. We are not born with the ability to read, but there is not a normal literate adult who can remember what its like to not to be able to read. Think of counting as reading and not math and I assure you it will come easier to you. It might not come to you right away, so what, the numbers aren't going to change on you in the meantime.
 

playforall

New Member
jack said:
This may seem a little strange, but half of my practice, is just sitting around running numbers through my head.

Card counting Involves different areas of practice:

1. Learn two-card combos down cold.

2. Learn all Indices down cold.

3. Visually practice all Intergers, in Increment's of two from -30 to +30, and vice-versa. This really helps later on.

4. Study and practice, TC divisions, when just sitting around. Both for betting and play of hands.

5. Play all ghost hands, if any, according to the count, to enhance practice skills.

6. Know in advance how your going to be betting your money.

7. Now put it all together.

ps.Ever seen karate kid,pt.1 Its just like that.

thanks for your information i will follow these tips from now onwards
 
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