Someone suggested that instead of playing in OK, that I practice by back counting at the casino I go to quite often. Last night was a good opportunity to do exactly that. The table (the only table open last night) was full and there were a dozen people on the waiting list. The tables are the tall ones and there was a guy in a wheelchair sitting in the center of the table. Next to him, sat a guy I'd seen on the table several times who was flat betting $15 a hand and losing his butt.
At the end of a shoe, I went to get a cup of coffee. They hand shuffle and it's a very slow process, especially last night as they were breaking in a new dealer. Took forever! Anyway, when I got to the coffee dispenser, this guy who was flat betting came up behind me and said that he had been watching me the past few weeks and noticed that I had changed my betting habits and seemed to be betting minimums until the end of the shoe and then sometimes max out my bet! I had to sort of smile at that. With KO, starting with a -20 count, it takes a while to get favorable (-4) if it ever gets favorable.
I told him I was practicing counting and that it was toward the end of the shoe that you most often got the chance to ramp your bets. He really didn't believe that much in counting. He'd been told by casino employees that it was "impossible" to count a 6-deck shoe. So I told him I'd back count for him. Just told him to start out the shoe with a low bet and I'd tell him when to increase it by kicking his stool. I'd tap him on the back (hand resting on the back of his chair while standing behind him) when I wanted him to lower his bet.
We did this the next shoe. It took forever to get through that shoe. The new dealer was stopped frequently by the pit boss to explain nuances of the dealer's role at the table so it was really a drag. I understand now the discussion we had here about slow dealers throwing rhythm off! As the shoe progressed to a little more than half way thru, the count got higher than -4 and I kicked the guy's chair. He bumped his bet but it wasn't enough so I kicked it again! He looked at me like I was crazy! But he stuck it out and won. It stayed high until the last couple of hands. He won more than he lost and when the smoke cleared and we were back at the coffee machine again, he said he'd won $105 on that shoe.
The next shoe, I sat at a chair on the empty table, not counting for him. However, I had tried to explain KO to him. I mean, how simple can it get? He went to his chair and tried to count but he was so lost after the first few hands! It was insane man! I have no idea how much he lost on that shoe, but after it was over, he had colored up and left the table. I asked him what happened and he said, "I don't know, I'd get a really good count but all that was falling was low cards. There at the beginning, all that was falling was face cards and it didn't take but 4 or 5 hands to get to a positive count!" Oh, My! Further discussion with him revealed that he had no idea how to work with negative numbers! I think I finally got it across to him that it was like reading a thermometer with the temp below zero. I could see a glimmer of a light bulb behind his eyes, but he left so I don't know if he will try to get it down or not!
Some people just need to stick with slot machines.
At the end of a shoe, I went to get a cup of coffee. They hand shuffle and it's a very slow process, especially last night as they were breaking in a new dealer. Took forever! Anyway, when I got to the coffee dispenser, this guy who was flat betting came up behind me and said that he had been watching me the past few weeks and noticed that I had changed my betting habits and seemed to be betting minimums until the end of the shoe and then sometimes max out my bet! I had to sort of smile at that. With KO, starting with a -20 count, it takes a while to get favorable (-4) if it ever gets favorable.
I told him I was practicing counting and that it was toward the end of the shoe that you most often got the chance to ramp your bets. He really didn't believe that much in counting. He'd been told by casino employees that it was "impossible" to count a 6-deck shoe. So I told him I'd back count for him. Just told him to start out the shoe with a low bet and I'd tell him when to increase it by kicking his stool. I'd tap him on the back (hand resting on the back of his chair while standing behind him) when I wanted him to lower his bet.
We did this the next shoe. It took forever to get through that shoe. The new dealer was stopped frequently by the pit boss to explain nuances of the dealer's role at the table so it was really a drag. I understand now the discussion we had here about slow dealers throwing rhythm off! As the shoe progressed to a little more than half way thru, the count got higher than -4 and I kicked the guy's chair. He bumped his bet but it wasn't enough so I kicked it again! He looked at me like I was crazy! But he stuck it out and won. It stayed high until the last couple of hands. He won more than he lost and when the smoke cleared and we were back at the coffee machine again, he said he'd won $105 on that shoe.
The next shoe, I sat at a chair on the empty table, not counting for him. However, I had tried to explain KO to him. I mean, how simple can it get? He went to his chair and tried to count but he was so lost after the first few hands! It was insane man! I have no idea how much he lost on that shoe, but after it was over, he had colored up and left the table. I asked him what happened and he said, "I don't know, I'd get a really good count but all that was falling was low cards. There at the beginning, all that was falling was face cards and it didn't take but 4 or 5 hands to get to a positive count!" Oh, My! Further discussion with him revealed that he had no idea how to work with negative numbers! I think I finally got it across to him that it was like reading a thermometer with the temp below zero. I could see a glimmer of a light bulb behind his eyes, but he left so I don't know if he will try to get it down or not!
Some people just need to stick with slot machines.
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