I've been working on learning the Hi-lo count for a few weeks now. i can count down in around 26 seconds. i'm just wondering if someone could walk me through or fill me in on how they got started and what steps they took and how they practiced and for how long before actually hitting the casino. I've been through the faq thread a few times and read a lot but i just want to make sure i do this the right way.
Practice Tips?
- Thread starter Chadw026
- Start date
kewljason
Well-Known Member
there is no right answer for your question. Everyone is different. I personally practiced about a month every day for an hour or so before hitting the casino the first time. Then I found a slow dealer and it still took a couple trips before I began to get comfortable. Casino enviornment is very differnt from your computer or kitchen table. lol Now a days I play 3 or 4 days a week at the casino and still practice 30 minutes to an hour on off days.
Make sure you practice counting in pairs. Check out this site: http://www.lastresortconsulting.com/practice-class/counting/
It is much more valuable then counting down in 26 seconds. Then, back-count at a couple different tables before sitting down! Practice converting RC to TC and what you would be betting.
Good luck!
It is much more valuable then counting down in 26 seconds. Then, back-count at a couple different tables before sitting down! Practice converting RC to TC and what you would be betting.
Good luck!
SleightOfHand
Well-Known Member
LOL :laugh::laugh:InPlay said:
jack.jackson
Well-Known Member
Get more familiar, with the type of game you'll be playing. Primarily the number of decks in play, and secondly whether or not DAS is allowed, and if the Dealer hits S17 or not.Chadw026 said:
Make sure have BS and your counting down cold. Then proceed, by learning the TC. After you learn how to calculate the TC(I know a TC for dummies, if interested) you can now memorize the illustrious 18, and implement these with proper betting by the TC.
Feel free to ask any questions
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That's great that you can count down in 26 sec., that's the easy part, how's your accuracy? I would suggest you invest some money and purchase some of the books written by the true experts in the field. Not only for the count you are learning but to learn what or how the Pro's did in their career. In will provide some great insight into the game. Somewhere on the boards is a link with a list of must reads, if someone has it available maybe they would post it for you. For just a hundred bucks you can purchase half a dozen books that will be well worth your time to study.Chadw026 said:
You have the first step underway, so I would also suggest spending another $90 for CVBJ. You will find that you will use it for hours on end. It will help to speed up your recall of all the indices you intend to play with, you can use it to count down decks faster then you can do it by hand, and then you can practice using the life like BJ game. There is also CVST which is an add on to help you track the cards in a shuffle, but I found using the shuffle drill helped me to estimate deck size. The adjustable card thickness control makes it possible to match up a deck of cards on your screen so the size is accurate to real play. Deck estimation will become as easy as counting down a deck.
Once you have all the plays correct and the drills down, I would suggest spending a few hundred dollars more and purchase a sim program. I use CVDATA/CVCX. The two programs together will help you understand how the game you play is effected by any change such as penetration, missing cards, adjustments in indices, and too much more to list. CVCX will create the optimum betting strategy that works best for the game you play. You can make modifications to the strategy to see how alternating betting, opposition betting, and many other modifications to the optimum will effect your outcome.
Take a stack of 3x5 cards, cut them in half and make them into flashcards of all your indices to take with you. The'll be no larger then a deck of cards, maybe a bit thicker, and you can study from them all day.
Once you have a better understanding of all thats involved in playing a winning game then visit your local store with a small stake and see how you do. You may decide to play all or wong, but at least by running the sims and seeing for yourself the results, you will have taught yourself based on accurate information to make the perfect decisions.
And by all means, do not steam, do not get angry, do not get greedy, do not use your intuition, do not use your gut, and expect to lose too (sometimes).
Take this next note from someone whom really had a hard time with it.....
BE DISIPLINED!
Without disipline your not going to make it.
All totaled from the list above, you spent less then $500 on a new hobby which may be profitable for you in the long run.
I wish you the best.
BJC
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thanks for all the helpful insight. I just want to say i never knew how addicting bj could be. when i started playing i figured it would just be a once in a while thing to do with my friends but once i got into it its become an obsession really. i really respect everyone that takes the time to work towards improving their game and also helping others to improve at the same time.
Pelerus
Well-Known Member
One tip that I found helpful: make sure, after you have practiced counting down a deck in ones (as you have done) and twos, you also practice playing hands while counting. Counting without thinking about anything else is one thing, but it becomes a bit more challenging when you also have to play hands regularly and with perfect BS while doing so.
I would even suggest timing yourself for this activity as well. Specifically, playing through a deck with two hands (one dealer and one player) per round, making sure that you have a RC of 0 at the end as usual. I think that you should be able to do this in probably around 1.5-2 minutes, compared to 25-20 seconds for straight counting a deck.
At least you don't have to worry about calculating payouts! (Though if you are masochistic, you could add that in later...)
I would even suggest timing yourself for this activity as well. Specifically, playing through a deck with two hands (one dealer and one player) per round, making sure that you have a RC of 0 at the end as usual. I think that you should be able to do this in probably around 1.5-2 minutes, compared to 25-20 seconds for straight counting a deck.
At least you don't have to worry about calculating payouts! (Though if you are masochistic, you could add that in later...)