i need help determining how many remaining decks are left. the link in the topic "free counting resources on web" doesn't work for me because the pictures don't show up. does any one have tips or links that could help me with this. also i can't get a friend or family member to help cause they are all either busy or not interested in blackjack. any help is appreciated thanks.
remaining deck help!
Do what I did. Go to Walmart and buy 21 decks of cards. Go home and stack them on your coffee table or someplace where you can stare at them all the time. Stack them in piles of 1 deck, 2 decks, 3 decks, 4 decks, 5 decks. Then take a pile of 6 decks and practice cutting out 1 deck, 1.5 decks, 2.5 decks, etc until you get really good at estimating decks played. I also purchased a 6 deck discard tray like they have at the casino and blindly grab random handfuls and stack them in the discard tray. Once in the tray guess how many cards are there. If you leave the cards in a specific order it's easy to tell how close you are. You'll be amazed at how accurate you can become in a relatively short amount of time.
I'm not a big fan of computer simulations for deck estimation. Good luck.
I'm not a big fan of computer simulations for deck estimation. Good luck.
variables
Nothing wrong with Mr smiths suggestions.
Cards can be different sizes across casinos. In a casino it should be easy to visualize half the shoe 3/6. A third of a shoe 2/6. Also, if you see the cut you know where the cut card is. If playing a 1.5 cut game and you are at the last few hands, probably 2 decks left, especially if what is in the discard looks twice as big.
Finally, for straight counting exact TC not critical.
Nothing wrong with Mr smiths suggestions.
Cards can be different sizes across casinos. In a casino it should be easy to visualize half the shoe 3/6. A third of a shoe 2/6. Also, if you see the cut you know where the cut card is. If playing a 1.5 cut game and you are at the last few hands, probably 2 decks left, especially if what is in the discard looks twice as big.
Finally, for straight counting exact TC not critical.
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Visualizing a 4-deck stack
Most cards stack so that a 4-deck-high chunk is exactly as high as the narrow side (width) of a single card.
For some reason, this is harder to judge than you'd think, but if you practice with a four-deck stack with a card leaning against it, you might really appreciate the comparison - I know I did.
Also: a 1.5-deck chunk tends to look bigger than it is. Practice viewing a 78-card stack from as many angles as possible. Ditto with a two-deck stack.
Most cards stack so that a 4-deck-high chunk is exactly as high as the narrow side (width) of a single card.
For some reason, this is harder to judge than you'd think, but if you practice with a four-deck stack with a card leaning against it, you might really appreciate the comparison - I know I did.
Also: a 1.5-deck chunk tends to look bigger than it is. Practice viewing a 78-card stack from as many angles as possible. Ditto with a two-deck stack.