Hi BJInfo Forums,
I'm a ploppy, and require hundreds of hours of study and practice to become an AP. I can quickly keep track of the running count and am reasonably accurate with deck estimation. My greatest challenge is quickly converting to the true count. After searching for a free elementary school type program to accommodate my needs, I decided to make it myself in Excel...
...so I made a spreadsheet that looks like this:
A. Configuration
The user can specify game conditions, a range of running counts, deck estimation precision at 2 different levels, and true count rounding methods.
B. Drill
This is the test question. The answer is the true count. This assumes the user already knows the running count and remaining decks. In this way, it is different from many other training programs, which may have the user count cards and view a discard tray. Rather, this is a simple and specific math exercise.
C. Test Generator
This is the only difference between the two attachments. The macro enabled file requires the user to "trust" the macro. As an alternative, I have included a version that uses a list (with only one option) to generate a new test. Using the macro enabled version, one click on the green button will return a random "Running Count" and "Remaining Decks" based on the user configuration. The user can easily run 2,000 tests an hour, if they were so inclined. The calculations and true count in section D will also be refreshed.
D. Answer
This area is designed to be indecipherable unless the user is focusing on the text. This drill is based on the honor system; nothing hides the answer. The test all occurs in the user's head. There is no multiple choice or log of results. The user simply looks at the remaining decks and running count, does the calculation in their head, then peeks to the lower right of the spreadsheet to see if they are correct. Some different methods of arriving at the true count are displayed.
This spreadsheet is designed to be very simple. I made it using Excel 2007, but it should work in earlier versions. Please let me know if you find any errors or have any suggestions for small improvements.
Best wishes,
nsw
I'm a ploppy, and require hundreds of hours of study and practice to become an AP. I can quickly keep track of the running count and am reasonably accurate with deck estimation. My greatest challenge is quickly converting to the true count. After searching for a free elementary school type program to accommodate my needs, I decided to make it myself in Excel...
...so I made a spreadsheet that looks like this:
A. Configuration
The user can specify game conditions, a range of running counts, deck estimation precision at 2 different levels, and true count rounding methods.
B. Drill
This is the test question. The answer is the true count. This assumes the user already knows the running count and remaining decks. In this way, it is different from many other training programs, which may have the user count cards and view a discard tray. Rather, this is a simple and specific math exercise.
C. Test Generator
This is the only difference between the two attachments. The macro enabled file requires the user to "trust" the macro. As an alternative, I have included a version that uses a list (with only one option) to generate a new test. Using the macro enabled version, one click on the green button will return a random "Running Count" and "Remaining Decks" based on the user configuration. The user can easily run 2,000 tests an hour, if they were so inclined. The calculations and true count in section D will also be refreshed.
D. Answer
This area is designed to be indecipherable unless the user is focusing on the text. This drill is based on the honor system; nothing hides the answer. The test all occurs in the user's head. There is no multiple choice or log of results. The user simply looks at the remaining decks and running count, does the calculation in their head, then peeks to the lower right of the spreadsheet to see if they are correct. Some different methods of arriving at the true count are displayed.
This spreadsheet is designed to be very simple. I made it using Excel 2007, but it should work in earlier versions. Please let me know if you find any errors or have any suggestions for small improvements.
Best wishes,
nsw
