Having put in a considerable amount of time as a counting player. I have noticed some intersting things about my personal counting abilities that I wanted to share with the group in the hopes that they might stimulate some discussion that will have value to all. I hope that this is not too personal a treatise that it does not have broader applicability to everyone who reads it. I also apologize if it is too long.
I do not have a particularly mathmetical orientation although I am very math able. Numbers are okay but, I think more visually as an architect. In my work as an architectect I can add and substract profficiently in units of feet and inches -- down to quarters. All the while doing conversions in my head of 1/4's , 1/2's of inches and then of inches as being 12th's of feet. I can also multiply in feet and inches ( converting inches to decimals as an intermediate step) to arrive at areas.
My statistical background is from a Masters degree that I earned in City and Regional Planning.
In one way I feel like chosing a counting system is an investment because you have to acquire the system, internalize it, practice it and then profficiency takes time too. I think the most critical consideration in choosing a system is that it is suited to your playing style , abilities and to your game and that it will win for you in the long run.
SO, mathemetical results aside I believe that different systems gives you different experiential insights into the game. For example, I think Hi-Lo demonstrates the basic value of 10's and the burden of 5's and 6's,
a 2 level system adds a greater precision to the value of intermediate cards that I was not aware of until I tried Omega II. It let me look at Aces differently in a more dynamic way too. I could definitely feel the power of the system while I was using it. I did find it quite mentally taxing over time though.
From KO I found a kind of visual way of seeing at the dynamic of the shoe. I have felt at times like I am watching an apple card tipping slowly until the center of gravity shifts and it goes beyond the pivot point and all the apples come tumbling out. It really has helped me to visulaize the fluctuation in the cards as the count travels along the average distribution line from beginning of shoe to end.
The unabalnced system to me is like a taking CAT Scan of the shoe and seeing its internal composition and dynamics.
At this point I am thinking that my results may be suffering from the lack of power of this system though.
Two recent postings by T Hopper and Zengrifter have inspired me and in my most recent outing at the tables I tried out a new counting technique. Same KO sytem
The postings (http://www.cardcounter.com/main.pl?noframes;read=2168) related to side counting and using letters as numbers--- Link by TH, and mnemonic systems----Link by ZG. These led me to draw on an ability that I have of counting using hebrew letters. I have been doing this since I was a kid and so the letters are almost the same as numbers to me.
In my recent outing I was using letters and numbers interchangeably, adding and subtracting in both systems at the same time. The results I found were
a. No amount of number calling by other players or the dealer could shake the count out of my head or make me uncertain as to whether I had not gotten derailed and lost the count.... That ever happen to you ? I was totally sure at every moment what the count was.
b. If I saw an interruption coming on ( fill of dealer's chip tray, new player buying in, change of dealer, dispute resolution , etc....) I immediately converted the count to letters and locked it in through the pause.
c. Expanded grey matter capacity. It was as though two numbering systems gave me twice the mental capacity . I felt no counting or playing decision stress through the play. I started playing word games in my mind using the same letters I was counting with.. It is like how it is much easier to remember all the words in a 10 word sentance than a series of 10 unrelated numbers.
Thanks both TH and ZG
If this gives anyone any ideas about how they might expand their grey matter ability while counting, I would like to hear about it
I think that using this method I can easily handle a 2 level system with a side count. I think I would like to stay with unbalanced. Anyone have any suggestions ??
Brad
I do not have a particularly mathmetical orientation although I am very math able. Numbers are okay but, I think more visually as an architect. In my work as an architectect I can add and substract profficiently in units of feet and inches -- down to quarters. All the while doing conversions in my head of 1/4's , 1/2's of inches and then of inches as being 12th's of feet. I can also multiply in feet and inches ( converting inches to decimals as an intermediate step) to arrive at areas.
My statistical background is from a Masters degree that I earned in City and Regional Planning.
In one way I feel like chosing a counting system is an investment because you have to acquire the system, internalize it, practice it and then profficiency takes time too. I think the most critical consideration in choosing a system is that it is suited to your playing style , abilities and to your game and that it will win for you in the long run.
SO, mathemetical results aside I believe that different systems gives you different experiential insights into the game. For example, I think Hi-Lo demonstrates the basic value of 10's and the burden of 5's and 6's,
a 2 level system adds a greater precision to the value of intermediate cards that I was not aware of until I tried Omega II. It let me look at Aces differently in a more dynamic way too. I could definitely feel the power of the system while I was using it. I did find it quite mentally taxing over time though.
From KO I found a kind of visual way of seeing at the dynamic of the shoe. I have felt at times like I am watching an apple card tipping slowly until the center of gravity shifts and it goes beyond the pivot point and all the apples come tumbling out. It really has helped me to visulaize the fluctuation in the cards as the count travels along the average distribution line from beginning of shoe to end.
The unabalnced system to me is like a taking CAT Scan of the shoe and seeing its internal composition and dynamics.
At this point I am thinking that my results may be suffering from the lack of power of this system though.
Two recent postings by T Hopper and Zengrifter have inspired me and in my most recent outing at the tables I tried out a new counting technique. Same KO sytem
The postings (http://www.cardcounter.com/main.pl?noframes;read=2168) related to side counting and using letters as numbers--- Link by TH, and mnemonic systems----Link by ZG. These led me to draw on an ability that I have of counting using hebrew letters. I have been doing this since I was a kid and so the letters are almost the same as numbers to me.
In my recent outing I was using letters and numbers interchangeably, adding and subtracting in both systems at the same time. The results I found were
a. No amount of number calling by other players or the dealer could shake the count out of my head or make me uncertain as to whether I had not gotten derailed and lost the count.... That ever happen to you ? I was totally sure at every moment what the count was.
b. If I saw an interruption coming on ( fill of dealer's chip tray, new player buying in, change of dealer, dispute resolution , etc....) I immediately converted the count to letters and locked it in through the pause.
c. Expanded grey matter capacity. It was as though two numbering systems gave me twice the mental capacity . I felt no counting or playing decision stress through the play. I started playing word games in my mind using the same letters I was counting with.. It is like how it is much easier to remember all the words in a 10 word sentance than a series of 10 unrelated numbers.
Thanks both TH and ZG
If this gives anyone any ideas about how they might expand their grey matter ability while counting, I would like to hear about it
I think that using this method I can easily handle a 2 level system with a side count. I think I would like to stay with unbalanced. Anyone have any suggestions ??
Brad