First time out the gate,Not as easy as it looks.

[pawnbroker]

well this past weekend was my first time i got to put all this hard work to the test.It was a vary hummbling exsperence.i have spent the last two months getting ready for a vegas trip coming up at the end of the month,so i took a quick trip to myrtle beach in south carolina and went out on the casino boats.I wanted to see how good i had gotten.It was harrible.I couldnt keep up.I lost the count time and time again.My head was jumping everywhere.I had to look like i was counting.A couple of times the dealer had to get my attention,i was still tracking the other players card and not looking at mine.It was a joke.I fell like i need to pratice three times as much.It did end good .i had a few rounds that i did keep the count long anought to get a few top bets in and walked away after three hours with a four hundered dollar profit.

 

[Canceler]

Hardest part by far for me

It took me many, many hours to finally be able to keep the count all the way through every shoe at the casino. A lot of people recommend backcounting (counting while not playing) as a way to get used to counting at the casino; I should have done more of that. What helped me the most was getting someone to play dealer for me, so I could practice playing real hands with real cards while counting.

 

[avs21]

I had the same problem the first time I tried counting. I decided to only play when the casino was empty until I felt I could count no matter how many people are at the table.

 

[sagefr0g]

well this past weekend was my first time i got to put all this hard work to the test.It was a vary hummbling exsperence.i have spent the last two months getting ready for a vegas trip coming up at the end of the month,so i took a quick trip to myrtle beach in south carolina and went out on the casino boats.I wanted to see how good i had gotten.It was harrible.I couldnt keep up.I lost the count time and time again.My head was jumping everywhere.I had to look like i was counting.A couple of times the dealer had to get my attention,i was still tracking the other players card and not looking at mine.It was a joke.I fell like i need to pratice three times as much.It did end good .i had a few rounds that i did keep the count long anought to get a few top bets in and walked away after three hours with a four hundered dollar profit.

i had virtually the same experience. i thought i'd never get the hang of it. believe me if i can do it just about anyone can. hang in there you'll get it. your right more practice is in order. keep on the basic strategy and practice, practice and more practice the counting. it'll come. you don't have to over do the practice just be consistant. i practice every day three times a day except days i'm at the casino. usually only practice once a day on the casino days. the way i finally realized i was ready for the casinos was one day i was playing blackjack on my computer and low and behold i was doing it consistantly.
best regards,
mr fr0g

 

[ScottH]

well this past weekend was my first time i got to put all this hard work to the test.It was a vary hummbling exsperence.i have spent the last two months getting ready for a vegas trip coming up at the end of the month,so i took a quick trip to myrtle beach in south carolina and went out on the casino boats.I wanted to see how good i had gotten.It was harrible.I couldnt keep up.I lost the count time and time again.My head was jumping everywhere.I had to look like i was counting.A couple of times the dealer had to get my attention,i was still tracking the other players card and not looking at mine.It was a joke.I fell like i need to pratice three times as much.It did end good .i had a few rounds that i did keep the count long anought to get a few top bets in and walked away after three hours with a four hundered dollar profit.

My first time counting I lost the count after a few hands had been played. I would also lose the count when I had a big bet out, or I had to split multiple times, etc.

After a couple hours of play you should start to keep up counting for most shoes. But don't worry, it gets a lot easier as time passes, and it doesnt really take that long to get the hang of it. Make sure to keep practicing on software in between trips.

I found it helpful to practice after going to the casino for the first time because I knew what to expect, and I knew how fast I needed to be to keep up.

 

[shadroch]

When in vegas,stick to the Double Deck games,this way if you lose your count,its not long before you start over.

 

[sagefr0g]

My first time counting I lost the count after a few hands had been played. I would also lose the count when I had a big bet out, or I had to split multiple times, etc.

i still do that often (lose the count when a big bet is out) i get so darned excited about it the count just slips away. :joker:

best regards,
mr fr0g

 

[JAXBOY]

Wish I could be humbled and walk away with 400.

I feel ya. I sucked on my first outing and was wondering if I should use an Ace/5 count.

Anyways, keep at it. Practice counting a single deck to under 25 sec. Get CV blackjack and set it to the fastest settings. It worked for me.

 

[nc-tom]

well this past weekend was my first time i got to put all this hard work to the test.It was a vary hummbling exsperence.i have spent the last two months getting ready for a vegas trip coming up at the end of the month,so i took a quick trip to myrtle beach in south carolina and went out on the casino boats.I wanted to see how good i had gotten.It was harrible.I couldnt keep up.I lost the count time and time again.My head was jumping everywhere.I had to look like i was counting.A couple of times the dealer had to get my attention,i was still tracking the other players card and not looking at mine.It was a joke.I fell like i need to pratice three times as much.It did end good .i had a few rounds that i did keep the count long anought to get a few top bets in and walked away after three hours with a four hundered dollar profit.

We all feel for you PB it is never easy starting out. I am lucky enough to live near N. Nevada so after reading and praticing at home was able to start out at 1d games which made it easier. Then after a while when I started to feel i was getting the hang of it would move to 6d to see if i could keep up. What counting system are you trying to use? Whichever one it is keep praticing and dont give up. If a burnout like me can do it you can to. LOL

 

[ortango]

I'm still trying to get truly comfortable too.. so I really feel you man. Keep practicing bud, it will come!

Try a lot of different techniques.. with a deck for example, try just one card at a time quickly. Then flip over two at a time, then three and then four. Then just wave the whole deck slowly accross the hands. There are so many times when you dont expect them to quickly pick them up, like when someone surrenders or the dealer has blackjack and starts scooping.

Really focus on the meaningful pairs. Eliminate them right away and then its as simple as counting the rest up.

Dont forget there are lots of programs/sites that help. Countingedge.com, CVBJ, Super BlackJack, etc... Carry that deck around with you, and bust them out for practice when you are waiting for your food, at the bus stop etc. Good way to blow a few minutes

Good luck!

BTW, does anyone have a way to train that really works for them (obviously, playing in the casino is the best way)

 

[sagefr0g]

I feel ya. I sucked on my first outing and was wondering if I should use an Ace/5 count.

i did something similar when i was first starting and wasn't able to cut counting.
i discontinued trying to use hi/lo and went to Renzy's ace/ten front count for a while. it worked out pretty well for me to the point that i was inspired to practice enough to finally be able to use hi/lo.

best regards,
mr fr0g

 

[ScottH]

BTW, does anyone have a way to train that really works for them (obviously, playing in the casino is the best way)

I don't think playing in a casino is the best way to practice. It gets you more experience faster, but it can cost you money if you make too many mistakes. It's best to practice on software before entering the casino.

 

[JAXBOY]

BTW, does anyone have a way to train that really works for them (obviously, playing in the casino is the best way)

Count down a deck of cards, a pair at a time, under 25 seconds. Practice that like a half hour - hour a day.

Practicing counting backwards and forwards in your mind at work, driving, watching tv, etc.

Get Casino Verite Blackjack and play at the fast settings (dealer speed high, dealer makes obvious play) for hours.

That was my formula. Then next you'll have to deal with VARIANCE!!!

 

[MoralAtheist]

well this past weekend was my first time i got to put all this hard work to the test.It was a vary hummbling exsperence.i have spent the last two months getting ready for a vegas trip coming up at the end of the month,so i took a quick trip to myrtle beach in south carolina and went out on the casino boats.I wanted to see how good i had gotten.It was harrible.I couldnt keep up.I lost the count time and time again.My head was jumping everywhere.I had to look like i was counting.A couple of times the dealer had to get my attention,i was still tracking the other players card and not looking at mine.It was a joke.I fell like i need to pratice three times as much.It did end good .i had a few rounds that i did keep the count long anought to get a few top bets in and walked away after three hours with a four hundered dollar profit.

I really recomend buying some software for speed training at least, I managed to get my speed up to a deck in 13 seconds, but really anthing under 20 secs is cool

 

[MoralAtheist]

Count down a deck of cards, a pair at a time, under 25 seconds. Practice that like a half hour - hour a day.

Practicing counting backwards and forwards in your mind at work, driving, watching tv, etc.

Get Casino Verite Blackjack and play at the fast settings (dealer speed high, dealer makes obvious play) for hours.

That was my formula. Then next you'll have to deal with VARIANCE!!!

Wise words, this was my method also, Casino Verite is excellent. Indeed beware the Gods of Variance they will try to strike you down many times.

 

[ortango]

I don't think playing in a casino is the best way to practice. It gets you more experience faster, but it can cost you money if you make too many mistakes. It's best to practice on software before entering the casino.

Nickel table with perfect BS and no spread. Estimated loss is so small I think its worth the education. You just can't simulate a real game. Of course we are assuming he is moving on to counting because he has mastered BS

 

[ScottH]

Wise words, this was my method also, Casino Verite is excellent. Indeed beware the Gods of Variance they will try to strike you down many times.

That is true indeed. I've played maybe 20 counting sessions and in many of them I started the session way down and had to recover to win anything. I was waiting for the time when I could just start winning and never look back, but it has only happened to me like that once...