TC conversions...

[dude]

I have many questions about TC. Thanks for your help.

In the 6 and 8 deck games, do hi-lo players aim to discern a deck down to the whole deck or 1/2 deck? How (especially if one decides to go to 1/2 precision), can one practice without buying many many decks of cards? Counting 26 cards and looking at 1/2 deck, then 52, for 1 deck, etc., etc., seems to have little utility: it's timely and not necessarily effective. I can discern 1 and usually 1/2 decks using Casino Verite, but I realize that isn't real-life. Do counters always recalculate the TC after each hand to prepare for strategy variations even if there's no bet variation? Lasty, do you guys think to yourself "RC = 9, decks remain: 3/2, so TC = 9/3/2 = 18/3 = 6?" That is how I've been doing it...

What are thoughts on precision, practice and frequency of TC calcs? Thanks.

 

[Rob McGarvey]

taking the worst example of 8 decks, you start your running count and have min bet out. You are playing BS. You get to +8 then you know you can convert to TC +1 and make the proper play decisions based on 8 extra 10/A. I just keep track of the running and convert when required to TC for betting or playing purposes. When it goes -x RC it can help with some playing decisions to convert to TC, but you have a small bet out so it will make little difference to your overall advantage.

Next time you are at a casino grab 8 used decks. I've seen them for 2-4-A buck, but usually they are $1 deck. I used to keep batches of decks and half decks in a window that I would walk by, judge up, then move them around a bit until the next time I walked by. FLASH memory training works best sometimes. Study study study can force your brain to bore out and look for something more exciting to do.

I like to use elastics since you can take them off the decks, but some guys suggest tape since it is transparent. Do one deck into quarters, one into half decks, and leave the other 6 in full deck. You can make up any combination like that.

 

[Abraham de Moivre]

I do half deck conversions, but 1 deck is accurate enough.

I got a whole case of Harrah's used casino cards at a Pawn Shop for $7
They are for sale at casino gift shops cheap and sometimes they have coupons and promotions that give away a "genuine" deck of casino cards.

Be sure to use casino cards and don't go out and buy standard playing cards, they have different thicknesses.