What's Your Technique For Not Losing The RC When Playing a Numerous Card Hand?

[Finn Dog]

Hello,

In my counting development (now at 24 seconds on 1D), it seems the only place where I periodically lose the RC count is when I get a hand with a high number of cards in it (and I'm trying to add up the total of the cards in my hand to determine how to play the hand). Wondering what technique works best for you for not losing the count while adding up a numerous card hand of 7 cards or more?

For this example, let's say the RC is -10 and I've already counted my first two cards, and I end up taking five subseqent cards and stand at 20. What I'm doing right now is "setting the -10 aside in my head for a moment" and then concentrating on the math of adding the hand itself. If I don't bust, then no problem (I'll just finish up the count when I stand)--but if I bust, then I try to quickly group pairs for a net number to add or subtract off the RC (before my cards are snatched up). This is where I've lost the count before. Any other suggestions (besides 6 more months of practice before using real money)?


Thanks in advance,

FD

 

[Shwam]

Practice, practice, practice.

You should be able to look at a hand of say 6 cards and then without even thinking be able to get the count of it. Without putting any thought what so ever into what you are doing, cancel pairs, make neutral invisible..

 

[Finn Dog]

Practice, practice, practice.

You should be able to look at a hand of say 6 cards and then without even thinking be able to get the count of it. Without putting any thought what so ever into what you are doing, cancel pairs, make neutral invisible..

I'm with you there, in fact I'm at that point now.

My question was whether one should wait till the end of your own hand before cancelling (thus risking that "danger point" of the cards being scooped up too quickly if you bust). I guess there's no other way of doing it from a practical standpoint?

 

[takinfromindians97]

tried and true methods

Hello,

In my counting development (now at 24 seconds on 1D), it seems the only place where I periodically lose the RC count is when I get a hand with a high number of cards in it (and I'm trying to add up the total of the cards in my hand to determine how to play the hand). Wondering what technique works best for you for not losing the count while adding up a numerous card hand of 7 cards or more?

For this example, let's say the RC is -10 and I've already counted my first two cards, and I end up taking five subseqent cards and stand at 20. What I'm doing right now is "setting the -10 aside in my head for a moment" and then concentrating on the math of adding the hand itself. If I don't bust, then no problem (I'll just finish up the count when I stand)--but if I bust, then I try to quickly group pairs for a net number to add or subtract off the RC (before my cards are snatched up). This is where I've lost the count before. Any other suggestions (besides 6 more months of practice before using real money)?


Thanks in advance,

FD

Use i time tested technique, Chip clock, keep a hand under the table with a few didgets up to help, anything. I have heard tons of different ways, check the archives i have seen a ton on ways to keep the count.

 

[Sonny]

My question was whether one should wait till the end of your own hand before cancelling

I just count my hit cards as they come. With enough practice you won't have to do any math to calculate your hand total, you'll just know it. Before long you'll be hitting your hand faster than the dealer can keep up with. Like Shwam said, it's all about practice. The better you are, the less math you'll have to do.

-Sonny-

 

[callipygian]

The absolute best way to do this is to practice addition until you don't lose the count while doing simple arithmetic. This is probably a little more social commentary than is appropriate for a blackjack thread, but people today have become way too dependent on calculators. I was in a meeting where someone was talking about 8 groups of 25, and asked how many that was. I immediately said 200, but people didn't trust me, so someone whipped out a calculator, and sure enough, 8 x 25 = 200. Then we started talking again, and now someone was wondering about 16 groups of 25. I was absolutely dumbfounded when people whipped out the calculator again. For Pete's sake, 16 x 25 = 2 x 8 x 25! :flame:

Okay, now that I got that out of my system, the bottom line is that you should really work the arithmetic. Drill it until you can seriously walk by a table and add up peoples' hands without breaking your step.

I'm also a big fan of multiple modes of learning - if numbers don't work for you, use some sort of visualization scheme which will help you learn it. Go buy some of the colored blocks (of different lengths) that people sell to help kids learn how to add. If you can visualize 14 as "green [9] + orange [5]" and 19 as "green + orange + orange", those blocks might help you. Find whatever works for you personally, and run with it.

That all being said, if you absolutely can't add for the life of you, play with your chips in different ways to keep track of the count. A real obvious one - NOTE: DON'T DO THIS, AS IT'S REALLY OBVIOUS - is to play with chips with your right hand for positive counts and with your left for negative counts; hold the number of chips equal to the count you're tracking.

Or ask the dealer what you have as a last resort.

 

[EasyRhino]

increment your count first, then figure your hand total, then make your play decision.

 

[Automatic Monkey]

Divide your brain into two autonomous parts.

This is something I learned back when I used to do drugs. There was an exercise I did, I would take my dope and concentrate on staying straight. I could actually feel my mind split into two parts, a high part and a straight part, each capable of doing its thing on its own .

Really, don't do drugs. Use a different style of math for counting the RC and for counting your hand. I use the suffix 'm' for negative counts and 'p' for positive ones. If the RC is +10, "p10" is absolutely nothing like 2-3-3-2 laying in front of me on the table, so the two don't get confused.

 

[dangeroso]

Or ask the dealer what you have as a last resort.

A very last resort. I'm currently on a Vegas trip and have witnessed 2 counting mistakes by dealers thus far.

 

[UK-21]

As I've been progressing I think it's a toss up between counting cards one by one as they're dealt, or in pairs/hands as a single value. I have read a book by Kevin Blackwood where he recommends not starting to take the count until the dealer has dealt his first card. I tried this and consistently made a hash of it. Counting individual cards as they are dealt, at roughly the same speed and rythm as when counting down a practice deck, I found to be easier. Sitting at first or third base avoids the tennis spectator effect (third's free quite often as nobody like the ag connected with that spot) and also gives you a couple of extra seconds before you're up.

The other thing that directed me to one-by-one is that the first few times I played and attempted to keep the count I had the speed dealer from hell - two of them in fact, completing for some sort of title. Fifteen cards on the table in around 7 seconds. Unless you were very good at recognising the value of combinations of cards, in contrast to counting them, you'd be left behind.

I'd say count them as they come off the deck. Eventually you'll learn to recognise the value of hands rather than have to add them up - if you get two cards with a single row of blobs up the middle you know to split them unless the dealer has a 7 or higher showing.

Best of luck.

 

[callipygian]

A very last resort. I'm currently on a Vegas trip and have witnessed 2 counting mistakes by dealers thus far.

That's why it's a last resort.

I've had to resort to it once on a trip. I was attempting to keep track of a positive count at my own table while backcounting a positive count at the next table (it was one of the handicapped tables which are lower than the normal tables, so I had a clear view of all the hands). My table was playing faster than the other table, so I was keeping track of two RC's and two deck estimations, and trying to figure out if I had an opportunity to hop to the other table. Just as the dealer at the other table pulled a blackjack (and started sweeping up the cards), I hit two small low cards (7? 8? 9?) vs. dealer 10, pulled another small card, hit again (without adding the cards up, just knew it was low enough to hit), got another small card, and had to buy some time so I asked the dealer what I had while I (attempted to) see what the players had at the next table.

It ended up being a fiasco; I lost the RC on the other table, didn't see what the players had at the next table (but it was a bunch of high cards), and I couldn't remember whether I was supposed to hit 15 vs. dealer 10 with the count at my table.

I don't try and backcount other tables while I'm playing any more. That was a ridiculous amount of work and ended up detracting from the fun.