Practice Drills

If you skipped the Basic Strategy Chapter, you should go back and read the Practice section at this point as it also applies to card counting. This starts at page 60 and continues for six pages. In particular, pay attention to the discussion of Biases and Dealer Errors. The Practice Drills discussion will be continued here.

A Need for Speed

Many people will tell you that the ability to count and play much faster than the game is played in a casino is not important. They are wrong. When the cocktail waitresses are winking, the slot machines are clinking, the pit boss is thinking, your bankroll is sinking, your tired eyes are blinking, and other players are drinking, you will find that the time spent in speed drills will greatly aid your ability to deal with casino distractions. There is a reason that players learn to count down a deck in 20 seconds. You will see me mention speed throughout this book.

Physical Drills

Counting practice should be performed with both physical cards and software. Carry cards with you wherever you go. Flip the cards over one at a time keeping the running count. At the end of the deck, the count should be four higher than the starting count. This is because the sum of the tag values for all 52 cards is four. The best way to handle this is to flip all the cards except the last card, and then to state the value of the last card. The quickest manner I have found is to hold the deck with three fingers underneath, your thumb on top, and your index finger pressing against the edge away from your body and then sliding under the deck when you have dealt most of the cards. You may wish to press the deck against your stomach to stabilize it. I then use my thumb to slide the card toward my other hand, grab it and flip it on to the table. You will need to experiment to find the fastest way. And eventually you should be able to count as fast as you can deal. You also need to practice counting two cards at once. Slide two cards toward your hand and flip two at once onto a table. I used to spend hours practicing in this manner on airplanes — but later became paranoid that casino people were present.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger