Transitioning to counting

[Intermediate]

Your post is somewhat confusing, so I would need a little more info. What way are you practicing your counting now that makes you think you are "solid"? What system are you using? My guess is you don't have Basic Strategy down well enough to be automatic, and thus when you try counting and playing, your counting gets interrupted by actively trying to remember BS. Just a guess.....

[Winnie D]

Intermediate: Sorry I wasn't more clear. To answer your questions, I use hi-lo, and as far as the counting skill(s) go, when counting down with a physical deck, I have an average time of 21 seconds (I know accuracy is more important than speed but when I started learning I understood you wanted to be able to get to a certain speed, and I found using a physical deck the best way to do this.) and when I practice online I usually have between one to two mistakes when counting through six decks. I'm trying to get that to zero, of course. I don't have a problem remembering BS when playing; if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say I psych myself out more than anything. Not enough confidence and all that. I have had no problems so far keeping up the count when at a live table. I just find my mind going blank at times, and I'm sure its all psychological. I was just curious if anybody else had gone through similar issues when they were learning. Thanks for the reply.

[Intermediate]

I don't have a problem remembering BS when playing; if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say I psych myself out more than anything. Not enough confidence and all that. I have had no problems so far keeping up the count when at a live table. I just find my mind going blank at times, and I'm sure its all psychological. .

WD - Can't say I had the problem with my mind going blank. Can you me more specific about when that might happen to you? Are you doing True Count conversions and ramping your bets and making play variations? FWIW, as you practice and your confidence grows, you'll find it easier to multi-task and carry on conversations with other players and pit personnel, and so your circle of awareness grows. If you start to doubt your count, don't dwell on it, and if you're fortunate, the shoe will end soon. When you take a break, review what happened and think about a change to improve your technique.

[Skull]

if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say I psych myself out more than anything. Not enough confidence and all that. I have had no problems so far keeping up the count when at a live table. I just find my mind going blank at times, and I'm sure its all psychological.

I'd like to help you since I am a beginner and can probably relate much better to your problems than Tthree, for instance, but I don't understand what "going blank" means.

This is something that happens to me and MIGHT be what's going on with you. I like to run in a treadmill while counting using the CV app. Sometimes I get into such a state of concentration (meditation?) that I totally forget the count and begin thinking of completely different matters (my work, the way I spoke to my wife that morning, etc...), then suddenly a number appears in my mind, I kinda assume it is the RC and just keep updating it, just to reach the end of the shoe and find out I am CORRECT! I get very happy when that happens and I look forward to that kind of harmony all the time. What might be happening with you, since you stated that you have had no problems keeping the count, is that your mind floats like mine, but you fail to reassess the count, maybe because you got nervous for having floated and then fails to recognize that the number that subtly came to your mind afterwards was in fact the correct RC. That kind of phenomenon coupled with the crazy casino environment may affect you in different ways, but maybe (and that's a big maybe) something similar to that is happening to you.

With respect to confidence issues, only you will be able to get rid of them. What I do when I don't feel confident at something is to practice that exact thing until I can't get it wrong. If you count down a deck in an average time of 21 sec, practice until you can NOT count it in more than 21 sec. Actually, that's my situation, I can NOT count a deck in more than 21 sec, even if I try. My hands flip the cards faster than I want and I end up counting it in around 20 sec. Normally I am below 18 sec, down to 15 sec. So, as far as speed is concerned I am 100% confident. But as far as talking to different people about number-related subjects (stocks, etc...) while keeping the RC, deck estimating, true counting, applying my complex outcome-dependent bet ramp and sipping a beer, I am light years from becoming confident. That doesn't affect me though, because I know everything is a process. I will get there eventually and so will you. Maybe you should set clear and objective partial goals so as to track your progress. Then you could actually quantify how confident you can be with respect to your abilities.

But, in truth, please forget about not being confident; it is a waste of energy. Just go practice the damn thing until "being confident" does not cross your mind anymore. You just are. Period.

Best cards!