Your Inner Count

[timmbbo]

What is the mental mechanism by which you keep your running count?

I'm not talking about how you actually perform the math, but the memory mechanism by which you track it. For me and the few other chaps I know, it seems like they track the running count either visually or audibly. One chap I know, the way he describes it, he just put a mental image of the current count in his mind. Like an old analog counter, a number spins up and down on an imaginary wheel with the count, and black numbers for positive and red numbers for negative. For me, I keep track of the running count audibly, where my inner voice just counts...3, 4, 3, 2, 2, ...

Now, here's the crux of my situation - negative numbers cost me a step. When the count is positive, just as if I were to say the count out loud, I just say to myself, "one", "two", "three". When the count is negative, then my inner conversation becomes "neg one", "neg two", "neg three". So, the negative numbers cost me an additional mental unit. With a positive number, its simply "one", but with a negative number, its "neg one". Just as it would be faster to count "one, two, three" over "neg one, neg two, neg three" out loud, so too for me to audibly track through this same sequence in my mind.

So, here's where I get into problems. When the count is negative, and the negative cards are racing by, having to make the extra effort to add "neg" into my mental conversation onto every count slows me down. I have no problems tracking the count in the positive territory, but I find myself flustered when I get into the negative territory.

Has anyone else mentally worked through this same issue? Thanks.

[RS]

Many players use N or M for negative instead of neg.

Also, count in groups and learn to cancel cards and hands against each other. One player has Ten,Ten and other player has 4,5....both hands cancel each other out and no need to change the count down 2 units then back up 2 units.

[Winnie D]

I use cancellation as well as counting two cards at a time. When playing live, I'll count the first players cards, then the second, then reconcile those two numbers against each other then use that number to cancel out with the next two cards and so on. Cancellation though is really what helped me "turn the corner" when I first started learning to count. As far as the issue with keeping a negative count, When a count goes negative I just mentally say "negative _" one time, then I know that going forward I have a negative count until it swings positive then I will say "positive _" one time and so on. It took a while for me to get the hang of doing it that way, but in practicing I found that that was what worked best for me. I hope that makes sense.

[MidwestTom]

What is the mental mechanism by which you keep your running count?

I'm not talking about how you actually perform the math, but the memory mechanism by which you track it. For me and the few other chaps I know, it seems like they track the running count either visually or audibly. One chap I know, the way he describes it, he just put a mental image of the current count in his mind. Like an old analog counter, a number spins up and down on an imaginary wheel with the count, and black numbers for positive and red numbers for negative. For me, I keep track of the running count audibly, where my inner voice just counts...3, 4, 3, 2, 2, ...

Now, here's the crux of my situation - negative numbers cost me a step. When the count is positive, just as if I were to say the count out loud, I just say to myself, "one", "two", "three". When the count is negative, then my inner conversation becomes "neg one", "neg two", "neg three". So, the negative numbers cost me an additional mental unit. With a positive number, its simply "one", but with a negative number, its "neg one". Just as it would be faster to count "one, two, three" over "neg one, neg two, neg three" out loud, so too for me to audibly track through this same sequence in my mind.

So, here's where I get into problems. When the count is negative, and the negative cards are racing by, having to make the extra effort to add "neg" into my mental conversation onto every count slows me down. I have no problems tracking the count in the positive territory, but I find myself flustered when I get into the negative territory.

Has anyone else mentally worked through this same issue? Thanks.

I had the same problem . My problem was I was unorganized mentally and I was doing double the work.

When I'm at a table I also count positive shoes ( 3,4,5,5,5 ) on negative shoes for the running count I'll say "down" 4, "down" 3, "down" 2 etc. but I always add that little "down" before proceeding with the count, on positive shoes I say nothing. Don't do double the work . So if it's spots 2, 3 & 4 being played don't count the cards until each player hits or stays . I tried for months to just cross out the cards of each spot once each player had two cards/ and then count each card from the shoe as the player signaled to hit seperately. I learned that I was just mind fucking myself by doing double the work because I still had to count each card that came out of the shoe, opposed to canceling them out or increasing/decreasing the count by 0-5, not too often will you see the running count change by 5 in one single spot/ the most it can change per spot is +9 ( it would take 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2. Not gonna happen). Now, I just wait until each spot is done hitting or obviously if they stay I'll knock it off (IN ORDER) starting with spot 1. The reason I capitalize in order is because I also tried decreasing the running count -2 everytime I seen face/face and was confusing myself. Start with spot 1 and move as the dealer points per spot after the player sognals to stay.

What I mean by "double the work" is this . You see spot 2 has 2/2, ( I don't pay the dealers upcard no mind until everyone has waved to stay & the dealer is done hitting/busting/ & they are reaching in the tray to start paying/collecting wages) they're obviously going to hit or split so I will not say +2 because it creates double the work. I wait until after they recieve the next series of cards and just cross them out, go up on my running count, or down on my running count . This leaves little room for mistake, and works best for me . Hope this helps .

[BigJer]

I keep the negative count in a foreign language.

[Nikky_Flash]

I keep the negative count in a foreign language.

awesome... are u serious ? really? that's cool ,
anyways ,
for the op ... neg counts I usually think of in red... also, when using real money they feel different , not so much practicing with a computer though , because nothing financial is on the line; in real casinos im often times thinking of leaving in negative counts... especially if it breaks double digits, I'm out... so, just imagine "if this bad count starts passes m-9 I'm out " if I feel like its too suspect to a pit boss .. I wait till
-15 " but no matter what I'm just skipping it ... (until I get massive bankroll growth, then I'll try play all) to summerize:
I don't "feel" too great when count gets pass m-9 ... if that makes it easier. that might be the only part for me that was eaiser in real casinos, on the practice things I didn't feel anything, when my savings was being placed on the felt , I felt it.
feel me ? sorry for the pun, couldn't resist. when a good cheesey-pun opportunity shows up, you have to go for it .

[Three]

Use visual images. Some like one color for positive and one for negative. Others visualize settings or objects to indicate positive or negative. Some use total imagery rather than numbers others just have an image for whether it is positive or negative and count mentally for the magnitude of the count.

[SiMi]

HI, MidWestTom!

If I follow, you're saying you do NOT update the RC as the first or second cards come out. Instead, you wait until after all the initial cards are dealt and then, as each player hits or stands, you update the RC. You do this so that there's less calculating to do, which is a great idea in general. In that case, though, how do you decide whether to take insurance? Do you just go with the RC from the PRIOR ROUND or am I missing something?

Thanks!
SiMi

[MidwestTom]

HI, MidWestTom!

If I follow, you're saying you do NOT update the RC as the first or second cards come out. Instead, you wait until after all the initial cards are dealt and then, as each player hits or stands, you update the RC. You do this so that there's less calculating to do, which is a great idea in general. In that case, though, how do you decide whether to take insurance? Do you just go with the RC from the PRIOR ROUND or am I missing something?

Thanks!
SiMi

I typically don't take insurance.. The reason why is correctly insuring can backfire really fast if you tend to only bet it on positive shoes (as you should). I play at a red chip level and I don't want to decrease longitivtiy. If I played full time at 5-10 stores like some of the AP's on here do then id consider it into my play. But playing at only a few places rated I don't think it's worth the risk .
At the level I play and the stores I play correctly insuring or even insuring on only positive shoes will lead to an immediate BO or just unwanted heat from the EITS, it's about longitivtiy if that makes sense .

[Baberuth]

The less you have to add words, the better. Cancelling out hi & low cars with little mental effort helps. Being able to do it while enjoying yourself with chat, drinks, laughter and a cover act is the real test. It would drive me nuts if I had to do "minus 1, minus 2, plus 1. plus 2 etc. and it would take away a lot of fun. Good cover act can help insurance decisions. Not many except the "eye" will "make you" on insurance calls especially when short play is in your plan.

[stopgambling]

if you ever seem to lose the count .look at your bet it should indicate what it was when you lost the count. feeling also helps.

[MidwestTom]

The less you have to add words, the better. Cancelling out hi & low cars with little mental effort helps. Being able to do it while enjoying yourself with chat, drinks, laughter and a cover act is the real test. It would drive me nuts if I had to do "minus 1, minus 2, plus 1. plus 2 etc. and it would take away a lot of fun. Good cover act can help insurance decisions. Not many except the "eye" will "make you" on insurance calls especially when short play is in your plan.

Everyone has a different approach to the game . Not everyone hits and run, some people sit at a table with little denomination increase for hours (usually red chip players ). Over a course of 10-20 sessions per month only insuring in situations where the dealer is likely to have BJ will attract the eye. But I agree, if your plan of attack is short sessions then taking insurance when the count is positive and the dealer is likely to have it would be ideal.

[stopgambling]

insurance any stiff will draw major attention in my experiences.i had more than 10x that the dealer said it out loud .just never the word. many more occasions they just look disgusted and very suspicious . i do not need the dealers to make comments to know what they are thinking .Body language give all the tells.i never had a chance for someone to evaluate me but i do quite well not looking like a counter. it is the body language i m afraid that will give me away at times.Also the exposure and bet spread and insurance of course. Unless i choose to make a lot of cover plays.