Designated Driver: Common mistakes beginning card counters make

[Francis Salmon]

As Parker has said the most important thing is not to lose the count and this takes precedance over any cover issue. I really think it's too much to ask from a beginner not to look at the cards as they are dealt thus playing a handicap game.Besides,looking at the cards as they fall is quite natural, everbody does it.
There are two ways of losing the count:by being too slow on the update or by simply forgetting the number because of distractions.The first thing can be eliminated by training at home the other one not.
The biggest distraction is the game itself.In my first few sessions as a counter I regularly lost the count whenever I had a big bet out because I was entirely focussed on what would happen to this big bet.Another danger is to get mixed up with card totals especially during the play of your hand.
It took me also quite long to be able to recall the count after an interruption (litigation or change at the table).Nowadays, the count is like engraved in my head and the biggest danger is that I forget to reset to 0 for the next shoe :-)!

Francis Salmon

[Sun Runner]

> Well yes, I came to get rich in a hurry, not to win a
> few hundred bucks or so. And if I actually do make
> $700 to cover the cost of the trip and supposedly
> break even, I would consider the trip to be a total
> bust.

Winnig $700 on a $500 BR, first time out ever, and considering it a total bust .. we don't speak the same language I'm afraid.

Getting rich in a hurry requires very little skill and a whole bunch of positive variance (luck, as you know it.)

BTW -no one said not to look at all the cards; they said don't get caught staring them down.

BTW, again, -what exactly have you been studying for the last three years and have over $500 invested in? Honestly, you seem to have learned the basics; but reject everything else that tells you it ain't get rich quick!

You want the very best single piece of advice anyone on this board is ever going to give you, given the mind set you continue to display?

Bet your whole $500 on one single hand -and hope for the best. Your about a 48% chance to double up.

Sadly, you'll still be dis-appointed.

Good luck my friend.

[Parker]

> Especially if you lost the count early in the shoe.
> Essentially you would be playing a deck with worse
> penetration and the dealt cards are the equivalent of
> the cards behind the cut card. If there was a huge
> negative count before you got distracted or if you
> were playing single deck you might want to wong out
> anyway.

Too complicated for a newbie, who is having trouble simply keeping track of the count with a conventional TC conversion. Better to just wait for the shuffle and make a fresh start.

[Bettie]

I didn't say not to SEE every card, just don't watch them as they come out of the shoe around the table and then again for the second round. That is strange behavior, especially if you are in the middle and your head keeps turning. Ignore the first round and then watch as the dealer deals out the second round and count by 2 cards. It's not nearly as strange, since a civilian shouldn't care what each person's individual cards are, only what they total against the dealer's upcard.

Bettie

[Designated Driver]

> I didn't say not to SEE every card, just don't watch
> them as they come out of the shoe around the table and
> then again for the second round. That is strange
> behavior, especially if you are in the middle and your
> head keeps turning. Ignore the first round and then
> watch as the dealer deals out the second round and
> count by 2 cards.

Okay, so wait until after the "initial" 2-card hands are dealt to each player before I start/update my count. And after that "second round" I can be attentive and watch the cards as necessary because it looks natural given the sinigicance of the cards in dictating player outcomes. Just do not stare at them. Or the discard tray for that matter. Thanks ;-)

> It's not nearly as strange, since a
> civilian shouldn't care what each person's individual
> cards are, only what they total against the dealer's
> upcard.

Actually, while it may not look like a "civilian", those playing a composition dependent BS(not me, at least not in MD shoe games) may be interested in a player's individual cards. And a player playing a multi-parameter count or better might try to memorize each specific, individual card(by demonination, not suit) as it is dealt out.

Desi. D.

[Trapper]

I was thinking in terms of KO and not considering true count conversion.

[jgalt1]

Isn't the worst mistake beginning card counters make is giving up on counting.

My first trip to Vegas was 1987. I bought a two night package from Vegas World. I played his single deck dealt to the bottom of the deck, even money blackjacks game. The funny money included with the package only paid even money on any bet, so playing a single number at roulette would be a wast of time.

After converting the funny money to cash I played $2 units. I went home with a $124 profit and never had to cash a travelers check.

Since there was no casino in Minnesota yet I had to wait until the next year to earn money.

I lost my whole gambling budget of $800. So much for my second income.

I still counted on future trips and when casinos opened up here. Won and lost sporadically, but mostly lost.

Tried a positive progression. Did well initially. (Why does everything work initially?) Then won and lost sporadically.

Back to counting. Doing well.

When new at it didn't understand that swings would happen and why. The books I read either didn't mention it or I didn't pay attention to any warnings. Why should playing blackjack be any different than the stock market, which never goes straight up?