I’m new to the study of BJ and wanted to get opinions about which counting method is best for novice players when playing at BJ tables with CSMs. I was at Pechanga (Temecula CA) yesterday just surveying (did not play) the BJ tables and noticed that the tables are equipped with CSMs which enclose from view the decks and thus prevented the player from calculating the remaining deck(s) in the shoe to calculate TC. But I also realized that the dealer emptied the discard tray after each hand and re-inserted the discarded cards back into the CSM.

Do most casinos use CSMs?
Should we avoid such tables or are there counting methods applicable for games that use CSMs?
How reliable is computing TC at BJ tables with “closed” CSMs when the discard tray is practically emptied after each hand?
Without having to ask the dealer how many decks are in the shoe, how can a player determine that and is asking for such information a giveaway that I’m planning to count cards or is it something any “normal” player would want to know?

In advance thank you for your comments.