ES: Q for Norm on DV Data and CVCX

[ES]

Do CV Data 3 and CVCX 3 do everything that BJRM (latest version) does?

[Norm Wattenberger]

Don't have it so I don't know. But, CVCX and CVData are simulators. BJRM is a clever package. But, it is not a simulator.

> Do CV Data 3 and CVCX 3 do everything that
> BJRM (latest version) does?

Serious Blackjack Software

[Parker]

> Do CV Data 3 and CVCX 3 do everything that
> BJRM (latest version) does?

Norm's being modest. :-)

I have both (although neither in its most recent version).

BJRM is a package of pre-run sims for most common games (single deck, double deck, six & eight deck) and common counting systems, with a nifty front-end for viewing them in terms of ROR, SCORE, hourly win rate, optimum bet ramping, etc.

The interface is simple and intuitive. Because the sims are already run, the results pop up instantly.

However, this is also its primary shortcoming. For example, all the Hi-lo sims assume I-18 and Fab Four indices. If you use a lot more indices, you're out of luck. Likewise, if you run into an unusual game (for example, a double deck game with 80% pen), you're once again out of luck.

Despite its limitations, I like BJRM and use it a lot.

CVCX is simply a much more powerful tool. While it also comes with a set of pre-run sims, it is a fully functional (and extremely fast) simulator. You can set it for just about any game conditions imaginable, customize your counting system to the exact way you use it, and even install your own complete custom counting system. Once the sim is run, you can analyze it in many different manners. The simplest presents the data in a chart similar to those found in Chapter 10 of Don Schlesinger's Blackjack Attack (hence the name).

The simulator is blazingly fast. Norm says a full set of sims (that's 1, 2, 6 and 8 decks, with all possible rule variations) 400 million rounds will take "9-10 hours on a P500." Eliminating a few variations that you don't need (I don't play 8 deck shoes, so why sim it?) will cut this way down. Even on my PIII-650 laptop, I've never had a sim take more than a couple of hours, and on my Althon XP2800 home system, I can do a billion rounds in the time it takes me to drink a cup of coffee.

Another nice feature of CVCX is that if you change one parameter, all the other numbers immediately adjust. For example, you can run penetration up and down (in one card increments, if you like) and watch SCORE, ROR, SD, etc. all change immediately. Increase your spread by a unit or two and immediately see the results. With BJRM you must recalculate.

Bottom line: I use and like both programs a lot, but if I had to choose one, it would be CVCX.

Fortunately, I don't have to do that. :-)