Quote Originally Posted by Bodarc View Post
If you are not going on this trip until summer, there is no reason your friends can't know basic strategy and learn hi-lo or REKO by then. That is at least 3 to 4 months away.
You should be practicing with your friends and trying to have conversations at the same time. You don't actually have to pay attention to the conversation but get good at seeming to pay attention. After you get good at that work on actually having a conversation while keeping the count. You have a ton of time and need to train your brain to the task.

Read some books and always keep a deck of cards handy to count down decks whenever you are not too busy. Blackjack Attack edition 3 or 4 if the latest release has a new number is a must buy. Read the entire book and then read each chapter slowly trying to master the understanding and use of each thing discussed in the chapter. When you have that chapter down move onto the next. After reading the book once the digestion by chapter need not be in sequential order.