Any tips on estimating the remaining of decks

[BigJer]

Actually - SOP

That's strange because most of the places I go to hand them out.

A deck is usually equal to 5 casino cheques stacked together vertically. It can be a useful aid if you're in a pinch. Since I resolve to two decks my reference point is based upon 10 chips and I then use the appropriate multiplier to arrive at t.c. I use this approach for spanish 21 as well but subtract one chip; i.e., 9 chips.

Didn't know that.

[Jabberwocky]

Good suggestion, but u should adjust per casino. Card and chip thickness vary, and should be accounted for.

Since my play cannot be described as pariapatetic, I really don't encounter that problem. However, I can see how it would be a concern for others.

[BigJer]

BTW I went to a boot camp by BJA and they taught us deck estimation down to one card. When I was on a team I split tens when the team manage was at the table. Later he said "That was close." So I know that I can accurately get down to that little of the cards.

[NotEnoughHeat]

I've asked once or twice at my locals stores, they always say they have to get drilled first.

Wow that's odd.

My store does the same. If they didn't people might try to stick cards up their sleeves and pull all sorts of shenanigan

[ZeeBabar]

I am usually on the conservative side. Thus, if I am off by 1/2 deck after 3-4 decks are dealt, I wonder how bad I am hurting myself. I might also be off by 10 cards in a DD game.

[SiMi]

Hi, BJM

If you're playing 6 deck shoes, here's a free online drill you can try:

http://www.blackjackstartup.com/Dril...t/DeckEst1.htm

I found used Casino decks without holes punched in them at my local Dollar Store. You might have to ask at the counter for them.
I bought a 6 deck discard tray online and then made a measurement card for practice.
Remember to consider estimating from the top-down as well as the bottom-up. One can check the other.
I hope this helps!

SiMi

[MJGolf]

Also check out:

[kronixxx]

Hello folks. Been following the forum for a bit but this is my first post. To practice deck estimation i have 2 stacks of cards on my end tables. One is 6 decks. One is 8. I told my friends that anytime they are at my place visiting to grab cards from a stack at random so i can estimate how many they picked up. Its helped me. Im usually off by only a few cards nowdays

[Mickey]

In many casinos I've been to you can buy cancelled playing cards right at the gift shop.

If I may share something from personal experience, I strongly advise against doing this if the casino drills holes through the cards. Buy six of these decks, bring them home, load 'em up into your discard tray and you'll see why you shouldn't practice with most of these "drilled" cards for deck estimation...

(Hint: Have you ever seen The Leaning Tower of Pisa?)


I've found that Bee cards are an excellent brand to practice with as many casinos tend to use them and the premium quality w/ the Cambric finish means they'll maintain their shape longer than the cheaper cards out there. You can order 'em on Amazon.com in packs of 12 or singles.

[BlackJackMonster]

wow, I am quite surprised at the volume of responses, really appreciate everyone's input. I guess to be a professional blackjack player, the devil is always in the details, I am using zen count right now, and from Snyder's book, he suggested buying 54 plus decks to stack up from 1/2 deck all the way to 8 decks. I would consider it is odd to buy that many deck from the casino souvenir shop all at once.

The other thing I noticed, is that diff casino used cards of diff thickness, sometimes it is so significant, the true count could be seriously off. Usually the high count occurs when you get to the end of the shoe, and it is the toughest when it comes to deck estimation. But thanks again for all the responses, I will experiment with all these creative ideas, and see how it goes.

[BlackJackMonster]

How did you learn to do that, this is quite amazing and unbelievable.

BTW I went to a boot camp by BJA and they taught us deck estimation down to one card. When I was on a team I split tens when the team manage was at the table. Later he said "That was close." So I know that I can accurately get down to that little of the cards.

[BigJer]

How did you learn to do that, this is quite amazing and unbelievable.

You'd be surprised. It takes some work but it is possible.

[BlackJackMonster]

is it something you might share with us a bit, if not I totally understand ,you were the one who paid for the boot camp, not me.

You'd be surprised. It takes some work but it is possible.