How Fast Can You Count?

[Exoter175]

being able to play , using a strong system for better games , other methods , team play etc....not getting bar , cutting down expenses, certainty or CE. If you can only play for 1 cycle whereas i can play for 3,4 hours . speed is a tell . almost never seen a ploppy that can play that fast . there are very few.

I can't recall hearing any AP say "I was backed off for playing too fast".

Keeping in mind that I'm a hardcore Longevity player, so tolerance, image, and spreads are part of my core game, what else is actually more important than speed? Mathematically speaking, there are only about three variables that truly influence our income. Betting, speed, and decisions. Betting encompasses bet sizing, spread, and ramp. Speed basically accounts for the number of rounds/hands per hour you'll be playing through as a factor of Dealer Speed, Player Decision speed, Shuffling speed, etc. Lastly, Decisions. The decisions portion is arguably the most fundamentally important because this bit is comprised of the count you use, the indices you'll be playing, and any/all cover you'll be applying as a player.

All three aspects have to do with your bottom line, all three have varying degrees of importance. Only one, however, can universally increase or decrease hourly EV on a scaling level, with respect to relative heat for bet spreads and denomination levels of course.

So, some of you think that because you can beat another AP by 3-4 seconds counting down a deck, you are a better AP?

I sure hope that's not what's going on here lol.

[Exoter175]

Ex. The Young Bull. You are one of my favorites.

Aww shucks Moses, you're making me blush a little

[Exoter175]

You remember the joke right?

I don't, but its not the one about the Blushing Lobster is it?

[Stealth]

Counting is like jumping the grand canyon. You either get across or you don't. You are either fast enough to play accurately or you are not. Being twice as fast as necessary adds nothing. Being too slow to be accurate takes away a lot.

Don't you spend most of the time in playing decisions as opposed to waiting for the dealer? So how fast do you convert to a True Count, seek out the index, assess the heat and make the play?

Point is that there is a threshold that you must be able to perform above and it changes based on conditions.

[SplitFaceDisaster]

I keep a balanced ace neutral playing count and a balanced ace side count. I add the optimal practical multiple of the balanced ace side count to the playing count to get a betting count. The optimal multiple is .46 so I multiply the balanced ace side count by 1/2 before adding it to the playing count to get a betting RC. The fast way to count like this is to learn the 2 dimensional cancellations were one count's cards in the cancellation adds to zero so you are only adjusting one count at a time most of the time. Of course you also need to be able to adjust 1 card at a time but that is much slower. I don't disclose my count. I tailored the balanced ace side count so the weighted combined count comes out to near perfection on the count tags. Most have to make sacrifices between a strong playing count and the strongest betting count. I saw no reason for a compromise.

Thanks, I understand now. I`m sure coming up with that took a long time, not to even mention being able to execute it. That`s pretty sick; I can`t imagine doing all that!

[Three]

That`s pretty sick; I can`t imagine doing all that!

I don't even think when I do it anymore. It is all automatic. It gets pretty scary when you realize you have this monster count and you haven't thought about anything for quite a few hands because you do it all on autopilot. You start to wonder if you screwed up but when the cards come as expected you know you didn't. I figure out ways to basically eliminate math so the only numbers I think about is the count. Everything is seen graphically as it relates to the count. Playing decisions are instantaneous. If they are so close any kind of thought is needed there isn't enough there to worry about which side of the decision you are on. Just choose either, the difference is peanuts.

[SplitFaceDisaster]

I don't even think when I do it anymore. It is all automatic. It gets pretty scary when you realize you have this monster count and you haven't thought about anything for quite a few hands because you do it all on autopilot. You start to wonder if you screwed up but when the cards come as expected you know you didn't. I figure out ways to basically eliminate math so the only numbers I think about is the count. Everything is seen graphically as it relates to the count. Playing decisions are instantaneous. If they are so close any kind of thought is needed there isn't enough there to worry about which side of the decision you are on. Just choose either, the difference is peanuts.

Yeah, I know what you mean about the scariness of your mind doing things on autopilot. In a way though, that`s how you know you have something down cold. Your mind does something so automatically through lots of repetition that you don`t absolutely have to have that "in the moment" type of conscious thought or memory of you doing the calculation or whatever it may be. It just happens. However, I have to admit I hate it when I do it, because I don`t trust my ability to do certain things that way quite yet. As you said though, practice makes perfect!