Question For Those That Need Reading Glasses

[bigplayer]

I have BI-Focals I got from Amazon. They work great for close and far.

[Renzey]

Hmmm, reading the cards from a distance of 12 feet, that is 4 yards or nearly 4 meters, sounds very unrealistic to me.

As 21 Forme said, you don't count the pips or read the index -- you recognize the pip pattern. The only tough part is distinguishing an 8 from a 10-pointer (not a picture), since their pip arrangements are the same. Everything else is distnctly recognizable from 12 feet with decent vision. See Blackjack Bluebook II, page 178, 2011 print run (still says "2006 edition" on the cover).

[PinkChip]

As 21 Forme said, you don't count the pips or read the index -- you recognize the pip pattern. The only tough part is distinguishing an 8 from a 10-pointer (not a picture), since their pip arrangements are the same. Everything else is distnctly recognizable from 12 feet with decent vision. See Blackjack Bluebook II, page 178, 2011 print run (still says "2006 edition" on the cover).

Yes, you are completely right, I also have difficulties in distinguishing the pips of 8s and 10s.
And yes, of course it is a matter of pattern recognition. My point was, you cannot fully see the pips of the cards partially covered by other cards (e.g. the first card of every player is partly covered by the second cards right after dealing, so if you count in pairs, you cannot fully see the pattern of the first cards). In this case, it might also be difficult to distinguish 4s from 5s, or 8s from 9s, which would be no problem for Hi-Lo and KO count, and 6s from 7s, which would be a problem for Hi-Lo but not for KO count).

Unfortunately, I have the older Bluebook II version ("sixth print from 2007"), where p. 178 is on "Table Hopping". Nevertheless, I consider this book very well written in didactic respect, especially the parts on Basic Strategy. Fred Renzey's explanations on why third base does not affect your play and on insurance are great. Also very funny, especially the insurance stuff ("some goofball insuring his 13" and "... both plays are stupid"). I always remember this section when thinking of this book :-)

By the way, are you the author of this book?

[Renzey]

By the way, are you the author of this book?

Yes. The Table Hopping section has a "backcounting" segment crammed into the 2011 printing -- just a few paragraphs. I want to mention, it is very seldom that the top card covers the bottom card to an extent where you can't detect if there's a pip in the center row. The most likely case is when there could be an upside down 7 on the bottom. If I can't be sure, I count it as a 7 and not a 6. But honestly, all and all, there is very little trouble backcounting a table next to the one you're standing behind, or from across a seven foot aisle next to a slot machine with 1.00 readers -- if your distance vision is 20/25 and you normally read the newspaper with 2.00 to 3.00's.