Can anyone recommend a decent (pseudo-) counting system for a less-than-serious player?
My girlfriend has already made the great stride of learning basic strategy, and, though a full-fledged counting system is probably beyond her level of interest, I'm hoping that she will learn a method of play that at least provides a marginal advantage. Increasing her bets when I increase mine almost fits the bill, but it would be better if there were a simple system, independent of my play.
Have her learn KO Rookie. All she needs to be able to do is keep a simple level one running count. There are no strategy deviations from BS, and no bet ramping - just a "small bet" and a "big bet."
The entire "KO Rookie" chapter from the KO book is available on the KO website (link below).
Of course, you can always order the book from our online catalog. :-)
Once your girlfriend gets comfortable with Rookie, she can add the reduced, rounded strategy matrix - there are only three numbers to remember. KO Preferred is nearly as powerful as Hi-lo. Furthermore, since the count is used in running count mode, her bets will not always be increasing in lockstep with yours.
> Can anyone recommend a decent (pseudo-) counting
> system for a less-than-serious player?
> My girlfriend has already made the great stride of
> learning basic strategy, and, though a full-fledged
> counting system is probably beyond her level of
> interest, I'm hoping that she will learn a method of
> play that at least provides a marginal advantage.
> Increasing her bets when I increase mine almost fits
> the bill, but it would be better if there were a
> simple system, independent of my play.
I?m almost ashamed to say but my wife loves playing slot machines. She knows blackjack BS but finds it boring.
She usually finds a machine close to my table and when the count goes high I signal her in and she comes to the table, makes a couple of max bets and goes back to the slots.
It is very common for wives or girlfriend to visit their partners at the tables so nobody thinks twice about it. It?s up to you to make a theater of if. Don?t be sneaky about it, she come in kisses you ask how you doing, grabs your chips and if you are losing she might say ?well let?s get it all back? and make a max bet. If you are up ?well let?s win big??
Good luck
H
> I?m almost ashamed to say but my wife loves playing
> slot machines. She knows blackjack BS but finds it
> boring.
Don't be too ashamed...prior to a few major losses at the slots, my girlfriend loved to play them too. I kept telling her she might as well put her money in the toilet, pull the handle, and hope for a jackpot. Losing her money was a lot more effective than my ridicule, apparently :-)
> She usually finds a machine close to my table and when
> the count goes high I signal her in and she comes to
> the table, makes a couple of max bets and goes back to
> the slots.
Thanks for the tips...those all sound like great ploys. Still, sometimes she'd like to play at a lower-limit table and having her own method would be handy.
Thanks to everyone for their strategy recommendations. KO Rookie sounds like a logical choice. Out of curiosity, however, what's the general idea behind the Speed Count? I did a search and couldn't find anything substantial.
David
Hey, girls can't count.
If I say it enough, the casinos will believe it???
Victoria
It's ironic your girlfriend finds BJ boring and prefers slots. I HATE slots,it's the absolute most boring machine on earth,just pull the damn arm and watch symbols fly around,,arghh,headache for me. Blackjack on the other hand is a fast action game and gets exciting as the count rises.The slots may quickly steal your win rate at BJ.
> Hey, girls can't count.
> If I say it enough, the casinos will believe it???
I hope you didn't take offense to my politically incorrect subject line. My girlfriend lacks only the desire to count rather than the ability.
If I now make the mistake of employing the Complete Ass strategy, I'm pretty sure she'll give up playing blackjack with me altogether :-)
David
> I hope you didn't take offense to my politically
> incorrect subject line. My girlfriend lacks only the
> desire to count rather than the ability.
> If I now make the mistake of employing the Complete
> Ass strategy, I'm pretty sure she'll give up playing
> blackjack with me altogether :-)
> David
David
Just having fun, no offense taken.
> Out of
> curiosity, however, what's the general idea behind the
> Speed Count? I did a search and couldn't find anything
> substantial.
That's because there's nothing substantial about it! Anyway, as a real basic introduction to counting, try Fred Renzey's book Blackjack Bluebook II. It starts off with a simple ace/ten front count and progresses easily into a "normal" count system. It's a good primer on counting and your girl can decide how far she wants to get into it since there are multiple levels of counting explained. It's probably too little info for anyone serious about learning to count, but it's a good book for anyone just testing the waters.
Bettie
... if she likes machine play. Most casinos have a few games that are positive EV with the comps. A VP strategy card is a small enough expense.
> Increasing her bets when I increase mine almost fits
> the bill, but it would be better if there were a
> simple system, independent of my play.
Question: Does this mean you want her to be able to play without you, or are you pretty much always there when she's there?
If she only plays with you, there's no sense in her learning an inferior system when you could simply use signals to guide her play. Her attention would be put to better use putting the dealer at ease, distracting the pit when they come your way, hauling you off the table in negative counts, etc. If you must have her counting, a better use of a second mind at the table is to have her learn a count which will compliment yours. The insurance count is a good option:
Start count at -4 * number of decks
Tags: T = -2; Every other card, including aces, = +1
If count is negative, don't take insurance.
If count = 0, your EV is 0, so take it as a cover bet if you have a blackjack or 20 or something
If count > 0, take insurance
The count is 100% efficient, which is to say, computer-perfect analysis of the precise remaining deck contents would give you exactly the same advice as far as the insurance decision. No need for true count conversion, either.
Having said that, if she will be playing solo much, or if you have a secret plan to slowly convert her into a full AP (bless your heart), then I'm with Norm and Parker: KO rookie.
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