|
|
Go to page 1~2~3 [Next] | ||||||||||
NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
I'm looking for an easy way to explain basic card counting technique to a layperson. The kind of explanation you'd find in a film. I'd like to give people enough information so they feel like they COULD do it themselves but not enough so they actually CAN or WILL!
Currently I am working with following. "Card counters use all of the cards that HAVE been dealt to tell me what cards HAVE NOT been dealt. Since the TENS are the best cards, every time you see a ten played, MINUS two from the count in your head. Every time a card lower then ten is player, ADD one to the count in your head. We'll just ignore the aces. If the count in your head is under zero, bet low. If the count is above zero, bet high." This explanation ignores more complex systems, continuous decks, technique etc. but I hope it gives the lay person a clear enough idea as to how it works. Thoughts? |
|||||||||
Expertmagician Inner circle 2478 Posts |
No offense....but, while you are partially correct.....I was ammuzed when you said that the 10 was the best card.
In reality the best card to count is 5's. Think about it and you will figure out why Of course, counting 10s and other cards will imnprove your odds to fine tune your betting and playing strategy. But, 5's is the best and easiest for beginers to count.
Long Island,
New York |
|||||||||
LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-06 17:57, Expertmagician wrote: I was amused when I read this reply. He didn't say tens were the best cards to count; he said they were the best cards. Fives are the most useful card to keep track of, but they're the WORST cards in the deck for the player.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
|||||||||
Expertmagician Inner circle 2478 Posts |
LobowolfXXX,
Absolutely, I guess I misread that he said they were the "best cards"....I thought he meant they were the "best cards to count"....My mistake, I may have misinterpreted his statement. I was simply trying to say that 5's are the best to count and not 10s if you are looking for the simplest card counting system.
Long Island,
New York |
|||||||||
LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-07 00:24, Expertmagician wrote: Yeah, I'm just busting your chops. Your point is well taken (and not so widely known).
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
|||||||||
NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
See my problem?
Not so easy to explain card counting is it? :) I will change 'best' to 'most valuable' though as it is obviously not clear. Obviously I'm not looking for the best count but the EASIEST count to explain. Posted: Jun 7, 2009 4:12am Looking at it, maybe an five/ace count would be easier to explain... |
|||||||||
SamCase New user 3 Posts |
When explaining card counting to laymen, which I've done more times than I can count, I basically say:
High cards in the deck help the player. Double downs pay off more, and you get more blackjacks. Low cards in the deck help the dealer - when they hit a 15 or 16, the low cards make a hand which doesn't bust. Middle cards - the 8, and others nearby, don't really matter either way. To count cards, we start a count of zero, and add a "1" whenever a low card is seen, and take away a "1" when a ten is seen. The higher the count, the more low cards have been played, which means the more high cards are still to be played which is better for the player. Sam |
|||||||||
NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
Sounds good Sam...thanks
|
|||||||||
uhrenschmied Regular user 135 Posts |
I would stay with the explanation using 10s. While most people do not know about counting, they know that Ace/10 is a Blackjack. So in their mind 10s will make more sense as 5s. Using 5s might lead to more questions, and in my opinion not work better for the OP.
Regards, |
|||||||||
LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Yeah, I think the key (and I would use tens and aces, as the significance of the 5 is a bit more esoteric) is to explain that
1) some cards are favorable to the player, and 2) by keeping track of the cards that have been played, you know more about what cards are left. I'd also explain that this helps in 2 ways, and use the 10s to illustrate: 1) You can bet more, which is good because, for instance, more tens = more blackjacks. If you have a sharp audience, you can point out that yes, that means more for the dealer, too, but you get paid extra on yours, and they don't. 2) Better strategy decisions, e.g. insurance is usually a losing bet, but if there are many tens in the deck, it becomes a winning bet, because it increases the chance the dealer has blackjack. I would imagine that would be both simple and informative enough for most audiences.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
|||||||||
NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
I've discovered the best way to explain card counting to lay people is as follows...
"Card counting is quite a simple concept. You use the cards that HAVE been dealt to tell you what card HAVE NOT been dealt. There are a lot of ways you can use this information. For example, you could count just the ACES and FIVES. If you count more ACES then stop beating because ACES are the among the best cards. If you count more FIVES then keep on betting because the more fives you get rid of, the better." From here, I give a very fast, more complicated description of card counting technique. "Instead of counting fives and aces you could count two through seven verses the ten through ace maintaining your bet when the lower cards out number the higher. Or you could count just tens verses two through seven ignoring ace, eight and nine but counting the tens, fours and fives twice." It a) explains the most basic technique b) shows how complex card counting can become. |
|||||||||
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-09-07 05:52, Nicholas J. Johnson wrote: If the imortal Bard is to be listened to, well then "Brevity being the soul of wit" and all, I would stop right here. The further down the road you go, the more likey you are to get a question as to the "why". You obviously have NO idea of the "why" so the less said the better you look. Instead of trying to PROVE you have the information, let them just assume it because you have so much information abaout so many other things. With your "charector" I think you would lose credability on ALL things you say if you get anything wrong. As for the 5 question, I mentioned this on another thread and got jumped, but here is your answer if you really want it. (not you Nicholas) A dealer MUST hit "stiff hands". This is slang for 12-16. A 5 will fill out EVERY ONE of those to a playable hand, when you are waiting for the dealer to bust. When the 5's are removed and the dealer must hit those hands, it is the greatest advantage for the player, because it will make the dealer break his hand more. Since when a dealer has a 2-6 showing a player will not hit stiff hands, advantage player. Not an easy concept to follow, but a good one. (Yes I spend WAY too much time in casino's playing Blackjack!) This is also why having a lot of the 10's in the deck is GOOD for the player. Not only do you get more Blackjacks, but the dealer will in "theory" break more hands. The more lower cards in the deck, the better odds of him filling out a hand. Blackjack s one of the only games in the casino where what HAS happened will have impact on what WILL happen. (it may be the only one I am not certain.) If all the Aces are gone you WILL NOT GET Blackjack! So at any given time the advantage fluxuates. Betting higher when you have an advantage and lower when you are at a disadvantage, the difference is your winnings. (in theory, and in summary)
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
|||||||||
LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-09-07 10:15, Dannydoyle wrote: Many laymen will then ask but isn't it true that dealer gets more blackjacks, too. It is true, but the dealer gets paid 1-to-1 on blackjack (the house wins what you bet), but you get paid 3-2 on yours, so for instance if every hand is blackjack for a while, half for you and half for the dealer, that would be GREAT for you. That's also one reason why aces are good cards to have still in the deck.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
|||||||||
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
This is exactly why it makes it tough to explain with more than the one sentence. If they engage you and you don't have the answer, it makes you look bad on all your answers, not just this one.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
|||||||||
chronica Loyal user France 94 Vitry s/s 246 Posts |
One point to comment please : if the dealer wins 3 following times against me with a score between 18/21 , whatever it was 8-7-3, 10-4-6, BJ or anything, I decide to multiply my bet by 4 and keep on applying the basic strategy (I play European Black Jack), this time it's not a counting of the cards but a counting of the dealer's score which in my opinion is not also a bad idea.
|
|||||||||
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
I have no idea what the rules in your game are so to decide if it is good or bad is not possible.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
|||||||||
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
I don't think this helps with what you ask but I think it is easier if you demo it with a deck than try to explain it in just words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKoCZnaIICY
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
|||||||||
Doc Dixon Special user Pennsylvania, USA 655 Posts |
Beyond what you'll say, what's the context? Is it a close up performance with a lot of interaction and a high probability you'll be asked questions? Or is it a platform presentation where the possibility of questions is lower? Or something else?
I think this, too, factors in what and how much you'll say. DD |
|||||||||
NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-09-10 11:22, Doc Dixon wrote: Sorry for the late reply. I abandoned this thread once Danny decided to get involved. He's too much hard work. The context is a 10 minute routine in my stand up con artist show. I explain the basic concept of card counting (now included an ace/five count - thanks guys). I then perform a 'fantasy' card counting demonstration in which 'count' and 'memorise' half they deck leaving me knowing all of the remaining cards and the odds of winning etc. The idea is to fulfill the fantasy of the audience, the rainman-esq myth of card counting. |
|||||||||
iamslow Inner circle Proffessional Slacker 2001 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-06 09:34, Nicholas J. Johnson wrote: that's as easy as it gets, but even that might sound crazy to a layperson... trust me, working in a casino, theres a ton of Dumb lay people... and that's just in blackjack... I deal with even bigger dummies trying to explain dice to them...
"Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the face" Mike Tyson
|
|||||||||
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The Gambling Spot » » Explaing card counting to a layperson (0 Likes) | ||||||||||
Go to page 1~2~3 [Next] |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.03 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |