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The line that annoyed me most in this was about card counting, saying > "The tactic requires both great memory and superior math skills." Not honestly true, a
by corin_ 15y ago
The line that annoyed me most in this was about card counting, saying
> "The tactic requires both great memory and superior math skills."
Not honestly true, at least about the maths skills. Memory... isn't how I'd describe it, though I suppose it's sort of right.
In my opinion, the most difficult thing is concentrating on multiple things at the same time (1. Keeping the running count 2. Counting how many cards have been played 3. Following the game itself and deciding what to do 4. Chatting with dealer / other players) - so this can perhaps be called "memory" as you have to remember these things all at the same time.
But for each thing you need to remember, it's a very simple thing on its own. Counting isn't about remembering the order of every card that's come out, it's not even about remembering what card has come out.
If you were to watch a video of a Blackjack game, i.e. you were left in peace and not doing anything yourself, few people would be incapable of counting the cards.
- nikcub 15y agoexactly. the best blackjack dealers (for the house) are those that can keep you distracted.
- corin_ 15y agoAs far as I'm concerned they're the best dealers for players too - I don't try and count cards in the casino, and find that both winning and losing sessions are much more enjoyable with a friendly dealer.
- glenra 15y agoThere's also remembering your strategy index tables. True, that's not a lot of numbers - some might use as few as 18 indices - but still: You're keeping in mind at the same time (a) the count, (b) a set of basic strategy rules appropriate for your specific game (c) a table of strategy variance index numbers appropriate for your specific game, (d) a deck depth estimate. And probably a few other relevant numbers. (here's an example of the "Illustrious 18" set of strategy index numbers for one counting system: http://bjmath.com/bjmath/tcindex/i18index.htm http://bjmath.com/bjmath/tcindex/i18index.htm )