Black Jack software

Jeff V · #1 02-16-2003, 02:43 PM

Have any of you folks used software to practice basic strategy and counting? If so colud you let me know what you used and your oppinions about it? Thanks. Jeff

bernie · #2 02-16-2003, 04:08 PM

any hand held mini computer game can do...

ii bought one in reno once...it was a single deck, and told you when it would shuffle....it gave a bet spread of 1-10....

you dont need alot of graphics or anything to do it...i learned the hands on an old playstation caesars palace game....

as much as i dislike patterson, he has some good drills in his book, BJ a winners handbook

youre goal is to memorize hands. make them 2nd nature...the counting part, really isnt that hard. especially once youre able to count multiple cards at once...

it was said somewhere that you should be able to count through a single deck in around 20 seconds before trying it in a live situation

b

Dentist · #3 02-16-2003, 05:57 PM

Hoyle Casino

Super Cheap, fun, and good for any kind of practice.

nanoking · #4 02-17-2003, 05:08 AM

www.blackjackinfo.com it's free, has a strategy coach, try the javascript one, it's small and user friendly.

If you're serious check out Statistical Blackjack Analyzer. After awhile you'll be more interested in getting your indices and SCORE for a specific game than practicing hands. You'll just memorize the new indices for that game/counting system, count down a physical deck of cards a few times and then go burn the place down!

Good Luck,

NK

nanoking · #5 02-17-2003, 05:12 AM

that being said, Casino Verite is the practice software a lot of people recommend. You can d/l a demo. I never thought it justified the pricetag.

you'll have to spend some time hanging out at www.bj21.com (and subscribing to CBJN) if you're serious about moving up the learning curve fast. The green chip membership is worth it until you can start answering your own questions with a simulator, etc.

NK

ChipWrecked · #6 02-17-2003, 05:08 PM

count down a physical deck of cards a few times and then go burn the place down!

I have to disagree with this statement. If you're serious about counting you need to practice counting down quite a bit (unless you play at Chumash, I'll admit that place is easy to count in, slooooowwww dealing).

I use Casino Verite and found it worth the money for the drills. I never play the actual games, just drill hard (the table count drill is great). If you play pitch (handheld) games you will have to be able to count fast.

BruceZ · #7 02-17-2003, 05:56 PM

Casino Verite is the Cadillac of practice software. You can simulate a full table, every imaginable set of conditions/rules, dealer speeds, cover betting, different counts, side counts, distractions, and all kinds of bells and whistles. You can also buy the simulation package as an add-on which is one of the only ones that can simulate true cover betting.

The drill I do a million times is to take a real deck of cards and deal myself 2 cards and the dealer's up card (leaving out the dealer's hole card at first) and play out my hand and the dealer's hand while counting, totaling my hand, and making the right strategy decisions. At the end of the deck you can verify that you still have the right count since you should know the count of the remaining cards. Be sure you can go through 10 decks like this smoothly without an error.

As a basic drill, practice going through the deck 1 card at time, 2 cards at a time, and then just fanning out the deck and scanning through it, ignoring pairs that cancel, neutral cards, and just couting the rest of the pairs. Remove one card from the deck, and you should be able to determine its count in 12-15 seconds. This is a good exercise for scanning a table quickly and backcounting.

nanoking · #8 02-17-2003, 08:03 PM

Yes, I'm overenthusiastic. Standard deviation and inability to keep up with the dealer will kill you.

Practice, practice, practice. Then realize it's all about cover anyway so teach your wife/S.O. the insurance count and flat bet for awhile with a beer (or beer bottle filled w/ water) before flipping into counting mode.

Chumash, Moocash. They put in automatic shufflers so you can't track anymore, they'll catch you quick and their poker game is full of rocks.

But I still go there, 'cuz they've got 10 cent BOOM!

NK

ChipWrecked · #9 02-18-2003, 04:48 PM

They put in automatic shufflers

Man I'm sorry to hear that. My wife lived in S. B. when we met, and I used to stop in at Chumash on my way home to Sacto Sunday afternoons. It was nearly always good for a gas-money score, $50 - $100 in less than an hour in most cases. I wouldn't bother with cover, practically wore a sign around my neck: "I'll just wait 'till the count's good, then bet big, OK?" [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

nanoking · #10 02-18-2003, 05:03 PM

The shufflers are automatic, not continuous so counting and wonging on a Friday afternoon (when the tables are open, but the crowds aren't there) is still doable. Penetration is dealer dependent. Their new casino will be finished this fall (hotel next year) so maybe the game will improve. They say they'll be putting in more poker tables too.

Unfortunately, I've been pegged as a counter there, and two associates have been barred so there's not much I can do with the blackjack game anymore. I had too many instances of spreading to two hands and getting two blackjacks.

NK