In another thread, cmonseven posted a question about practicing chip counting. I'd like to hear some opinions of what works best. Here are some of my thoughts. One part of chip-counting is learning the relationships between the chip values. That seems simple, but it's probably not automatic for most people. Seeing a small stack of different denomination chips should immediately convey the value. In other words, seeing a stack of 1 green and 3 chips shouldn't cause you to add 25+15, but instead to just see $40. When you see a larger stack of chips of course you'll probably have to count and add. This is one area that software could help, but it's also the easiest part of chip-counting to master anyway. Another skill in chip-counting is raw visual ability. This is an area that has me wanting to get my eyes checked, probably before May's events. When counting a tall stack of chips, it's of course easier if the chips are "banded", with stripes on the sides. Counting a smoothly stacked column of non-banded chips from across the table is tough for everyone, and I don't know what types of practice drills will help. I don't think software can help in this respect. A few tricks of the trade can occasionally help. If an opponent has a shorter stack of chips adjacent to their "tower of red", you can sometimes count the shorter stack, and then just count the taller stack's difference in height. Back to the actual counting process, I tend to count multiples. For example, when visually working my way up a stack of green chips, I'm mentally counting "1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4" instead of "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12". You just have to subtlely remember how many hundreds you've counted. If you forget before you get to the top of the stack, you can usually visually rescan the stack afterwards to assess the number of hundreds without having to recount. When I'm counting $5 chips, I work in 5's instead, at $25 per chunk. If one of your opponents has a particularly tall stack of chips, it's worth watching that stack through hands so you don't have to recount it. In other words, I may remember that Joe has $125 in red, and if the dealer pays him $10 more in red, I'll adjust my mental total to $135 in red. That brings us to the ideal solution for chip-counting, which is don't do it! When I'm playing at my best, I can keep several bankrolls in my head, and just adjust the totals as each player wins or loses. This is an area where I think software could help a lot. There's bound to be a way to improve our brain's ability to manage multiple numbers. I know personally that on good days I can manage 5 bankrolls, while on days when I'm not in the zone, I struggle to keep two opponents. My recent trip to Vegas was exceptional in that regard. In the rounds I played at the Frontier, I never had to count a chip after the countdown in any of my rounds. I wish I could do that all the time, and I think perhaps practice would allow me to accomplish that. Practicing chip counting need not happen at tournament tables. While playing at a regular table, try counting other chip stacks at the table. Ideally, you'd like to be playing with friends, who won't wonder why you're staring at their money!
Hi Ken, Have you ever requested to be paid in lower chip denominations than your bet just to see if it throws others off? I've found many players do have trouble relating to your possible bets and threats when you utilize lower chips instead of higher value ones. Some casino tournaments will only pay you in the exact format you bet, while others will accomodate, so it's usually something worth finding out. I recall the dealers at Casino Niagara actually asking the pit boss if they could pay differently and being told "sure, it's a tournament. Who cares how they bet?" I did And it worked fabulously as a good fellow player seemed to have trouble with all the lower chips being played and misbet on two crucial hands to help me advance.
Stacking chips and other secrets Here is my reponce to several questions I was e-mailed. I stack my chips as even as possible after each hand. The smoother the stacks, the harder they are for others to count. I do this on all chips, the spoted ones I arrange the spots as even as possible as well (since they are easier to count then the plain chips). *Note: I said stack my chips, not keep playing with them or running my hands up and down trying to hide them from the other players (Duh, do you really think we don't know what your doing?). Also don't commit your play to fast, plan your next bet ahead of time and after the players in front of you have made their bets, then take your chips from your stacks. After you have played in a few tournaments you can try little bluffs with your chips, but until you know the players just play smart and don't try to get to clever. First thing you'll hear about tournament play is you do what you have to to win, split face cards, DD on a blackjack, DD on hard 18, and all are true "IF" the situation calls for it. My favorite players are the ones that know just enough to screw themselves. They are the ones who think they can control the cards by messing them up several times in each round. You all know the ones I am talking about, they hit their hard 16 against the dealers 5 to try and screw up the hands for everybody else. The problem with these players is they don't have control over anything but their own hands. As far as I am concerned I love a player willing to lose his/her chips, when were playing to have the most chips to advance...DUH! I am not saying it doesn't work and I have don't it myself, but at the right time. I see players with a meduim size bet (around $50) hitting their hard 15 against the dealers 4 and the bad thing is the other players may have $100 or more bet but their sitting on a 20. Now the players bust his/her hand and the other players all win, now your down $150 instead of only $50. If your going to try to mess up the cards bet small, and pay attention to what the other players cards are. When is it a good play to try and mess cards up? Lets say I have $5 bet and I have a 13 aganist the dealers 6, but the players to my left has $200 bet and a good DD hand (9 & 2) and I feel a picture is come up, then I can risk my $5 to take their 10 (picking up $195 on that player). The ones that try this all through a round might win that table, but ask them how many tournaments they have won doing this all the way through in every round? Hope this answers the questions you asked me. If you have any more e-mail me at rickjbj21@yahoo.com or call toll free at 1-866-839-8687 and ask for Rick.
Three more thoughts on chip counting Those of us in the "middle-aged" group often have a problem with mid-range vision. Just before the May '04 MDII, I went to my opthamologist & had lenses made specifically for chip counting; I had no idea what I had been missing. It makes me wonder how many players make chip-count errors due to unfocused or unclean lenses. Thought two has to do with the book "Casino Math" by Terry Ambiel, which is an instruction manual for dealers. It contains practice exercises for judging stack values, payoffs and the like. I don't own the book (Gambler's Book Shop couldn't locate it), but if anyone out there has a copy please let me know. Thought three is for those of us who get annoyed with those who try to block our view of their chips. Instead of putting up with trying to see through people's hands or through discard trays, ash trays, etc., I've found that a simple "may I please see your chips?" has always worked. Every rule sheet I've seen so far says that chips must be visible.
Chip counting I like the idea of keeping your chips at the lowest denomination. Couldn't you see the final hand at the Hilton with one player holding $16,675 worth of $25 chips. Try to count all those in 30 seconds. If everyone took that approach the table would eventually get to look the final table at the Horseshoe. At the Stardust I saw a Stratosphere likeness of $5 chips. I really think they need to institute a color in rule at the count or post everone's chip total (which I don't suppose would be feasible). Well since the mentality of this post has sunken to the level of horse bettors, how about all the dumb asses who bet $2 to win on Shorty Jones to get back $2.40 when they could have bet $2 to place and got back $3.30 or $2.00 to show and got back $2.80. That's like playing a Video Poker game without reading the paytables first. IG
Back in the 80's At the Desert Inn BJ tournament in 85 they had monitors at all the tables with all the top players totals. Of couse they were playing with live money and the session and round winners all won money bonuses. Hell the round winners won more back then then some of the first prizes give in today's tournaments. The third round winner won a New Cadillac!
Let me join the crowd that wishes my vision was a little sharper for things like a chip count. One thing I do for practice is take a bunch of my chips and just randomly reach into a container and put different random sized stacks of chips out a few feet away. The stacks are random in that I don't actually count them but they will vary from 8 or 9 up to 20 - 30. I try to put them at different distances to simulate the different distances that I would be at from other players on an actual table. Then I rapidly do a quick estimate and write it down. I don't try to do an exact count but practice getting the rough estimate. I then check my estimates to what the actual stack held. Giving them a $5 value, (after all, they are all red chips) I can usually get within $10 of even the tallest stacks. I realize that you need a more exact count when you are getting down to the final hand but this method helps me keep up with bankroll as the round goes along. Also, getting an exact count with my eyes can be a slow process if my most dangerous opponent is on the opposite end of the table. If I am worried about having the time to get an exact count, this method gives me a pretty accurate estimate from which to plan my strategy. I don't know if this helps or hurts my accuracy but the chips I use are from multiple casinos and have different edge patterns. But again, I am not trying to actually count the chips one by one. I am taking no more than 4-5 seconds to do my estimate so the effect of the different patterns shouldn't be all that much.
