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!
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!
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.