A History ?

This question probably goes back to the beginning of counting. Thorp's book may need to be checked.

When did the idea of TC come about? ,was it considered from the beginning? If not I think it sets up an interesting point in the history of card counting.

As the casinos added decks to bj play. It seems there were 2 ways to go, develop RC systems or TC systems.

How easy could it have been to have gone with RC systems and they would have become the backbone of todays systems. I do think TC systems would become developed because they are stronger? in multi deck play. Perhaps they would have been developed in this alternate history about the same time that RC systems were developed in the real world.

At the time of writing Beat The Dealer, there were not that many multi deck games. There were two deck games, and some rare four deck games.

Thorp concentrated on single deck. His "Ten Count" was quite complex. He does talk about the Running Count and adjusting by dividing by the number of unseen cards. I don't think he ever mentions the True Count, but his and Braun's mathematics in the book set basis for RC/TC conversion and the fear he instilled into the casinos certainly prompted shoe games for which RC/TC was needed.

Revere, who was primarily concerned with SD games, talked about TCs -- that a RC was twice as valuable after half a deck had been dealt, etc. He build this into his betting and money management advice in "Playing Blackjack as a Business." You might want to give it a read to see how great things were in the old days.