I read Thorp's "Beat the dealer" and I couldn"t understand how to count the non-tens. How does it work?
"I read Thorp's "Beat the dealer" and I couldn't understand how to count the non-tens. How does it work?"
At the risk of sounding somewhat condescending, there are two groups of cards: those that are tens and those that aren't. In any single deck, there are 16 of the former and 36 of the latter. The ratio of non-tens to tens is 36:16 or 2.25 to 1.
Thorp's tens-count is antiquated and no one uses it to play blackjack anymore. So, don't do any more work with it, and move on to a point-count system, like Hi-Lo, or K-O, if you intend to learn to count cards.
Don
But Thorp says people made good money with the 10 count strategy in Vegas. I will stick with hi-lo. What system do you recommend for 2 decks? They play it in my area in Tulsa, OK.
The Thorp 10 count is interesting from a historical perspective, but the point count systems (Hilo, KO) are much easier to use and will get the money quite effectively if executed properly.
I know of no one using the Thorp ten count in actual casino play in this day and age.
1. Keeping separate counts of 10s and non-10s is more difficult in 6- and 8-decki games then in the single deck games, which were the vast amjority of games, in Thorp's day.
2. Divisors starting at 96 and 128 are much more unwieldy than divisors starting at 16.
3. A ten count counts all non-tens, including both aces and fives, identically. An excess of aces helps the player, but an excess of tens hurts the player.
And counter�s main gain comes from betting.
Read Wong�s explanation on page 55 of his PB.
follows from the third item in my list.
3. A ten count counts all non-tens, including both aces and fives, identically. An excess of aces helps the player, but an excess of tens hurts the player.
Please explain why an " excess of tens hurts the player"
OK has BJ where you pay an absurd 50� fee [per hand] in order to play !
Pure sucker territory.
