History of Speed Count: - Part II

For the past three years I've been the Lead Instructor in the Golden Touch Blackjack in which I teach average players the new playing technique called Speed Count.

I've gotten many questions aboutHenry Tamburin is the editor and publisher of the Blackjack Insider Newsletter and author of the best-selling Blackjack: Take the Money & Run.  He is also the lead Instructor for the Golden Touch Blackjack course, a feature writer for Casino Player magazine (and 6 other publications); an owner of a casino gambling publishing company (www.rsucasinobooks.com) and the host of www.smartgaming.com. For a free three month subscription to the Henry's Blackjack Insider Newsletter with full membership privileges go to www.bjinsider.com/free.  Henry's website is www.smartgaming.com  Speed Count and my involvement with it, so I though I'd answer them.

This is Part 2 of the History of Speed Count, a revolutionary card counting system that average players can learn in a few hours and will give them the edge over the casino when they play.

How do you know Speed Count works?

As I mentioned Dan tested Speed Count (see Speed Count - Part I) on his software under different game conditions (rules, # deck of decks, etc.) and in all cases (except for a few bad games) the results show that the player wins more money than loses. You won't win every time you use Speed Count, just like you won't win every time you use a traditional counting system. But in the long run if you have enough bankroll to whether the losing streaks (and you will have them no matter what counting system you use), you will have the mathematical edge over the house and come out ahead.

Did you test Speed Count in the casinos?

Yes, when we were finished with the computer studies, Dan, Frank, Dominator and I played Speed Count in different casinos throughout the US. It was so easy compared to the traditional counting systems we had been using for years. I also taught Speed Count to a few close friends who knew nothing about blackjack. They were able to learn it and make bets based upon the Speed Count in minutes. In fact they found learning Speed Count much easier than learning the basic playing strategy.

Why did you develop a new basic strategy?

Again our goal was to have a simple system that average players can use. We didn't want a complicated playing strategy with a lot of index numbers that players would have to memorize to know when to alter the playing strategy based on the count. So Dan developed the Optimum Basic Strategy (OBS). It's a fixed playing strategy that you use all the time regardless of the Speed Count. It was developed in conjunction with the Speed Count betting and it boosts the player's edge by about 10% compared to using the traditional basic playing strategy with Speed Count. Again we were after simplicity, and what could be simpler than learning the OBS and Speed Count to gain the advantage.

Why did you teach Speed Count in a course?

I've taught many different counting systems to players over the past 30 years and the absolute best way to learn card counting is in a simulated casino environment. So in our Golden Touch Blackjack course, where we teach Speed Count and the OBS, we do so on real blackjack tables with an instructor/dealer. The course content was carefully developed by Dan and me. It took us four days to develop the outline, practice sessions, computer drills, PowerPoint slides, and hand outs. The course involves a short PowerPoint lecture that explains one key skill followed by a demonstration of the skill on the blackjack tables and then students practice what they just learned by playing blackjack with the instructor/dealer. Students learn one skill at a time with plenty of hands-on practice. This hands-on training allows students to master the OBS, the Speed Count, the betting ramp, insurance and departure indices, bankroll requirements, best games, and more, in a very short period of time (one weekend). Students are literally ready to play blackjack in a casino with the edge on Sunday evening following the completion of the 2-day course.

Why have you been so enthusiastic about Speed Count?

My dream has always been to develop an easy counting system that average players can master in minutes, rather than months, and gives them the edge when they play blackjack. This isn't as easy as you think but Speed Count accomplishes this. It's extremely easy to learn and more importantly, extremely easy to apply on the tables in a casino. In the history of blackjack there had been two great discoveries: the basic playing strategy and card counting. I would now add a third great discovery, Speed Count, because for the first time it allows the general public, with little effort, to play blackjack with the edge against the house.