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Video Poker card counting/VP training software for IMac/IPhone?

Discussion in 'Video Poker' started by Dutchman, Jun 10, 2016.

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  1. Ret070320

    Ret070320 Active Member

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    So I need to get some practice software to help me learn video poker and at least basic card counting for blackjack. But I own an IMac/IPhone and while I could load windows on it using bootcamp, I'd rather not waste the space. Is there any decent training software available that's apple compatible?
     
  2. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    Here's how I got started way back in the 80s:

    1. Learn basic strategy. There are lots of apple apps in the Apple App store. Just make sure the app you use is applicable to game you will be playing, i.e. H vs. S 17 etc.

    I made flash cards for all the hands and this worked well.

    As for counting I don't know of any software but I'm sure there is some available. What I did to get started was this:

    Take a single deck of cards and place one of them face down without looking at it. Then take the remaining deck and with the cards facing you thumb through the deck using your count and be able to tell what the point value of the face down card is. At first don't worry about speed, just get used to employing the count.

    Then when you can thumb through the deck and consistently and determine what the value of the face down card is work on your speed. At first it will probably take you about 30-45 seconds but try to improve a little each day until you can thumb through one deck in 15 seconds or less.

    Then do the same thing with two decks of cards until you can do it in under 30 seconds.

    After you can count down a couple of decks accurately and with speed I would try the following: Take two decks of cards and randomly take groups of three, four or five cards out at random and place them face up on a table or bed or wherever you are practicing. Once you place them face up look at the group as a whole and try to determine what the point value is of that grouping as a whole. Its easier to start off with doing this with only two cards and then work your way up to groups of five or more. Again, start slow and work on your accuracy and then work on your speed and try to assign a point value to each group in less than a second. (This exercise was the one that helped me the most when I was starting out and I still do it to this day as a warm up before a Vegas trip).

    Once you can do the above, place one card face down, do the same and keep a running count in your head while going through the groups and be able to determine the last card that is face down. After doing this a lot you will begin to notice certain patterns of cards and be able to cancel out groups (say a ten value card as being minus one and a five being plus one so the net is zero). This exercise helped me a lot when I finally got to the tables.

    After I was able and comfortable with all the above I got six decks of cards and played out four hands, with a dealer hand, played basic strategy and kept a running count. I literally spent hundreds of hours doing this while I was watching TV or had some spare time. I didn't worry about cutting off any of the decks as I figured going deeper would only benefit me.

    Then, when I was able to count down six decks while playing multiple hands I did the following: When I went to the casinos I would only play basic strategy but I would try to count down the games when playing and even by standing behind a game while watching. With a lot of the games when the cards are dealt face down so you'll only have a few seconds to look at the cards sometimes so this took a lot of patience in getting comfortable with.

    When I felt I was ready I started out in games where I was heads up with the dealer or I would play shoe games with as many people as possible where the cards were dealt face up. In the beginning I was woefully underfunded but eventually as my BR increased and my play got better I was able to have some success.

    I think that for learning how to count there is no substitute for using real cards. Using a computer simulator might help a little but in my opinion using cards is a much better simulator of what you'll experience in a casino.

    Learning to count, and more importantly being able to stay under the radar, is a daunting challenge. I started in the early 80s when BJ conditions were much easier and casino countermeasures were somewhat in their infancy. I think in today's environment being a lone wolf counter would be difficult but not impossible, although the profits would be fairly small. Still, if you like a challenge and have the time, determination and BR there are worse pursuits in life....

    :peace::beer:
     
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  3. remmerde

    remmerde VMB's Resident Cigar Sommelier

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    As for VP, you have to get WinPoker for the iPhone. $9.99 and well worth it. It even lets you enter a custom pay table and calculate the return and analyze hands for you. I use it all the time, both to train myself and while sitting at a machine if I've got a difficult hand to know what to hold.
     
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  4. mescalita

    mescalita old and in the way...

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    This. Don't even think about counting cards until you have basic strategy down perfectly. Not a mobile app, but here's where you can practice basic strategy for any combination of decks and rules:
    https://www.blackjackinfo.com/blackjack-strategy-trainer/
    Mike has given you some great advice. Take your time and enjoy your blackjack journey....
     
  5. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Yeah, I don't have an iPhone, but have heard good things about WinPoker. But FYI, using this while playing is technically illegal in most states, including Nevada. But I have yet to hear a story about the casino enforcing it. If anything they would probably just ask you to stop using it. I've used a similar program on occasion with a confusing hold.
     
  6. remmerde

    remmerde VMB's Resident Cigar Sommelier

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    I've often thought about this while I'm sitting there looking up a hand, but always figured it's just a glorified strategy card. And if they're selling strategy cards for blackjack in the gift shop, well then...

    I was going to reply dismissively, but your post prompted me to look up the actual text of the law, and it's a surprisingly harsh.

    https://leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-465.html#NRS465Sec075
    Clearly WinPoker fits subsection 465.075(4). Nothing in this section requiring any degree of "cheating" or "fraud". Merely a device the enables a player "to obtain advantage". Maybe I need to be a little more discreet using it in the future.
     
  7. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Yeah they are more powerful than a printed strategy card, which is legal. But since they do sell things like strategy cards in gift shops, they probably aren't going to prosecute without a good reason. I think the time and effort to prosecute a recreational player wouldn't be worth it. And any news story about it would be bad enough for casinos to think twice as it will make the casino look like a major asshole. The law's intent is more toward devices that do intend to gain a major advantage in a game, imo.
     
  8. Ret070320

    Ret070320 Active Member

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    Getting back to the original question, I know there are lots of great software for PC, but I'd rather not shell out the money for windows and parallels if I can help it.
     
  9. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    WinPoker is for the iPhone fyi. They haven't bothered to make it for android. Although the name WinPoker probably came from Windows. Not positive on that one.
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2016
  10. Ret070320

    Ret070320 Active Member

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    Just downloaded it! BJ software is proving harder to find though
     
  11. spicole

    spicole No shirt, no shoes... NO DICE!

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    I use "Blackjack Trainer PRO HD" to practice. The app author is Michael Hurnaus. I like it because you can drill on soft hands only or pairs only instead of running through random hands. (Yes, I know what to do when I am dealt two face cards, or 4-3.)

    I know basic strategy very well but I always brush up on my flights to Vegas!
     
  12. Toobs

    Toobs Tourist

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    https://www.qfit.com . Best way to learn how to count. The app doesn't have all the drills the windows version has but still really good
     
  13. Ret070320

    Ret070320 Active Member

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  14. boxofbirds

    boxofbirds Royally Flushed

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  15. Roccoscollar

    Roccoscollar VIP Whale

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    I've been looking for a good app for iphone and haven't found one to my liking yet. I do use the blackjack training on Wizard of odds which is good but doesn't do multiple hands. if you find something please share!
     
  16. Toobs

    Toobs Tourist

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    Look at my prior post in this thread. Great blackjack counting software
     
  17. Geogran

    Geogran VIP Whale

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    Palm Pilot? Seems like eons ago (1997?) - mine is still in a drawer somewhere, haha
     
  18. Roccoscollar

    Roccoscollar VIP Whale

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    I've played blackjack a long time and know the basic strategy. I never took the time to learn to count cards in the past. I decided to at least take some baby steps towards counting. I've got a 10 day trip coming up in August so I've been prepping. I'm either going with Ace - Five or Ace/Ten Front or try both. I know they aren't as in depth as Hi-Lo,KO, etc. but going to start with easy ones first and take it from there. Would be interested to hear any feedback on the two easy systems i'm going to use. Good, bad, ugly.....
     
  19. LukeDWyatt

    LukeDWyatt Tourist

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    I tried finding a good BJ App and was surprised how limited this was.
    I found a very clumsy one to help with counting, but given you would have to be very discrete it doesn't seem usable at all.

    I'd be fairly happy with one that allows me to enter rule variations and gives me the corresponding strategy card.
     
  20. Toobs

    Toobs Tourist

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    Qfit.com your best iPhone app for counting blackjack.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 23, 2016
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