The Hi-Lo Count may be the most widely known count in blackjack, and is a count that most serious card counters have used at one point or another. It is a more robust system with a greater potential profit than the Ace-Five system; however, it is also more complex, and more prone to detection, since you’ll be making more adjustments to your play. The reason that card counting works in blackjack is because the cards dealt and the cards left are changing the probability of the game while you’re playing. One way to count cards would be to memorize which cards have been dealt so you’d know exactly which cards are left in the deck. KO Card Counting Strategy Explained. The KO card counting system, also known as the Knock-Out card count, is a system where if you counted down an entire deck of cards, you will NOT end up with a count of 0. The methodology of the KO card counting system is explained in the book Knock-Out Blackjack, written by Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs.

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The Hi-Lo system for counting cards in blackjack is one of the
most venerable advantage strategies in the casino. When most
people who know anything about card counting discuss the
subject, they’re talking about this specific system. It’s easily
understood, effective, and effective. If you’ve read any kind of
scholarly or mathematical analysis of how and why counting gets
an edge over the casino, chances are good that the study used
the Hi-Lo System for analysis purposes.

According to Norm Wattenberger at QFIT, the strategy was
originally created by Harvey Dubner in 1963. Julian Braun made some refinements, then Edward Thorp
published the system in his book Beat the Dealer (which is considered by many to be the first card counting
book.) It was then further refined by Stanford Wong and published again in the book Professional Blackjack.

How to Count Cards Using the Hi-Lo System

We wrote extensively about card counting in general on our main card counting page, but in brief, here’s how
it works:

Card counters track the ratio of high cards to low cards left in the deck so that they can raise their bets when
the odds are in their favor. When a deck has a relatively high number of aces and 10 cards in it, you’re more
likely to be dealt a blackjack (or a “natural”) and receive the 3 to 2 payout. If you don’t understand why this
works, try a little thought experiment:

Online casino dealer job description for resume. Take a deck of cards, and remove all the cards that aren’t aces or 10s.
Do you think you’d be more likely to be dealt a blackjack with that deck?
Of course you would, and the reasons are obvious.

But the reality is that every card dealt out of the deck affects those odds. If you can keep a rough estimate
going of that ratio, you’ll know when to raise your bets and by how much.

So every card in the Hi-Lo System is assigned a value, and as you see each card, you add or subtract that value
in order to maintain a running count.

Here’s the value assigned to each card in this system:

• Aces and 10s are worth -1.
• 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s are worth +1.
• 7s, 8s, and 9s are wordth 0.

You might notice that there are 20 cards worth +1 (4 of each rank.) There are also 20 cards worth -1. (4 aces,
4 jacks, 4 queens, 4 kings, and 4 10s.) Since the cards are assigned values of +1 and -1, and since there are
the same number of cards of each value, this is called a “balanced count”. If you count through an entire deck
of cards using this system, you’ll end up with a total of 0. That’s true of any balanced counting system.

You’ll also notice that you’re only required to add 1 or subtract 1. There aren’t cards worth 2 points or 3 points.
This is what card counting experts call a “single level” system. More complicated card counting systems will
sometimes assign different scores to different cards. We know of one system that assigns half points to some
cards.

The goals of these unbalanced and multi-level systems are to increase the accuracy with which you can gauge
your edge against the casino, so you can make more appropriately sized bets. They also provide you with
more accurate information you can use to adjust your strategy decisions based on the count.

Converting the Running Count Into a True Count

If you’re playing in a single deck blackjack game, you don’t have to worry about this. Your running count is a
more-or-less accurate representation of how good or bad the deck is.

But not all games are single deck games.

In fact, most games use 6 or 8 decks.

Since there are so many more cards in a pack with multiple decks in it, the effect of each card that’s dealt is
diluted.

Here’s why:

If an ace is dealt out of a single 52 card deck, you only have 3 aces left. That’s a significant change.

But if an ace is dealt out of a pack of cards using 8 decks, you have 31 aces left in the deck. That’s a change,
but it’s not nearly as significant.

To take into account this dilutive effect, you take the running count and divide it by the number of decks left
in the shoe.

This is a skill you’ll need to practice, too—estimating the number of decks left in the shoe.

Our Advice

The only way to get good at this is to practice, and we suggest practicing at home rather than practicing at
the casino when real money is on the line.

Bet Sizing Using the Hi-Lo System

Most of the edge to be gained from using the Hi-Lo System comes from sizing your bets. To do this, you decide
on a betting range in units before sitting down to play. We’ve seen recommendations that you range your bets
from 1 unit to 4 units, but we’ve also seen recommendations that you be willing to bet up to 10 units.

The reason for using a more conservative max bet is to reduce the chance of getting heat from the casino. Pit
bosses and dealers are aware of how card counting works, and when they see a player ranging her bets wildly,
they start watching to see if you’re counting. If they think you’re counting, they’ll start shuffling every hand.
Or they might even ask you to not play blackjack or even leave the casino entirely.

At any rate, you size your bet based on the true count, not the running count. You start with a single unit, then
multiply that by the true count to get your bet size. But you never go over whatever max you’ve decided on
beforehand, regardless of the count.

• If the count is negative, 0, or 1, you’ll flat bet with your minimum bet.
• If the count is +2, you’ll double that bet size.
• If it’s +3, you’ll triple that bet size.

An so on.

If your betting unit is $100 per hand, you’re looking at betting $200 when the count is +2, $300 when the
count is +3, and so on.

This single change to your playing strategy will give you an edge over the house, assuming that you’re already
playing with basic strategy and not making any other changes.

In fact, this system is excellent at determining when you should raise your bets and by how much. According
to QFIT, the betting correlation for this system is 0.97. (1 would be perfect.) It’s hard to get much better than
that.

On the other hand, some card counters also like to get an edge by adjusting their basic strategy decisions
based on the count. The Hi-Lo System is significantly less effective for this purpose, with a playing efficiency
score of only 0.51.

Summary

The Hi-Lo System is probably the easiest and most common card counting system in use, and
it’s perfect for beginners. If you decide you want to try counting cards, the Hi-Lo System
is probably the best place to start.

You get an edge with a simple method of calculating the approximate ratio of high cards to low
cards in the deck. All you have to do is add 1 and subtract 1 at the appropriate times.

Then you convert that running count into a true count. The true count is what determines
how much you should bet per hand. The increased likelihood of having more money in action
when you have a better chance of getting dealt a blackjack and the corresponding 3 to 2
payout is where you get your edge.

The Hi-Lo System isn’t the best for informing changes to your basic strategy decisions, but
that’s not where most of your edge comes from anyway. Even experienced advantage
gamblers like David Sklansky recommend using the Hi-Lo System for counting
cards in blackjack.

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Introduction

The Hi-Lo Count is the most widely written about, and in my judgment, the most commonly used card counting strategy. The High-Low was first introduced in 1963 by Harvey Dubner¹. It has since been discussed by just about all the major blackjack writers. In my opinion, the best introductory treatment is in Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong, and the most detailed coverage is in Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger.

How it Works

Following is a brief explanation of how to use the Hi-Lo.

Step 1: Assign a point value to each rank, as follows.

Step 2: Start with a 'Running Count' of zero at the start of the deck/shoe. As cards are revealed, keep adding or subtracting from the Running Count, according to the point system in step 1. For example, if the first ten cards to come out of the shoe were 3, 5, K, 7, Q, A, 8, 5, 4, 2, then the running count would be 1 +1 -1 +0 -1 -1 +0 +1 +1 +1 = +2.

Step 3: Divide the running count by the number of decks remaining, to get what is known as the 'True Count.' This is the part that beginning counters hate. You don?t need to be exact. A rough estimate will do, in my opinion. Let's look at example. The running count is +7 and there are about 4 decks left. The true count would be 7/4 = 1.75. Round that up to 2, to keep it simple. The more you play the more you will be comfortable eyeballing this adjustment, without doing any real division in your head. Usually the right play is obvious. In borderline cases only will you need to do this True Count conversion.

Step 4: The greater the true count, the more you should bet. This is where card counting becomes more art than science. Some blackjack books give rigid rules on how this should be done. However, the casino managers have read these books too, and the patterns recommended in earlier books now set off red flags. How you do this should depend on your own style, and how much heat you are getting. It helps avoid heat to keep the ratio of maximum bet to minimum bet to a limit, known as the ?Bet Spread.? Only increasing bets after a win, only decreasing after a loss, and staying the same after a push, makes play look more natural, but at a cost to profitability.

Step 5: For some hands, you will play according to the True Count and a table of 'Index Numbers,' rather than basic strategy. The greater the count, the more inclined you will be to stand, double, split, take insurance, and surrender. For example, the Index Number for a player 15 against a dealer 10 is +4. This means the player should stand if the True Count is +4 or higher, otherwise hit.

The following tables are known as the 'Illustrious 18' and 'Fab 4' respectively.² They appear in Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger, and are republished here with permission. These are the most important index numbers to remember. Knowing only these will give the counter 80% to 85% of the value of knowing every index number, based on a six-deck game. The difference is more in single and double-deck games. The lists are given in order of value. If you can?t memorize all of them, start at the top, and work your way down.

Illustrious 18

Order	Play	Index
1	Insurance	+3
2	16 Vs. 10	+0
3	15 Vs. 10	+4
4	10,10 Vs. 5	+5
5	10,10 Vs. 6	+4
6	10 Vs. 10	+4
7	12 Vs. 3	+2
8	12 Vs. 2	+3
9	11 Vs. A	+1
10	9 Vs. 2	+1
11	10 Vs. A	+4
12	9 Vs. 7	+3
13	16 Vs. 9	+5
14	13 Vs. 2	-1
15	12 Vs. 4	0
16	12 Vs. 5	-2
17	12 Vs. 6	-1
18	13 Vs. 3	-2

The player should stand/double/split if the True Count equals or exceeds the Index Number, otherwise hit. The player should take insurance if the True Count is +3 or greater.

Fab 4 Surrenders

Order	Play	Index
1	14 Vs. 10	+3
2	15 Vs. 10	+0
3	15 Vs. 9	+2
4	15 Vs. A	+1

The player should surrender if the True Count equals or exceeds the Index Number.

A full table of all index numbers can be found in Chapter 3, and Appendix A, of Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong.

The next table shows some statistics using the High-Low. The blackjack rules this table is based are liberal Vegas shoe, as follows:

Six decks
Dealer stands on soft 17
Surrender allowed
Double after split allowed
Player may resplit to four hands, including aces

To avoid setting off red flags, the simulation increased the bet after a win only, decreased after a loss only, and always stayed the same after a push, except resetting to a minimum bet after a shuffle. The simulation rounded the remaining decks to the nearest half deck, otherwise playing perfectly.

High-Low Statistics

Spread	Penetration	Index Numbers	Player Adv.	Std. Dev.	Avg.Bet
1 to 5	4	I18+F4	0.157%	1.50	1.35
1 to 10	4	I18+F4	0.368%	2.04	1.57
1 to 15	4	I18+F4	0.578%	2.67	1.73
1 to 5	4.5	I18+F4	0.300%	1.60	1.41
1 to 10	4.5	I18+F4	0.587%	2.27	1.68
1 to 15	4.5	I18+F4	0.834%	3.06	1.90
1 to 5	5	I18+F4	0.469%	1.70	1.47
1 to 10	5	I18+F4	0.837%	2.52	1.80
1 to 15	5	I18+F4	1.147%	3.49	2.10
1 to 5	4.5	All	0.313%	1.61	1.41
1 to 10	4.5	All	0.608%	2.29	1.68
1 to 15	4.5	All	0.862%	3.10	1.91
1 to 5	5	All	0.494%	1.71	1.47
1 to 10	5	All	0.857%	2.55	1.81
1 to 15	5	All	1.182%	3.54	2.11

Explantion of columns

Spread: This is the ratio of the player?s minimum bet to maximum bet. The bigger the range, the greater the player?s advantage, and bankroll volatility. A wide bet spread also sets off a red flag. In a six-deck game, I think a 1 to 15 spread is about the most aggressive the player should get. The simulation played one betting spot only.

Penetration: How many decks played before reaching the cut card. In a six-deck shoe, 4.5 is the norm.

Index Numbers: I already explained index numbers above. Simulations were run using both the Illustrious 18 and Fab 4 (I18+F4) above, and with the full table. The difference is not much, which shows that knowing the top 22 gets you most of the benefit of knowing all of them.

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Player Advantage: This is the ratio of net player win to total initial bets. For example, in the last row, the player could expect to win 1.182% of his total initial bets.

Standard Deviation: This is a term for the volatility per initial bet.

Average Bet: The average final bet per hand, compared to the lowest bet For example, in the last row, if the player?s minimum bet were $100, his average bet would be $211. This includes additional money bet due to doubles and splits.

This table was created using CVCX Blackjack Analyzer by Casino Vérité. This software produces hundreds of different statistics for just about any set of rules, betting strategies, and playing strategies. For the player who wants to run these tests, this software is the best there is, in my opinion.

Footnotes

1. Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong, page 31, 1994 ed.
2. Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger, page 62, 2004 ed.

Acknowledgments

Don Schlesinger: For his permission to reprint the Illustrious 18 and Fab 4 tables from his book, Blackjack Attack.
Norman Wattenberger: For his complimentary use of CVCX Blackjack Analyzer by Casino Vérité.

Hi Lo Blackjack

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Further Reading

• Card Counting Introduction.
• Wizard Ace-Five Count: Very easy and simple card counting strategy.
• '21' Movie Review: Truth and fiction about the movie about the MIT card counting team.
• Blackjack book reviews.
• Main blackjack page.