Hi-Lo System

The Hi-Lo card counting strategy is one of the most popular and widely used systems today and has been used since 1963 when it was created by the American mathematician and engineer Harvey Dubner who presented his findings at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in Las Vegas. Since then, this strategy has been used by many blackjack players as well as written about in many blackjack books, the most popular of which are Don Schlesinger's Blackjack Attack and Stanford Wong's acclaimed Professional Blackjack. Here we will give you an explanation of how the Hi-Lo System works and provide what you need in order to be able to try it out for yourself.

To begin with, we are assuming that you know the rules of blackjack and that you have some experience playing this popular casino table game. If not, then we strongly advise that before any attempt at card counting is done, you spend time familiarizing yourself with all blackjack rules and gameplay.

The 5 Steps in Using The Hi-Lo Card Counting System

Step 1: Assign Card Values
Assign the following values to cards: +1 to 2s through 6s, 0 to 7s through 9s, -1 to 10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces.
Step 2: Keep a Running Count
Begin at 0 after seating and placing your initial bet. Update as cards are dealt. Example: cards 9 (0), 7 (0), 2 (+1), Ace (-1), King (-1) result in a running count of -1. Practice at home alone or with friends for accuracy.
Step 3: Find the True Count
Divide running count by decks remaining in the shoe. Example: +8 with 4 decks left = true count of 2. Round up decimals like 1.75 to 2 for simplicity.
Step 4: Place Bets Based on Count
Bet higher as the count increases. Use intuition in casino settings since long winning streaks attract attention from dealers and pit bosses familiar with card counters. Maintain the count; losing it ends the shoe.
Step 5: Stay with the Count
Use the count for betting instead of basic strategy. Success depends on consistency; avoid temptation to deviate.

In addition to the count, Don Schlesinger also added the Illustrious 18 blackjack plays that he states should be used at all times. These moves tell you when you should be sticking, splitting, taking a card and doubling and using these involves memorizing all 18 plays and index numbers. Serious Hi-Lo system blackjack players will indeed memorize this chart and use it to increase their profitability when using the Hi-Lo card counting system.

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