If you’ve watched any videos or read anything about card counting, it is almost certainly describing the Hi-Lo card counting system. It is the card counting system written about in the most popular card counting books, used by many of the most famous card counting teams, and the most common system taught to new card counters. I’m going to explain what it is, how it works, and the next steps to consider to master the hi-lo system.
Like all card counting systems, Hi-Lo is designed to track when the blackjack shoe (or deck) is more favorable to the casino and when it is favorable to the player. Hi-Lo does this by grouping cards into three tag values:
This creates 5 low cards and 5 high cards. By having an equal number of “low cards” as “high cards,” it makes Hi-Lo a balanced count. That means every deck or shoe will both start and end at zero.
By having only +1’s, 0’s, and -1’s, it is also a very simple count compared to more advanced counts out there. With only -1’s and 1’s to add, this is what is called a “level 1” count. Other counts can have more tag values, going as complicated as -4 to +4, creating a more powerful, but more difficult to learn system.
But being simple, both in being balanced and level 1 does not mean that Hi-Lo is a weak count. With a high betting correlation, it is powerful enough to be the gold standard among card counting teams and many professional card counters. Primarily, it’s the balance of simplicity and efficiency that makes Hi-Lo so popular.
The first step to the Hi-Lo system is the running count. A card counter should always start at the very beginning of a shoe, as to not miss any cards that have already been dealt. Then, for every card dealt to any player at the table or the dealer, they will add +1 for every small card (2-6) and subtract -1 for every high card (10-Ace). Round after round of blackjack, you continue adjusting this running count as each new card is dealt. This running count tells us the total difference of high to low cards that have been dealt thus far (which implies the total difference of high to low cards that have NOT been dealt).
In simpler terms, if a 2 of clubs is dealt, it will not be seen again until the shoe ends and the cards are shuffled. That means there is a deficit of 2’s in the remaining cards left to be dealt. Conversely, if only a 2 of clubs has come out, there is one more high card left to be dealt relative to small cards (since there are an even number of high cards to low cards).
While this information is good to know, it doesn’t tell us the more important calculation of the count per deck remaining. For example, if there are 10 extra high cards remaining (because 10 extra small cards have already been dealt), that is a big difference if there are 5 decks remaining compared to only 1 deck remaining. To find out our count per deck, or “true count,” we do a quick calculation of the running count divided by the number of decks remaining in the shoe.
If there is a +10 running count with 5 decks left, the math is +10 / 5 = +2 True Count
If there is a +10 running count with 1 deck remaining, the math is +10 / 1 = +10 True Count.
The true count is how the Hi-Lo system accounts for games of varying numbers of decks and the changing advantage throughout a shoe. It is how a Hi-Lo card counter determines his bets (using card counting betting software, of course). For each increase in true count, the advantage shifts slightly more to the player (about 0.5% per true count). Betting software helps you determine how much you can afford to bet at each true count, depending on the rules of the game, number of decks, deck penetration, and bankroll size.
The True Count is also how playing deviation decisions are made. As the composition of the shoe changes, the playing decisions a card counter should make also change. These differences in playing strategy are called “playing deviations.” Playing deviations are based off of the true count, not the running count (except for a deviation at zero).
This means that Hi-Lo card counters find themselves making true count conversion decisions before placing new bets or whenever they are dealt a hand that might involve a playing deviation. While there are card counting systems, like KO, that don’t require a true count conversion, most people don’t find the 3rd grade math of a true count conversion to be a challenge to master Hi-Lo.
I’ve been teaching card counting for over 20 years, and there are definitely some common mistakes people make while learning. Here are the top things to watch out for.
When the count goes from a positive number to a negative, it is common for beginners to go the wrong direction with the count. This should get ruled out with repetition, but beware. We train people to use the prefix “D” before negative counts. Is faster and easier to say “D1, D2, D3” than saying “negative one, negative two, negative 3.”
Another common mistake is to count the dealer’s up card twice. Since it is face up, it gets counted when all initial cards have been dealt. But that means you need to pay attention when the dealer plays out his own hand to not count that “up card” a second time.
The biggest mistake I see is people playing before they are good enough to play in a casino. Small mistakes as card counters are enough to easily wipe out their advantage. Put in the training, either at home or with training software like our Training Suite to get your game to perfect. If you can’t count through a deck in under 30 seconds or pass our virtual testout, you simply aren’t ready.
Fortunately, we have a free version of our training software so you can practice the Hi-Lo count right now. Practice until perfect. Nothing short of perfect is good enough if you want to be a successful card counter.
Another drill is to simply count through a deck of cards. It can be a real deck, or if you’re on the move, there are deck of cards apps or our Mobile Trainer app. The goal is to be able to count through a deck in 30 seconds (25 is better!), and always end with the correct count at the end of the deck.