Hi-Lo Card Counting in Blackjack
Written May 19, 2008 by Jack Jones
We’ve had plenty of questions coming in to the site concerning card counting in blackjack so wanted to address the issue. It is thought that with a little bit of research and practice a common player can improve their game to the point where the game is a break-even situation or else they may get the advantage to their side.
The casinos have other plans in mind, and try to curtail this practice at all costs. They think it’s cheating, but it really seems to be a skill that only takes advantage of information that is offered by the casino to every player who sits at the table. It seems like a waste of resources though to chase down card counters since there is a small amount of money lost to these folks in comparison to the massive amounts lost by the general public.
So though counting is not technically illegal, the casino does take simple measures to combat the practice. They will put more decks on the table, bury more cards on the shuffle, stop mid-entry shoe betting, having the dealer shuffle half way through the deck, and when all else fails, they can legally bar the counter from playing by backing them off the game.
If the casino says its permissible to count, like in Atlantic City, then they impose tougher blackjack rules, multi-deck games and limit deck penetration to keep the skilled counter at bay. Compare this to playing perfect basic strategy. Using this legal system against the house will reduce the casino advantage to much lower than the two percent you mentioned in your inquiry, more like 0.15% against a single deck, .35% on a double deck, and .58% with a six-deck shoe. To a large extent, that is why I recommend using basic strategy. You get to avoid all the cat-and-mouse games you’ve got to play against the casino.
Even with the difficulty in card counting and how much the casinos try to crack down on you for doing it, some people still want to give it a go, so here are a few basic rules. It’s enticing since card counters have an inherent advantage of between .5 and 1.5 percent against the casino, accomplished by tracking the changing imbalance of big to little cards in a diminishing deck. When the cards remaining favor the player, you bet more money. When they favor the dealer, you bet less. Big cards (10s, aces) favor the player; small cards (2-6) favor the dealer.
The simplest count to learn is a one level count, also known as the Hi-Lo counting system. It assigns the following count values to each card.
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (small cards)…………………. +1
7, 8, 9 (neutral cards)………………………. 0
10, J, Q, K, Ace (big cards)……………….. -1
To use the Hi-Lo method, you need to add and subtract the above counting values for every card exposed on the blackjack table. By mentally keeping an updated running count from one hand to the next, you vary your bets according to the positive/negative value of the upcoming hand.
For example, you have played a bit, and now the deck is half gone — 26 cards remaining. You’ve been counting, and the current imbalance figure that you have been quietly tracking lies plus 7 to the player. If the dealer has to hit his next hand, the remaining 26-card deck is short seven of the cards he needs to rely on. But let ’s say the dealer catches his/her hand with two small cards, and the count goes to plus 9 with 24 cards remaining. Most card counters would bet a lot of money on the next hand.
As. illustrated above, all the counter does is vary bets up or down, from one hand to the next, guided by the constantly updated imbalance figure, which predicts whether the next hand favors the counter or the dealer.
Is it easy to count? Yeah, with a little practice it is. But the bottom line is that the casino is not going to be too keen with blackjack players who know how to beat the house. They much prefer players who wing it, who use no strategies at all. Thus, Pete, is the additional one percent edge you get counting worth the effort versus using a strategy card?