Hi/Lo Card Counting

The Hi/Lo card counting strategy is the easiest card counting system for blackjack players and typically this should be the first card counting system that you try using. The reason the system is considered to be the easiest to learn is because you will only need to be able to do simple math including adding 1, subtracting 1 and adding 0. If you can’t do this then you probably should check that you learned how to do math in grade school. Another benefit which makes the Hi/Lo count so simple to learn is that it’s a balanced count.

If you don’t know the difference between a balanced count and an unbalanced count you can learn the difference in our general card counting guide. A balanced card count though, is when you could go through the entire deck and end up with a total of zero at the end of the deck. If you managed to not end up with a zero count at the end of the deck then you messed up your count somewhere. When you’re counting cards in the casino nowadays then don’t go through the complete shoe so although you’ll have an advantage still by counting cards you won’t be able to benefit when it counts the most which is at the end of a deck. Casinos stopped going through the full shoe because when counting cards the best time to make money is at the end of the shoe every round.

Visit William Hill Today

The Hi/Lo count is often used by blackjack teams because it’s really easy to understand and when working with a team it’s always smart to use the most basic systems. Every card in the deck has a value and you need to be able to memorize which card has what value so you can keep track of the count. The value of the cards in the deck are as followed, make sure you read them a few times so that you don’t forget them when you sign-off the computer.

• 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s and 6’s = +1

• 7’s, 8’s and 9’s = 0

• 10’s, J’s, Q’s, K’s and Aces = -1

When you sit down at the blackjack tables you should ensure that you wait until a new shoe is about to start so that you can start your count with shuffled decks. You don’t want to start playing when the shoe is half way done because then you need to worry about all the cards you’ve already missed which could have been a lot of the high cards. The key skill you need in order to be able to count cards is concentration and focus. The mathematics aspect of card counting anyone could do, but being able to stay focused at the table and not miss a single card is going to take the right person. A lot of people can’t focus in casinos due to the loud sounds and bright lights, but if you’re going to successfully count cards you won’t be able to miss one or else your count will be compromised.