Blackjack Strategy for Intermediate Players – The Hi-Lo Card Counting System

In this article, we will discuss the different aspects of the Hi-Lo card counting system that Blackjack players employ.

Blackjack Strategy – An Overview of the Hi-Lo Card Counting System

The Hi-Lo card counting system is a Blackjack strategy that players at the beginner and intermediate levels can use easily to improve their odds of winning a game. The creator of the Hi-Lo card counting system, also called the Hi-Lo system, was Harvey Dubner.

Prior to Dubner, Dr. Edward Throp had come up with the Ten-Count, a path-breaking system that had certain levels of complexity attached to it. Dubner introduced the Hi-Low system to make things easier for players during the course of a Blackjack game. The simplicity of the Hi-Lo system is what makes it a favorite among beginner and intermediate level Blackjack players.

Blackjack Strategy – More about the Hi-Lo System

One of the easiest strategies to learn for Blackjack is the Hi-Lo system. At the outset, players must know the basic value attached to each card in a given deck of cards. The cards 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are assigned a value of Count +1, while the cards with the value 7, 8, and 9 are assigned a value of Count 0. The cards 10, the face cards – J, Q, K – and A are assigned a value of Count -1.

Essentially, the 20 small cards and the 20 big cards are assigned values of +1 and -1 respectively, while the 12 middle cards are considered to be neutral and therefore assigned the value 0. Blackjack players consider this system to be a balanced system, as counting down each card in a standard 52-card deck would finally give you the value 0 – 20 +1s, 20 -1s, and 12 0s.

The Hi-Lo system makes the game of Blackjack very interesting, as every card changes the count in some way. There is a constant push and shove between the high cards and the low cards to retain control over the card count. The more you play the smaller cards, the bigger the chances of you winning the game. If you have a lesser number of small cards, there are three possibilities for you immediately – an increased chance of you receiving a Blackjack, a better chance of the dealer going bust, and more chances of you receiving stronger hands.The count starts at 0 when you start a game of blackjack, with a new deck of cards. From there on, you go on adding or subtracting 1s and also adding 0s with each card you get. Even if you happen to miss counting cards that you have received and lose track of your counting, it still can work in your favor as you may have inadvertently increased your chances of winning the game.