Should I use the Hi-Lo Counting System?

The Hi-Lo Counting system is one of the easiest card counting systems to learn for blackjack. Developed by Harvey Dubner and popularised in Stanford Wong’s book “Professional Blackjack” it is a simple counting system which can offer good results even for a relatively inexperienced blackjack player.

The question of whether you should use it depends firstly on where you intend to play.

If you intend to play in online casinos then there is no point using ANY card counting system. The fact that the casino software shuffles the deck after every hand means that you cannot reliably count the cards with any degree of accuracy.

So should you use the Hi-Lo counting system in a real world casino?

Well, legally you can. There is no law against card counting. However, if you are caught doing it then it is highly likely that the casino will ask you to stop, or even ask you to leave.

This is precisely what happened to Ben Affleck recently when he was believed to be card counting at the Hard Rock Casino on vacation with his wife Jennifer Garner in Las Vegas.

Therefore, if you are going to use the Hi-Lo counting system you have to develop the skills to use it without it being patently obvious that you are doing so. That may sound easy, but when you have a pit boss and a team of security cameras trained on your every move, the pressure is on.

If you are going to use the Hi-Lo counting system, then you need to develop a way to use it and hide it well. This may mean throwing a few ‘off-scent’ bets, betting large when you know you are likely to lose, betting smaller when likely to win and the count is in your favour.

The real skill in using the Hi-Lo counting system is doing it without detection. If you can master this, then use it, if not, then it may not be the best idea to use in a real world environment.