Note that all of the index numbers are even numbers, making precision play easier than ever. The Hi-Lo Lite allows you to play your cards more accurately than if you just used basic strategy. The strategy changes presented here provide most of the gains available from the Hi-Lo Lite system. You may use these indices for any number of decks, and any set of rules. In shoe games, you only need the bold indices.

If you play in games where the dealer hits soft 17, you will find these indices, along with many other less important ones, in the Complete Hi-Lo Lite Strategy Charts section. Use basic strategy for all decisions that aren’t included in the index.

THE GENERIC HI-LO LITE
US
ASSUMES STAND ON SOFT 17
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X A
STAND
16 4 4 2 0 4
15 -2 4 2
14 -2 -2 -2
13 0 0 -2 -2 -2
12 2 0 0 0 0
DOUBLE DOWN
11 -2 -2 -2 0
10 -2 -2 0 2 2
9 0 0 0-2-2 2 4
8 4 2 2 0
SURRENDER
16 2 0 0 0
8-8 4 0
15 4 2 0 0
14 4 2 4
7-7 2 2 2
13 4
INSURANCE 2
BOLD = Major indices for all g imes
[The light indices are important in single-and double-deck games.] poker online

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The point values of the Hi-Lo Lite Count are:

A -1
X -1
9 0
8 0
7 0
6 +1
5 +1
4 +1
3 +1
2 +1

As the cards are played, you should keep a running count of all cards seen. After a shuffle, the count always starts at 0. This is a balanced counting system, so if you count down a deck, starting at 0, your final count will end at 0. Because the point values are balanced, you must adjust your running count to the true edge, as all Hi-Lo Lite betting and strategy decisions are made according to the true edge, not the running count.

Important note: If you have not read the section on the Red Seven Count, then go back now and read it, especially the pages that describe the true edge method of running count conversion. The Hi-Lo Lite uses the true edge methodology, which differs from the traditional true-count-per-deck method. The true edge method is simply a quicker and easier method of true count conversion, and just as accurate. In this chapter, I will briefly describe the minor differences between using the true edge method with the Hi-Lo Lite and the Red Seven, but you must read the material in the Red Seven section to fully understand the concept.

As with the Advanced Red Seven Count, we estimate our true edge with the Hi-Lo Lite by dividing the running count by twice the number of remaining decks. Example: you are in a 6-deck game and one deck has been played. Your running count is +15. Your true edge is:

5 (remaining decks) x 2 10
This means that the +15 running count at this point in the shoe indicates that your edge has risen about 1 1/2% above your advantage (or lack of one) off the top of the shoe.
Note that with the Hi-Lo Lite, both our starting count and our pivot are zero, so our pivot advantage is always the same as our advantage off the top. When we used the true edge method with the Red Seven Count, our pivot advantage was always positive, and about 1% higher than our starting advantage. So, the difference between using the true edge method with the Hi-Lo Lite and the Red Seven is that with the Red Seven we are usually adding the true edge to a positive pivot advantage, usually around 1/2%, and with the Hi-Lo Lite, we add our true edge to the starting advantage off the top, which is usually about -1/2%.

In the example above, if this were a 6-deck Atlantic City game, which is -1/2% off the top, then the 1 1/2% gain would indicate a total advantage of about an even 1 %.
Another example: It's the same game, a few minutes later. 2 decks have been played and your running count is -4. Your true edge is:

-4/(4×2) = -4/8 = -1/2
The true edge method differs from the more common true count methodology used for most balanced counting systems, because it directly figures out the approximate gain or loss in the advantage as you make the true edge conversion. I have decided to use this methodology for the Hi-Lo Lite for a number of reasons: I think it's simpler and more convenient to estimate the raise in your edge directly, and since the true edge method works so easily with the Advanced Red Seven, it will also make it easier for Red Seven players to switch over to the Hi-Lo Lite.

With the Hi-Lo Lite, you will also use the true edge method for making your strategy decisions. The traditional true count says to divide your running count by the number of decks remaining; this may sound easy, but when your running count is +11, and 2 1/2 decks remain, what's your true count? Many players are stumped when they try to divide by half-decks, especially with odd-numbered running counts. When you're trying to make a decision quickly, you don't need the aggravation. With the above example and the true edge method, you come up with the fraction 11/5 in an instant, and you know that your edge has risen slightly more than 2%.

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The Hi-Lo Lite is a more advanced card counting strategy for blackjack players who are willing and able to devote the time and effort necessary to mastering it. It is simpler to learn and play than other true count strategies, because the strategy indices have been streamlined for maximum efficiency with minimum effort. Also, the true edge method has been incorporated into both the betting and playing strategies, so that one simple adjustment can be used for all decisions. The recommended exercises for learning how to count cards are the same for the Hi-Lo Lite as for the Red Seven Count, so these exercises will not be repeated here.

While I sincerely believe that most players should stick with the Red Seven Count, the Hi-Lo Lite is the system I most strongly recommend for dedicated single-deck players, or for shoe players who use advanced techniques, such as team play, shuffle-tracking, and so on. Balanced counting systems can lead to significantly more profits in these types of advanced play than unbalanced ones.

If you're serious enough about blackjack to consider forming or joining a team, then you should know that as counting systems go, the Hi-Lo Count is the industry standard. More professionals use the Hi-Lo Count than any other system, and many blackjack teams require that team players use the count as well.

The Hi-Lo Lite is a variation of the standard Hi-Lo Count that uses the same point values for the cards. I believe the Hi-Lo Lite is a more practical version of the traditional Hi-Lo, easier to learn, easier to play, yet just as strong. Those players who already know the traditional Hi-Lo, and who feel that they can play it easily and error-free, should probably stick with it, but if you are new to this counting system, I suggest you learn this easy version. Also, if you are training new players for a team, you may prefer to use the Hi-Lo Lite method—your players will train faster, and play with fewer errors.

You should also note that the Lite indices could easily be converted to traditional count-per-deck indices (just multiply by 2). If you prefer the traditional true count method, but would rather take advantage of the Lite approach to index rounding, then simply adjust the indices for your purposes. You may do this for the purpose of easily learning dozens more indices, either for single-deck opportunities or camouflage plays.

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If you use the true edge method in single-deck games, in the first half of the deck, you simply divide your running count by 2 (since your denominator is 1×2). So, a running count of +3 indicates about a 1 1/2% raise from your pivot advantage. At the half-deck level, your raise in advantage is your running count, since 1/2×2= 1, and if you divide any number by 1, the answer is the same number. I.e., with a +5 running count and a half-deck dealt, your advantage has risen 5%. So, in single-deck games, don't even bother to make a fraction—in the top half of the deck, divide by 2. In the bottom half, just use the running count.

Should you ever play in a really deeply dealt one-deck game, in the last quarter of the deck, you can actually multiply your running count by 2, as a +3 count means a 6% raise in advantage. Low stakes players may occasionally find games like this.

One convenient feature of the Advanced Red Seven Count is that all strategy decisions, which must be made very quickly, are still made by running count. The betting decisions, which are less rushed, can be made with all the accuracy of a true count system, simply by using the true edge method of directly converting your running count to your raise in advantage.

A mathematician and longtime correspondent, Conrad Membrino, who has written definitively about true count conversions with unbalanced counts, believes that estimating your true advantage with an unbalanced system tends to introduce less error into the calculated advantage than the traditional true count methods with balanced counting systems.

If you use the true edge method of estimating your advantage, you should also employ the same proportional betting techniques that professional players use, based on the "Kelly Criterion." You will want to read the following chapter on bankroll requirements, as well as the chapters that follow on true count and betting strategies, in order to develop the best betting strategies for your bankroll, the games you attack, and your style of play.

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I have used simple examples, which resulted in simple fractions. With very little practice, however, you should have no difficulty estimating your raise in advantage, even when the numbers are not so convenient.

For instance, if you are in an eight-deck game, with a running count of +4, and 3 1/2 decks are remaining to be dealt, you'll know that since 3 1/2 x 2 = 7, your fraction becomes 4/7.
This may be a more complicated calculation, but you should be able to determine in an instant that it's just slightly more than 1/2%. Likewise, with fractions like 5/7 or 6/7, just knowing that your advantage has risen more than 1/2% but less than 1% is all you need for purposes of bet-sizing.

In using this method, always round up to the nearest half-deck when you estimate the remaining decks for your denominator. For instance, if slightly less than five decks have been dealt, and you estimate that about 3 1/4 decks remain, round up to 3 1/2, and your denominator becomes 3 1/2×2 = 7. This way, your denominator will always be a whole number, which is very convenient. This method also assures that you are being conservative in estimating your advantage, and therefore, safer in bet-sizing. If you have any difficulty whatsoever calculating your denominator when 1/2-deck increments are involved, then simply look at the following chart:

1/2×2=1
11/2×2 = 3
2 1/2×2 = 5
3 1/2×2 = 7
4 1/2×2 = 9
5 1/2×2 = 11
6 1/2×2 = 13
7 1/2×2 = 15

I think most people with an average command of math can do this with little difficulty, but if you have trouble, then simply learn the chart.
Also, let me reemphasize that you should not be intimidated by "weird" fractions. If you come up with fractions like 5/13, 2/5, 5/11, or 4/9, so long as you know that these fractions are all less than 1/2—or even somewhere around 1/2—you have all the information you need to estimate your advantage. Most pros estimate their advantage to the nearest 1/2%, and it's impractical to attempt to size your bets with more accuracy than that.

Likewise, 12/10, 11/8, 9/7, and 5/4 are all slightly more than 1. Knowing that your advantage is slightly more than 1 % above your pivot advantage is all you need to know. You do not need to consider 9/7 as anything different from 12/10. For your betting purposes, just know that all of these fractions indicate a 1 % raise above your pivot advantage.

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Consider what happens to your advantage if, in this same eight-deck game, your running count is +6, but 5 decks have been dealt out, leaving only 3 undealt in the shoe. Your denominator becomes 3×2 = 6, and your fraction is:

6
6 = 1

So, at this point in the shoe, your +6 running count indicates a full 1 % raise in your advantage above your 1/2% pivot advantage, and your total advantage over the house is now 1 1/2%.

Another example: Assume that in this same game you have a running count of +6, but now six of the eight decks have been dealt, with only two left in the shoe. Using the true edge method, your denominator is 2 x 2 = 4, and your fraction is:

6
4 = 11/2

This deep in the shoe, your +6 running count indicates a 1 1/2% raise above your 1/2% pivot advantage, so that your total advantage over the house is now 2%.

Note that as the shoe is dealt deeper, the same +6 running count indicates an increase from your pivot advantage of anywhere from 1/2% to 1 1/2%. In fact, if the dealer distributed all but one of the decks in the shoe, and you found yourself with a +6 running count, your advantage will have risen by:

_6_ 6
1×2 = 2 = 3%

Technically, we are simply applying standard true count theory in a unique way to calculate the increased advantage when the running count rises above the pivot. The advantages calculated with this method are as precise as the standard balanced true-count methods used by most pros. From the examples above, you can see why professional players have always steered away from the running count systems. If you were to always bet according to your running count, then depending on the level of penetration, you will often over or under-bet your true advantage. The true edge method solves the problem.

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There is a simple and accurate method for estimating your precise advantage at any point in the deal with the Advanced Red Seven Count. I do not recommend this method for any player who finds it confusing or difficult. Such players must resign themselves to using the betting chart shown earlier, along with the advice on bet-sizing according to your bankroll in the following chapter.

Advanced players, however, will want to bet more precisely according to their exact advantage over the house. You may do this with the same precision as users of balanced true count systems by using your running count to make a simple fraction that equates to your true edge over the house.

Many professional players have shied away from the unbalanced counting systems because without a "true count," it's impossible to follow a proportional betting scheme, where each bet is dictated by the approximate advantage on the hand about to be dealt. The true edge method described below solves that problem by directly converting the running count into the precise fractional advantage.

Make a Fraction
First of all, any time your running count is negative, assume that either the house has the advantage, or your advantage is less than 1/2%, so you do not want to bet much more than one unit regardless. Make a fraction only when your running count is positive.
Every fraction has two parts, a numerator and a denominator. The numerator is on top, and the denominator is on the bottom:

Numerator Denominator
In the fraction 1/2, the numerator is 1, and the denominator is 2. To estimate your precise advantage with the Red Seven Count, your numerator, the top number, is your current running count. So if your running count is +6, the fraction becomes:

_6_
Denominator

The denominator is simply twice the number of decks remaining to be dealt. For example, let's say you are in an eight-deck game, and your Red Seven running count is +6. Two decks have been dealt, with six decks remaining in the shoe. Your numerator (the running count) is simply 6, and your denominator is 6 (the number of decks remaining) x 2, or 12. So your fraction is:

6 1
12 = 2

This means your odds have improved by exactly 1/2% above your pivot advantage. If this were a typical eight-deck Atlantic City game, where your pivot (0) indicated a 1/2% advantage, then this +6 running count with 6 decks remaining means your advantage has gone up another 1/2%, so that you now have a full 1% advantage over the house. Note that in order to estimate your true edge, you simply add the amount of the fraction you make with your running count to your pivot advantage.

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