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The original, world-famous strategy charts for 4-deck to 8-deck blackjack by the Wizard of Odds. Jun 12, 2014  Beating 8 deck Blackjack. I am fairly new to blackjack but I have basic strategy memorized and I have been practicing my but off counting cards (hi low) I am wondering if counting cards would be effective against these rules? The cut-card has little effect (maybe 0.02%) on 8 decks. You will find that generally a shoe will stay good.

Introduction

To use the basic strategy look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. The splittable hands have been divided into two groups depending on whether or not doubling after splitting is allowed. In multiple deck games doubling after a split is usually allowed and that rule can go either way in single deck. In the body of the chart are color coded cells that indicate the best play: H=hit, S=stand, D=double, P=split.

It should be noted that this strategy is applicable when the dealer stands on a soft 17, which is almost always the case in an 8 deck game. If the dealer hits a soft 17 the player should double on 11 against an ace.

The Hi Opt 1 card counting system is so named because it’s considered “highly optimum”. This is one of the oldest and most traditional card counting systems, and it’s still in common use among advantage players today. Charles Einstein formulated this system in 1968, but it was further improved upon and publicized by Lance Humble and Carl Cooper in the book The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book.

How Card Counting Works

You can skip this section if you already understand the basics of counting cards, but if not, this is how it works in a nutshell. Some cards in the deck improve the player’s odds. Other cards in the deck improve the casino’s odds.

For example, players get an automatic win and a 3 to 2 payout when they’re dealt a “blackjack” (or “natural”). Since that’s the case, 10s and aces are favorable cards for the player. You could never be dealt a blackjack if all of the aces or all of the 10s were removed from the deck beforehand, so it just makes sense that if there is a higher proportion of those cards in the deck then normal, you’ve got a better chance of a big win.

Card counting enables players to estimate their relative advantage or disadvantage by keeping a running tally of high cards versus low cards. When the deck still has a lot of high cards left in it, card counters raise their bets in order to take advantage of the better odds they’re being offered.

When explained that way, card counting sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? Just keep in mind that you have to keep up with this math at an almost lightening-pace in a loud, distracting environment. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

Different card counting methods apply different values to the cards.

How Hi Opt I Works

This is a traditional single level, balanced counting system. That means that you only have to add 1 or subtract 1 to the count for each card, and if you count through the entire deck, you’ll wind up with 0 at the end of your count. (There are as many +1 cards in a deck as there are -1 cards in a deck.)

For purposes of this count, you’ll add +1 to the count every time you see a 3, 4, 5, or 6, and you’ll subtract 1 from the count every time you see a card with a value of 10. All other cards count as 0 for purposes of keeping up with the count.

You should practice your counting skills at home before trying this in a casino. With a balanced system like the Hi Opt I, it’s easy to see how accurate you are, because if you count through a deck and wind up with a total other than 0, you know you’ve still got some work to do.

Raising and Lowering Your Bets and Making Strategy Adjustments

As with other counting systems, you raise your bets when the count increases, and you lower your bet when the count is low. This is where the bulk of your edge from a card counting system comes from.

The count can also affect your strategy decisions, such as whether to hit, whether or not to double down, and whether or not to take insurance. You can get an edge over the casino by just sticking with basic strategy and raising and lowering your bets based on the count, but you increase your edge by making the appropriate strategy adjustments.

Converting the Running Count to the True Count

One aspect of the Hi Opt I system is that it requires a conversion from the running count to the true count in order to remain accurate. This takes into account the number of decks you’re playing with.

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The reason for this should be obvious, but a simple illustration should clarify the concept. If a single deck has 4 aces in it, and 3 of those aces have been dealt, then 75% of the aces are gone. But if you’re playing with a shoe with 8 decks in it, then you started with 32 aces, so you have 29 aces left. Only about 10% of the aces have been dealt.

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To adjust for that, you divide the running count by the number of decks you estimate are still left in the shoe.

Your Advantage Using Hi Opt I

Most of the players at the blackjack table are playing at a disadvantage to the house of between 2% and 4%. That means, over time, that they will lose $2 to $4 of every $100 they wager. On the other hand, if you’re using the Hi Opt I system and basic strategy, you should be able to maintain an advantage over the house of around 1%, which means you’ll win, on average (eventually), $1 for every $100 you wager.

Camouflage

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Casinos ban card counters, so you want to disguise the fact that you’re counting cards as much as you can. One way to disguise your skill level is to occasionally make basic strategy mistakes. In other words, you’ll play a hand wrong some of the time.

Which hands do you play incorrectly, though? Here’s a simple hint—use correct basic strategy when you’ve raised your bets. Use correct basic strategy most of the time when you’re betting your minimum. Only once in a while should you play incorrectly, but that should always be when you have a lower amount of money on the line.

6 Deck Blackjack Strategy

In fact, it’s not a bad idea to keep a basic strategy chart with you at the table. This sends an unspoken message to the casino that you’re a novice. After all, a card counter would have memorized basic strategy and wouldn’t need a strategy chart, right?

6 Deck Blackjack Strategy Card

The Hi Opt I provides an excellent balance between being easy to learn and effective at the tables. It’s worth learning, and if you’re interested in becoming an expert in this method, The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book is indispensable.