Blackjack Questions from a Hi-Lo Dropout: How much will counting only the high be less effective than Hi-Lo?

Beating the shoes admittedly is difficult, but finding a playable pitch game could be even more difficult.

Shoes or no shoes, we can all say goodbye to 6-to-5 blackjack. But not too many blackjack players/counters can say goodbye to shoes games since the "KILLER" 6 or 8-deck shoe may be the only game left in town.

The trick for playing shoe games is don't used the counting systems for pitch game some 40 or 50 years ago again without changes. THERE IS AN EASIER WAY OUT. Remember, it is 2021 now, not 1963.

 

So who looses more money. The person who doesn't play? Or the casino with a game no one will play?

I will give them some latitude for expanding from one to two decks. But 6? or 8?

C'mon maaan.

 

As you may have kicked off your card counting pursuit only recently, you are in luck if you can find a casino in your area -- not a computer program -- to hone in your SD blackjack skills. Enjoy it if the SD blackjack pays 3-to-2, not 6-to-5. Moraine has had no such luck since time immemorial.

To all up-and-coming card counters, Moraine says: Good luck, good luck, but still prepare for the day that there may be no SD or DD blackjack anywhere just like there are no SD or DD Spanish 21 anywhere. Also, the "killer" 8-deck may be the only game left unless you are ready to plop down $100-minimum from the very beginning of a no-mid-shoe-entry 6-deck shoe.

 

As you may have kicked off your card counting pursuit only recently, you are in luck if you can find a casino in your area -- not a computer program -- to hone in your SD blackjack skills. Enjoy it if the SD blackjack pays 3-to-2, not 6-to-5. Moraine has had no such luck since time immemorial.

To all up-and-coming card counters, Moraine says: Good luck, good luck, but still prepare for the day that there may be no SD or DD blackjack anywhere just like there are no SD or DD Spanish 21 anywhere. Also, the "killer" 8-deck may be the only game left unless you are ready to plop down $100-minimum from the very beginning of a no-mid-shoe-entry 6-deck shoe.

 

Why do casinos offer impossible games?

Same reason a dog whizzes on a tree. Because they can.

 

At +1 AceMT true count, this much is certain: the deck has one surplus high card (10 thru A), and one non-high card (2 thru 9) is missing. The chance of that missing non-high card being a low card (2, 3, 4, 5 or 6) is 5/8. The combined effect on players' Expected Value due to +1 AceMT true count is +0.86%. THAT IS AUTOMATIC.

At high AceMT true counts, the dealer busts more often, even though the dealer may still draw a small 5 occasionally on a hand of 16 to beat your hand of two 10s. You can't expect to win them all even at high counts.

Blackjack also happens more often at AceMT high counts. Of course, the dealer has the same chance as you have to get a blackjack at high AceMT true counts. If the dealer gets it, you won't lose more. But if you get the blackjack, you get paid 3-to-2. THAT IS ALSO AUTOMATIC.

 

Casino games -- as bad as or worse than 6-to-5 8-DECK BLACKJACK -- have players because of this simple fact: "A sucker is born every minute."

If you think 6 or 8-deck is bad, JUST WAIT. 8 or 10-deck may one day become the best blackjack a card counter can find in 1,000-mile radius unless he/she likes Continuous Machine Shufflers better.

 

Granted, Moraine, by counting the high cards alone, AceMT can achieve 99.1% of what Hi-Lo can achieve in terms of BC+PE+IC, but AceMT still gives up 0.09%. What AceMT gets in return for giving up that 0.09% in terms of BC+PE+IC then?

Answer:
AceMT users do not need to make +1, -1 running count adjustment all the time. Using AceMT versus using Hi-Lo is almost the same as driving an automatic transmission versus diving a stick-shift car. Also, by ignoring the low cards, AceMT users have 167% more time to relax than Hi-Lo users while counting at the same blackjack table.

 

Okay, AceMT by counting the high alone can achieve 99.1% of Hi-Lo's numbers in terms of BC+PE+IC. But how about the deviations indices then?

Questions: Does AceMT have all the corresponding deviation indices available to Hi-Lo users?

Answer: Absolutely YES! Guaranteed! Just give a Hi-Lo deviation index any one has ever found, I'll give the corresponding AceMT deviation index in the blink of the eye.

 

How So?

Answer:
By magic, almost! There is a fixed mathematical relation between the AceMT true count and the Hi-Lo true count. As simple as this: 1 AceMT true count in blackjack = 1.625 Hi-Lo true count in blackjack.

 

The 2 is the achilles heel in HiLO. Some dorkshits would rather claim they can handle variance than do an ounce of work to improve their game.

 

"The 2 is the achilles heel in HiLO." Right on. Fortunately with AceMT, 2 is as irrelevant as 3, 4, 5, 6 7, 8 or 9. They are all lumped together as non-friends.

But you raised a touchy topic called "variance." When counters lose big, they lament on "variance." Funny, counters never attribute their big wins to variance, but only to their skills, systems, blah blah blah.

 

Excellent point. KJ is constantly crying about Variance.

You have to compete in order to experience it The word Variance doesnt even enter a competitors mind. Preparation is vital. The better prepared the less variance is even recognized.