How to count cards in blackjack: Hi-Lo chart

Hi-Lo card values

Assign +1 to 2 through 6, 0 to 7 through 9, and −1 to 10, jack, queen, king and ace. Add each exposed card’s tag to a running total. A fresh complete deck starts at zero.

A worked running count

For 2, K, 5, 9, A and 6, the tags are +1, −1, +1, 0, −1 and +1. The running count ends at +1. This records observed cards; it does not reveal the next card.

Convert to a true count

Divide the running count by the estimated decks remaining. A running count of +6 with three decks remaining gives +2. Practical systems must define how deck estimation and rounding are handled.

How it differs from basic strategy

Counting systems use information about the remaining cards and may change decisions. This site’s blackjack chart and trainer use basic strategy only. They do not provide a betting ramp, deviation index table or real-time counting assistant.

Hi-Lo true count examples

A running count of +4 with two decks remaining gives a true count of +2. The same running count with four decks remaining gives +1. A running count of −6 with three decks remaining gives −2. Decks remaining means the estimated undealt portion, not the original deck count.

Start the running count at zero after a fresh shuffle and add every exposed card’s tag, including dealer cards. The Hi-Lo tags balance to zero over a complete deck. Estimation and the chosen rounding convention matter when converting to a true count. These examples teach the conversion; they are not a betting-spread or deviation table.