In a game of blackjack, you are trying to beat the dealer to 21. After receiving your first two cards, you get to decide what to do with your hand. There are several options available. Since blackjack requires player decisions and is not all about luck, there is room for strategy.
Over the years, people have come up with various systems and methods to improve a player’s chance of winning blackjack games. Two of these are the Hi-Opt and Hi-Opt II systems. These are card counting strategies where you assign values to each card and keep a running total as you play. In this blog post, we will look at how the two systems work and discuss their advantages and disadvantages.
When you have finished reading, you might want to test either or both of the systems out yourself. Gambling Zone recommends doing this while playing a demo version of blackjack. Demo play is completely free and lets you practise as much as you like without needing to pay. Just about all blackjack sites let you play blackjack for free.
Our recommended online blackjack sites in the UK.
What Are the Hi-Opt Systems?
The name ‘Hi-Opt’ stands for ‘highly optimum’. The two systems have this name because they are supposedly very accurate at indicating who has the advantage (the player or the dealer). The original Hi-Opt system is a fairly simple card counting method. The second one, Hi-Opt II, came about as a result of the first one receiving upgrades and improvements.
The two systems are similar in how they work. For both of them, you just keep a running total as cards come into play. Hi-Opt II includes a greater number of different values and is a somewhat more complex system to master. It can take time and practice to feel confident using it. As for the original Hi-Opt, it should be quicker to master since there is less to it.
Hi-Opt
The table below shows the values for each of the card ranks. There are only three values, which is why people consider Hi-Opt to be one of the easier card counting systems.
|
Card Ranks |
Value |
|
3, 4, 5, 6 |
+1 |
|
2, 7, 8, 9, A |
0 |
|
10, J, Q, K |
-1 |
Hi-Opt II
The values that you use with the Hi-Opt II system are in the table below. As you can see, there are four values you have to think about when using the system in blackjack games. The key differences are that 2 and 7 are worth +1 instead of 0 and 4 and 5 are worth +2 instead of +1.
|
Card Ranks |
Value |
|
4, 5 |
+2 |
|
2, 3, 6, 7 |
+1 |
|
8, 9, A |
0 |
|
10, J, Q, K |
-1 |
How to Use the Hi-Opt Systems
How to Use the Hi-Opt Systems
To use either Hi-Opt system or any other card counting technique, you start a game of blackjack with a running total of 0. Whenever you find out what a card is, apply its value to the total. To give an example, you are using Hi-Opt and your first two cards are 2 and 3, while the dealer’s face-up card is a 10.
According to the Hi-Opt table, a 2 is worth 0 and a 3 is worth +1. When you apply both of these to the running total, it becomes +1. The dealer’s 10 is worth -1, so this takes the running total back down to 0.
When the running total is a positive number, this means that there are more high-ranking cards in the deck and that the player has the advantage. Conversely, when the running total is negative, there are fewer high-ranking cards and it is the dealer who has the advantage.
Try the Hi-Opt Systems Out
If you are not familiar with card counting systems in blackjack, you should probably try the original Hi-Opt system first. This is because it is the simpler option of the two. Move up to Hi-Opt II whenever you feel ready. As we mentioned earlier, it is best to practise systems like these in free games so you can play and master the system without spending any money.
Hi-Opt II is the more effective and accurate system of the two. However, you may still find that the first Hi-Opt system works well for you.
