Hi-Opt II is a Level 2 balanced count: 4s and 5s are +2, tens are −2, and aces are 0. Because aces stay out of the main count, players keep a separate ace side count. It suits players who can count in twos and watch a second number.
| Level | 2 (tags from −2 to +2) |
|---|---|
| Balanced | Yes. A full deck counts to 0 |
| True count needed | Yes |
| Ace side count | Recommended (Counting Edge tracks aces seen against expected) |
| Betting correlation | 0.91 |
| True count vs Hi-Lo | about 1.67 times as large |
| Cards | Tag | Difference from Hi-Lo |
|---|---|---|
| 4 · 5 | +2 | Hi-Lo counts them +1 |
| 2 · 3 · 6 · 7 | +1 | The 7 counts +1 (0 in Hi-Lo) |
| 8 · 9 · A | 0 | Aces count 0 here (−1 in Hi-Lo) |
| 10 · J · Q · K | −2 | Hi-Lo counts them −1 |
In one deck, 16 cards at +1 (2, 3, 6, 7) and 8 cards at +2 (4, 5) add up to +32, and the 16 ten-value cards at −2 take it back to 0. Hi-Opt II is balanced, so a whole deck counts to 0. Counting a deck and finishing on 0 is a good accuracy drill.
Here are 8 cards, one at a time:
| Card | Tag | Running count |
|---|---|---|
| K | −2 | −2 |
| 5 | +2 | 0 |
| 3 | +1 | +1 |
| 9 | 0 | +1 |
| A | 0 | +1 |
| 6 | +1 | +2 |
| 2 | +1 | +3 |
| Q | −2 | +1 |
A +2 card and a −2 card cancel out. Spotting pairs such as K + 5 lets you skip both, which is how experienced counters keep up with a fast dealer.
Hi-Opt II counts aces as 0, so they never move the running count. Aces matter a lot to the player, though: they make blackjacks and soft hands, so a shoe rich in aces is better for you than the count alone shows. Serious players keep a second tally of aces to catch that.
Counting Edge does the tally for you when Hi-Opt II is selected. It shows aces seen next to aces expected, which is 4 for every 52 cards dealt, and an ace outlook:
| Aces seen compared with expected | Ace outlook |
|---|---|
| More than 1 above | Fewer aces likely ahead |
| Within 1 | Near expected |
| More than 1 below | More aces likely ahead |
For example, after one deck (52 cards) has been dealt you expect 4 aces. If you have seen only 2, the outlook reads more aces likely ahead.
Divide the running count by the decks left in the shoe: a running count of +10 with 2.5 decks left is a true count of +4. Because Hi-Opt II tags are bigger, its true count runs about 1.67 times Hi-Lo's for the same shoe. Counting Edge measures that factor from the tag values and scales every bet step and index by it, so you act at the same shoe composition as a Hi-Lo player.
This is the default ramp in Counting Edge, with the estimated edge in a 6-deck game (dealer stands on soft 17, 3:2 blackjack, double after split). The steps are Hi-Lo's +1, +2, +3 and +4 multiplied by 1.67 and rounded to one decimal place:
| True count | Bet | Estimated edge |
|---|---|---|
| Below +1.7 | 1 unit | −0.48% |
| +1.7 or higher | 2 units | −0.01% |
| +3.3 or higher | 4 units | +0.43% |
| +5 or higher | 8 units | +0.89% |
| +6.7 and above | 12 units | +1.36% |
The edge estimate is the house edge for your rules plus about 0.46% for each Hi-Lo-equivalent true count point (Hi-Lo: 0.50%). Try your own unit and shoe in the bet spread calculator.
Counting Edge uses the Hi-Lo Illustrious 18 indexes, converted to the Hi-Opt II true count. Five key plays:
The full converted list is on the Illustrious 18 page.
| System | Level | True count | Betting corr. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-Opt II | 2 | Yes | 0.91 |
| Hi-Lo | 1 | Yes | 0.97 |
| KO | 1 | No | 0.98 |
| Zen Count | 2 | Yes | 0.96 |
| Omega II | 2 | Yes | 0.92 |
| Wong Halves | 3 | Yes | 0.99 |
Higher-level systems gain a little accuracy but are harder to keep under pressure. See how all seven compare on the systems page.
Torn between counts? Start with Hi-Lo.
Lance Humble and Carl Cooper published Hi-Opt II in The World's Greatest Blackjack Book.
Counting Edge counts Hi-Opt II as you tap cards, tracks aces seen against aces expected, converts to the true count and sizes your bet. Free and open source.
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