• When to vary your playing strategy based on the true count
• The Index Numbers for 22 plays
• How to learn and practice the deviations from basic strategy

Besides using your true count to size your bets, you can also use it to deviate from the basic playing strategy. The reason is that the more positive the count, the more inclined you will be to stand, double, split, take insurance, or surrender.

The following table contains what is known as the Illustrious 18 (for multi-deck games). It summarizes the most important hands for deviating from basic strategy (the ones that give you the most bang for your buck). (Developed by Blackjack Hall of Famer Don Schlesinger, author of the authoritative book Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros' Way.) The first column lists the play, the second column lists the index number, and the third column lists the action you should take on each hand.

Note: The table contains the indices for multi-deck games with s17. Where two indices are shown, the second is for h17 game. If you want the indices for single- and double-deck games, see Table 10.1 in Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros' Way but note that the true count estimation was to the nearest quarter-deck for single-deck games and half-deck for double-deck games.

*Where two indices are shown, the second is for h17.

For example, suppose you have a 10-6, the dealer has a 9 upcard, and the true count is +6. The index in the above table for 16 vs 9 is +5. Therefore, instead of following the basic strategy decision to hit, you should instead stand. (This makes sense, because with a high positive true count, you are more likely to break if you hit in a ten-rich deck.)

In games that offer surrender, the following table (known as the "Fab 4," also developed by Don Schlesinger) summarizes the index numbers for surrendering the four hands listed in the table. (You surrender when the true count is equal to or exceeds the index number.)

*For h17 game, the index is -1.

1. Stand
2. Surrender
3. Surrender
4. Hit
5. Surrender (Trick question: Basic strategy for this play is to surrender.)
6. Hit
7. Double Down
8. Stand
9. Split
10. Double Down
11. Hit
12. Stand
13. Stand
14. Stand
15. Surrender

By following the above betting and playing strategies for single-, double-, and multi-decks games, your edge as a card counter will be about 0.5% to 1.0%. The reason I'm not being more specific about this now is because there are several other factors that will influence how great an edge you can achieve when you use Hi-Lo, and I'll be discussing this in more detail in Chapter 10.10. (The biggest factor is the percentage of cards that are dealt between shuffles, known as the "penetration.")

If you've made up your mind after reading all this material about converting the running count to a true count that this is just not your cup of tea, don't jump ship quite yet. That's because in the next sub-chapter I'll be explaining unbalanced card counting systems (that don't require a conversion from running count to true count), and also several other simpler counting systems that, although not as powerful as Hi-Lo, are much easier to learn and use. Stay tuned.

• The true count can be used in multi-deck games to not only vary your bets but also for deviating from the basic playing strategy.
• The Illustrious 18 and Fab 4 contain index numbers, which is the value of the true count where you would change your playing strategy.
• Using the Hi-Lo card counting system will give the player about a 0.5 to 1.0% edge (rules and penetration dependent).