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Free blackjack deviations chart for Hi-Lo: Illustrious 18 and high-impact true count index plays. Open the interactive 6-deck H17 chart or drill index plays in the free deviation trainer.
True Count (TC) not only sizes your bets — it shifts some decisions away from basic strategy. These shifts are called playing deviations (or index plays). A blackjack deviations chart lists the true count at which the optimal move changes — for example, standing on 16 vs 10 when the deck is rich in tens.
Want the chart first? Open the free Hi-Lo deviation chart for 6-deck H17 DAS late surrender — full Illustrious 18 index table by true count — or jump straight to the deviation trainer to drill index plays.
Illustrious 18 blackjack deviations chart — Hi-Lo true count index plays for 6-deck H17
Note: Pivots below are for Hi‑Lo and typical 6-deck shoe games. Exact TC numbers can shift slightly with rules and penetration. Treat them as practical defaults and validate for your exact ruleset.
Basic strategy assumes a neutral deck — roughly average high and low cards remaining. When you count cards, you know when the shoe is skewed. A positive true count means more tens and aces remain relative to small cards; a negative count means the opposite.
At certain counts, the math flips:
These are not “hunches.” Each index is the true count where two lines cross — basic strategy vs the deviation — given your rules and counting system.
Running count (+12 in a 6-deck shoe) tells you almost nothing by itself. True count normalizes by decks remaining: TC = running count ÷ decks remaining. Index plays are always quoted in true count so the same chart works whether you are early-shoe or deep into the cut card.
If you are still converting running count to true count under pressure, drill that first in the count live trainer before adding deviations.
Card counters use several layers of deviation charts:
| Set | What it covers | When to learn |
|---|---|---|
| Illustrious 18 (I18) | 18 highest-frequency, highest-EV index plays for Hi-Lo | First deviation set — mandatory |
| Fab 4 | Four surrender index plays (negative TC thresholds) | When your game offers late surrender |
| Full index | Dozens of additional plays (pairs, soft doubles, rare spots) | After I18 is automatic under time pressure |
The Illustrious 18 captures roughly 80% of the EV available from playing deviations in typical 6-deck games. Chasing every index in a 200-play chart before I18 is solid is a common mistake — you add cognitive load without proportional gain.
For a rules-specific table (not just a summary), use the Hi-Lo H17 6-deck DAS late-surrender chart. S17 tables differ slightly — see also the S17 deviation chart.
Basic strategy says never take insurance at neutral counts — the bet is a side wager with a house edge. But insurance pays 2:1 on a ten-value hole card. When TC ≥ +3, tens and aces are sufficiently over-represented that insurance becomes +EV. This is usually the first index players learn because the decision is binary and the spot appears often enough to matter.
At neutral counts, hitting 16 vs 10 loses less than standing. As the count rises, remaining tens increase:
At TC ≥ 0, standing wins more (or loses less) than hitting. This is one of the most frequent deviation spots in shoe games and worth drilling until it is automatic.
Same logic as 16 vs 10, but the hand is worse — you need a higher true count before standing is correct. Expect to hit 15 vs 10 at TC +1 or +2 even when you are already standing on 16 vs 10.
These are the easiest to remember and pay off quickly:
Why these? They occur frequently and swing EV meaningfully with TC. Get them automatic before adding doubles and pair plays from the full I18 list.
Approximate Hi‑Lo pivots for common 6-deck shoes; verify with your rules and penetration.
| Situation | Play (if TC ≥ …) | Else |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | Take at +3 | Skip |
| 16 vs 10 | Stand at 0 | Hit |
| 15 vs 10 | Stand at +4 | Hit |
| 12 vs 3 | Stand at +2 | Hit |
| 12 vs 2 | Stand at +3 | Hit |
| 10 vs 10 | Double at +4 | Stand |
| 9 vs 2 | Double at +1 | Hit |
| 9 vs 7 | Double at +3 | Hit |
| 10 vs A | Double at +4 | Hit |
These are common I18/Fab4‑style entries. Some lists differ by ±1 pivot depending on S17/H17, DAS, and deck count. See the full Hi-Lo deviation chart for 6-deck H17 DAS late surrender or browse all deviations on the strategy guide.
Track mistakes explicitly. If accuracy on a pivot drops below ~90% in timed drills, remove it from your active set and re-add it after a focused session.
Prefer “if TC ≥ X then Y” phrasing in your notes — ambiguity costs EV at the table.
The Illustrious 18 is the set of 18 Hi-Lo index plays that capture the majority of expected value from playing deviations in typical multi-deck games. It includes insurance (+3), standing on stiff hands vs 10 at various thresholds, and several high-value doubles — not every possible index in a full chart.
A blackjack deviation chart (or index chart) lists each hand situation and the true count at which you should deviate from basic strategy. Charts are system-specific (Hi-Lo indices differ from Omega II) and rules-specific (H17 vs S17 changes some numbers).
A full Hi-Lo index set can include 100–200+ plays depending on rules and how granular you go. In practice, most counters play the Illustrious 18 plus Fab 4 surrender indices first — roughly 22 decisions — before expanding.
Deviate only when the true count has crossed the index for that hand and you are confident in your count. If you are unsure of decks remaining or the count, default to basic strategy — a missed deviation costs less than a counting error paired with the wrong play.
For standard Hi-Lo in typical 6-deck H17 games, insurance becomes correct at true count +3 (some single-deck or S17 tables use +2 or +4 — always check your rules chart).
For most recreational and semi-pro counters in 6-deck shoes with reasonable penetration, yes — I18 plus Fab 4 (when surrender is available) is the standard professional baseline. Full-index play adds incremental EV but requires significantly more study and table bandwidth.
Review the full Hi-Lo deviation chart or drill index plays in the deviation trainer.