A respected level‑2 count that becomes truly attractive only when your side-count habits and execution quality are already under control.
Hi-Opt II is not a “better Hi-Lo” you casually switch to. It is a more technical ace-neutral system whose real value appears only when the player can support the workload with clean deck estimation and ace awareness.
Hi-Opt II is a balanced, ace-neutral level‑2 system. It suits advanced players who want stronger composition tracking and are willing to maintain additional ace information.
Use this section as the fast decision layer before you dive into the count map and betting interpretation.
Hi-Opt II is associated with Lance Humble and Julian Braun and is commonly referenced through the proprietary Hi-Opt II Report. Historical commentary consistently notes the same practical point: it shines most when supported by an ace side count.
Hi-Opt II uses +2 on 4–5, +1 on 2, 3, 6, and 7, 0 on 8, 9, and Ace, and −2 on 10-value cards. The ace-neutral structure improves composition reading, but the full betting story often depends on a separate ace side count.
True Count = Running Count ÷ decks remaining, then interpret alongside your ace side information if your method uses it.
A true count of +2 in Hi-Opt II is interesting, but it is not enough by itself to justify maximum aggression if the ace side count is unfavorable or unknown.
Stay at minimum when the count is flat, when ace tracking is uncertain, or when your execution quality is slipping under pace.
Do not keep pressing weak or noisy games. If the side-count workload is making you slower or less certain, the practical edge shrinks fast.
Hi-Opt II is only powerful in skilled hands. Without reliable ace-side discipline, many players are better served by a simpler system they execute cleanly.
Beyond the table
Search for a Hi-Opt II index — hard 10 vs Ace, insurance, a surrender threshold — and you are looking for one exact number, tied to a level-2 count plus an Aces side count. Those numbers exist, but they were calculated and published by specific authors for one fixed rule set and deck count.
BJCPRO does not reprint them, for the same reason QFIT — the reference software for exactly this question — does not either: the tables are the authors’ work, not public domain. The math behind them is public, though, and BJCPRO’s engine runs it directly from the exact composition of your table’s shoe, for any rule set or deck count, with no side count or index to memorize.
That is also why a Hi-Opt II index calculated for one rule set will not hold at another table — an index, and a side count, are tied to specific conditions. The calculator below is not.
Try it here
Set the hand, the dealer up card and how many cards of each rank are still in the shoe. The engine simulates from that exact composition and returns the expected value of every legal decision. Notice that it never asks you for a running count.
Your total: 16
The running count and true count above are shown only so you can compare. The engine never receives them: it reads the composition directly, which is why two shoes with the same true count can return different plays.
Recommended path
The goal is to understand what changes between systems before speeding up the table. Difficulty should rise only when your execution is stable.
In BJCPRO, practice Hi-Opt II with honesty. If your side-count discipline is not stable, step back to Hi-Opt I or Omega II instead of forcing “elite” complexity.
