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Hi-Lo

Introduction

Hi-Lo

I've seen two similar bets titled Hi Lo through the years. They are a pair of bets on whether one card will be higher or lower than another.

Mesquite Version

This is a simple pair of side bets I noticed at the Casablanca in Mesquite, Nevada. The player simply bets if his first card will be higher or lower than the dealer's up card. In the event the two cards are the same rank, except aces, the tie shall go to the dealer. Two aces push. The game I saw it on was 6-decks but here is the house edge for all numbers of decks.

Mesquite Version

Decks House Edge
1 5.43%
2 6.27%
3 6.55%
4 6.69%
5 6.77%
6 6.83%
7 6.87%
8 6.90%

Realistic Games Version

This set of high/low bets I saw at the BetVictor casino. The game is made by Realistic Games. The object is to predict whether the player's second card will be higher than the first. Aces are treated separately. Here are all the rules:

  • Correct prediction (no aces) = win
  • Incorrect prediction or tie (no aces) = loss
  • Any blackjack = win
  • First card ace and second card 2-9 = win
  • First card 2-9 and second card ace = loss
  • Two aces = push

All wins pay even money.

At BetVictor six decks are used. The following table summarizes the probability of each outcome.

Realistic Games Version

Event Pays Permutations Probability Return
Win 1 47,232 0.486767 0.486767
Push 0 552 0.005689 0.000000
Loss -1 49,248 0.507544 -0.507544
Total   97,032 1.000000 -0.020777

Here is the house edge only according to the number of decks.

Realistic Games Version House Edge

Decks House Edge
1 0.60%
2 1.49%
4 1.93%
5 2.02%
6 2.08%
8 2.15%