The BCC for HL is increased, for S17, DAS, LS game, from 96.5% to 98.4% when HL + (1/2)*(5m9c) is used for betting instead of stand alone HL.
Removal of the five helps the player the most as a five will make any dealer stiff into a pat hand.
If 5m9c > 0 then more fives than nines came out of the shoe so there is a deficiency of fives and and excess of nines left in the shoe.
So you swipe out a five for a nine when 5m9c > 0 which helps the player.
Now instead of the dealer hitting his stiff with a five, he hits his stiff with a nine and, except for hard 12, busts.
Note the tag values of HL + (1/2)*(5m9c) as compared to Wong's Halves, which you now has excellent betting efficiency, in the attached file.
The tag values of HL + (1/2)*(5m9c) compared to Wong's Halves differs in only the 2's and 7's. In HL + (1/2)*(5m9c) the 2's are plus one and the sevens are zero and in Wong's Halves the 2's and 7's are each (1/2). The sevens should be counted as (1/2) for betting but in HL + (1/2)*(5m9c) the sevens are still counted as zero. This gives Wong's Halves it additional 0.9% BCC of 98.3% over HL + (1/2)*(5m9c) BCC of 98.4%.
Bottom line is keeping the HL with a simple 5m9c is much simpler than keeping a complicated level 3 Wong's count. You only need to remember two integers, the HL and 5m9c and you update the HL on the fly as the cards are played and yo update the 5m9c after all hands are on the table so you just scan for fives and nines seen and then calculate 5m9s (s = seen) and add to 5m9c from previous round. Then continue to update the 5m9c as the player's finish playing their hands. There are only two ranks you are following with 5m9c so the updating not that frequent.
Alternately, you can use chips to keep the 5m9c. Just be discrete with your 5m9c stack of chips. Don't be obvious with it and do not draw attention. Make it look like you are just playing with your chips. I will attach a PDF showing the 5m9c stack of chips also.
Please look closely at the PDF of using chips with 5m9c. You will notice on the bottom of the PDF is shows SD(5m9c) / SD (HL) = 0.4472. What this means is that the variability of the 5m9c is approximately 45% of the variability of the HL. So in a five out of six decks you can expect the extreme values of the HL ot range from -30 to +30. So the extrema values of 5m9c you can expect to range from (45%)*(-30) = -14 to (45%)*(30) = +14.
Also you have flexibility in spiking out 5m9c and HL for playing strategy play. You will still use HL for most strategy changes and you use 5m9c with the HL only when it helps HL strategy changes. So you have a choice - use 5m9c with playing strategy changes when it helps and don't use it when it does not help and use stand-alone HL instead.
With Wong's Halves you are stuck with one count and must use Wong's Halves for all strategy changes.
Wong Halves improves betting but for some playing strategy changes Wong's Halves reduces HL playing efficiency.
Take for example insurance, the most important playing strategy change.
Wong's Halves used for insurance actually performs worse than HL. With Wong's Halves you do not have a choice as the tag values or fixed for betting and all playing strategy decisions. Using 5m9c you can use it or not use it, whichever is best. Actually for insurance it is best to use 5m9c but with a value of k = (-1/2) in HL + k*(5m9c). That is, you would use HL - (1/2)*(5m9c) for insurance. The gain is so small that I do not recommend you even learn this. Just use HL for all strategy changes except for the few I mentioned that you use HL + 5m9c in my original post.
See attached PDFs. I hope that this answers your questions.
The first is BCC of HL + (1/2)*(5m9c) as compared to Wong's Halves.
The second is insurance of HL vs Wong's Halves.
The third is a diagram of using chips for the 5m9c.
Attachment 4303
Attachment 4304
Attachment 4305
Bookmarks