Hi-Lo deviation indices — which ones actually matter for a 6-deck game?

I've been practicing Hi-Lo for a few months now and I've got the Illustrious 18 mostly memorized. But I'm wondering — for a typical 6-deck shoe with decent penetration (say 75-80%), how many deviation indices do you really need to make a meaningful difference?
I've seen some people say the top 10-12 are enough, others insist on all 18 plus a few more. I mostly play S17, DAS, no surrender games. Also, how precise do you need to be with the TC conversion? I find myself rounding to the nearest whole number but I've read that flooring is better. Would love to hear what actually works in practice vs what the books say.
 

gronbog

Well-Known Member
This book (THLCCS) ranks all the index plays for a wide variety of rule sets and tells you exactly how much each gains in terms of SCORE.

The Hi-Lo Card Counting System: A Complete Guide To Index Play

There is value to be had beyond the I18 or Catch 22. How many you learn is a personal choice.

Flooring is definitely superior to rounding or truncating. Truncating in particular makes the zone around TC=0 twice as big as the others and has you betting and playing the same unnecessarily (and incorrectly) within that entire zone.
 
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