Strategy

The Strategy feature lets you create custom deviation rule sets for each counting system, rather than being limited to the built-in index spec. You can start from the system preset, copy it, and modify individual rules to test how different index thresholds affect decisions.

Strategy Page and System Selection

At the top of the Strategy page, you can switch between counting systems: Basic, Hi-Lo, KO, Red 7, FELT, Zen, Hi-Opt I, Omega II, plus an H17 / S17 filter. Each system has a preset strategy for each dealer rule, displayed as a locked "Preset" card.

The preset strategies correspond to the index spec preloaded in the app's game and training modes. You can tap into them to view the complete deviation rule table, but cannot edit them. To modify rules, you need to create a custom strategy first.

Strategy page showing counting system tabs, H17/S17 filter, and a list of preset and custom strategy cards — Switch counting systems and H17/S17 filter at the top. Locked Preset cards show built-in strategies; custom strategy cards have a delete button on the right. Tap "New Profile" in the lower right to create a new strategy.

Creating a Custom Strategy

Tap the "Add Strategy" button in the lower right, enter a name, and the app copies the preset for the currently selected system and H17/S17 setting into a new editable strategy. You can enter edit mode immediately or return to it later.

Custom strategy cards have a delete button on the right to remove strategies you no longer need. Preset strategies cannot be deleted.

Viewing and Editing Strategy Rules

Opening a strategy shows a rule table tabbed by Hard / Soft / Pair, with columns for dealer upcard (2–A) and rows for player hand total. Each cell shows the current action (Hit, Stand, Double, Split, Surrender). For custom strategies, cells that differ from the default basic strategy are color-coded, making it easy to see which situations have been modified.

Tapping a cell opens the rule editor, where you can configure:

Hand type: Hard, Soft, Pair, or Insurance
Dealer upcard: 2–10 or A
Player hand total (not required for Insurance)
TC / RC threshold: the count condition that triggers this rule
Comparison direction: >= or <
Override action: the action to take when the condition is met
Note (optional): record the source or reason for this rule

KO system thresholds use Running Count (RC), while other systems (Hi-Lo, FELT, Zen, Hi-Opt I, Omega II, etc.) use True Count (TC). The editor automatically shows the appropriate field label based on the system of the current strategy.

Custom strategy detail page showing Hard/Soft/Pair rule table with color-coded deviation cells and Count Deviations list — The strategy detail page shows rule tables tabbed by Hard, Soft, and Pair. Color-coded cells indicate deviations from the default basic strategy. The Count Deviations section below lists each counting rule.

Count Deviations list showing toggle, edit, and delete controls for each rule — The Count Deviations section lets you manage each rule individually: toggle it on or off, edit the threshold, or delete it. Tap "Add Deviation" in the lower right to add a new rule.

Applying a Custom Strategy to the Game

After creating a custom strategy, go to the "Advisor mode" section in Settings and select your strategy name from the dropdown. The game and Decision Training will then use your custom rules for recommendations. Selecting "Default" reverts to the system's built-in index spec.

Use Cases

Test Different Indexes

Raise or lower a deviation threshold and observe how often it triggers in Game mode and Decision Training.

Simplified Spec

Remove a few low-frequency or hard-to-remember deviations from the preset to build a simplified version suited to your current memory capacity, then gradually restore them.

Compare Different Sources

If you find different index values in a book or another tool, copy the preset and adjust entries one by one, then use the app to verify the differences.