Betfair Hi Lo

stephenoleary

Hi all,

About a year ago, I dabbled in playing the hi-lo game on the betfair website.

For anyone unfamiliar with the game:

"Exchange Hi Lo is Betfair's version of the popular and exciting card game in which a player has to predict whether the next card is higher or lower. However, in Betfair's unique variation, it's the computer that decides whether the next card will be higher or lower, and you bet on how many cards it predicts correctly before it gets it wrong. The game uses one suit of spades and the Ace is high.

The computer's strategy is simple; if there are an equal number or more cards above the last dealt card, then it will go higher, if there are more cards below, it will go lower. For example, if the first card dealt is 5, there are 3 cards that are lower and 9 that are higher, so the computer will predict that the next card will be higher. To help you out we've included a card counter that tells you how many cards are higher or lower and which cards have already been displayed."

I followed the games for a few hours, and the odds on the computer getting all 13 cards out starts at 20/1 and then decreases as cards are revealed. However, it is very unusual for all 13 cards to be dealt without the computer going bust.

This means by laying the 13 card bet continually, a profit should be possible (as you could hedge come the 10th/11th card if necessary).

My question is this: is this simple maths, in the end you will always lose/break even at best?

Or, is this the key to riches untold

From a degenerate gambling point of view, it really gets the heart racing, especially, if you make it past the 6/7th card (again, happened about every 10 hands in my very, very limited time playing....)

whodini

whodini wrote: »

Hi all,

About a year ago, I dabbled in playing the hi-lo game on the betfair website.

For anyone unfamiliar with the game:

"Exchange Hi Lo is Betfair's version of the popular and exciting card game in which a player has to predict whether the next card is higher or lower. However, in Betfair's unique variation, it's the computer that decides whether the next card will be higher or lower, and you bet on how many cards it predicts correctly before it gets it wrong. The game uses one suit of spades and the Ace is high.

The computer's strategy is simple; if there are an equal number or more cards above the last dealt card, then it will go higher, if there are more cards below, it will go lower. For example, if the first card dealt is 5, there are 3 cards that are lower and 9 that are higher, so the computer will predict that the next card will be higher. To help you out we've included a card counter that tells you how many cards are higher or lower and which cards have already been displayed."

I followed the games for a few hours, and the odds on the computer getting all 13 cards out starts at 20/1 and then decreases as cards are revealed. However, it is very unusual for all 13 cards to be dealt without the computer going bust.

This means by laying the 13 card bet continually, a profit should be possible (as you could hedge come the 10th/11th card if necessary).

My question is this: is this simple maths, in the end you will always lose/break even at best?

Or, is this the key to riches untold

From a degenerate gambling point of view, it really gets the heart racing, especially, if you make it past the 6/7th card (again, happened about every 10 hands in my very, very limited time playing....)

Betfair have moved into the charity business:pac: