The hi-lo card game is a guess on the next card: a card is turned over and you call whether the following one will be higher or lower, with a tie counting as a loss. On a 52-card deck from a seven, higher and lower are each 47.1% and a tie is 5.9%, so the fair multiplier is about 2.06x once a 3% house edge is taken.
This talk explains the rules, the chances from every starting card and how the multiplier ladder works. The numbers use the rules of our free Hi-Lo game, and the same logic appears in our guides to three card poker and the gambler’s fallacy.
Hi-Lo Card Game at a Glance
| Current card | Higher | Lower | Tie |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two | 86.3%, 1.12x | 7.8%, 12.36x | 5.9% |
| Seven | 47.1%, 2.06x | 47.1%, 2.06x | 5.9% |
| Ten | 23.5%, 4.12x | 70.6%, 1.37x | 5.9% |
| Queen | 7.8%, 12.36x | 86.3%, 1.12x | 5.9% |
| King | Impossible | 94.1%, 1.03x | 5.9% |
How Do You Play Hi-Lo?
A card is turned, you call higher or lower, and the next card is revealed. In our game aces are low and kings are high, and a tie loses. You can keep calling to build a ladder of multipliers or bank your winnings at any time, but one wrong call ends the ladder and loses the stake.
How Are Hi-Lo Multipliers Priced?
Each multiplier is 0.97 divided by the exact chance of the call, taken from the cards left in the deck, and rounded down. After a seven, 24 of the remaining 51 cards are higher, which is 47.1%, so the multiplier is 2.06x. The 3% shaved off each time is the house edge, and it applies to every call on the ladder.
Notice that a tie costs you in both directions. The 3 tied cards in 51 are why higher and lower never add up to 100%, and why the safest-looking call from a king still pays only 1.03x.
Is There a Hi-Lo Strategy?
The only real choice is which call to make and when to bank, and neither changes the average return of 97%. Calling the likelier outcome wins more often but pays less; calling the unlikely one pays more but wins rarely. Counting cards removes some uncertainty, but the prices are recalculated from the cards left, so the edge stays. Our Martingale guide explains why raising stakes after a loss cannot fix that.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a game where you predict whether the next card in a deck will be higher or lower than the one showing. In gambling versions each call is paid at odds based on the cards left, and a tie normally loses, which is where the house edge comes from.
They depend on the current card. From a seven, higher and lower are each 47.1% and a tie is 5.9%. From a king, lower is 94.1% but pays only 1.03x. The chance falls as the payout rises.
In our game, yes. A tie loses the stake, and that is one reason a fair-looking call is not a coin toss. With 3 tied cards left in 51, the tie chance is 5.9%. Rules vary between operators, so read them before you play.
Counting helps you see which calls are likelier, but our game already prices each call from the exact cards left. The multiplier shrinks when the odds improve, so the 3% house edge remains however well you track the deck.
The Short Version
The hi-lo card game looks like a simple guess, but each call is priced from the deck with a house edge built in. Decide a limit first, stop when it is reached, and remember this is for adults only. See our responsible gambling page for tools and support.
How we prepared this talk: all chances come from our own exact calculations for a 52-card deck, following the rules of the LuckyTalks free Hi-Lo game (play money, 97% return), on 3 November 2026. Real-money versions may differ, so read their rules. The cover photograph is a free-licence stock image used for illustration, and this guide gives no betting tips. For the general rule that betting systems cannot dent a house edge, see the Wizard of Odds analysis.
