Professional and semi professional blackjack solo players DO use Hi Lo in 2015 and beyond.
Criteria: loose terms I've set, can make amendments.
-straight up counting (no advanced technique such as tracking, sequencing.
-100k+ a year net profit, EV may be higher.
**as a testament to this, I'm personally having an atrocious and humbling year performing about 1/3 EV, battled down 300+ hour losing streaks, multiple losing streaks of 50-100k and I'm over this 100k mark of blackjack net profit.
-200 hours+ EV a year.
I haven't been in the community long and my sample size and network is small so take it for what it's worth, but I personally do know of 8 individuals who meet these criteria currently, I would be the 9th. Many of these are personal friends of mine as well and I'm certain that these criteria hold true for them and they make real money doing it. There are many more using Hi Lo who make less, maybe 10-50k a year.
I respect that there are other opinions out there, using different count systems etc. but let's not kid ourselves here, it CAN be done grassroots style.
1.) YES, you can make a ton of $$ yearly straight up counting using Hi Lo
2.) NO, it ain't easy. It takes tremendous DISCIPLINE and PERSEVERANCE to do so. It doesn't take a lot of training, everyone can learn a counting system, throw a betting scheme together, and put together a starting bankroll, MOST fail due to poor bankroll management, lack of discipline or simply get knocked out by bad variance. This happens regardless of which counting system you use. For example, during my losing streak I had multiple instances of 3 or 4 dealer backdoor BJs in a row with max bets, and or had garbage hands in double digit true counts (stiffs or basically anything below 20) vs. of course dealer pat 20- no one can control for this, not even the best counting systems.
I NEVER read a single blackjack book in my life, not one. I've skimmed a few pages here and there and used a few appendixes or glossaries, that's it. Shout out to Norm's software as well, I would endorse it without question and I use it frequently. Besides this, I've mostly relied on internet info, lurked forums and just network with people. If I had to do it again, would I recommend this method? Probably not, but I'm also a quick learner and an opportunist and believer of maximizing the opportunity now and not wasting time powering through endless stacks of literature. It might be the goal of some to learn as much theory as possible, but not mine. I ONLY want to stack the cash. Let's be realistic, if I wanted theory, I'd go back to my professonal biomedical job (where I also have a lot of success) and actually do something with a meaningful contribution to society.
Everything on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt. There's a lot of pretend players on here, washed up has beens, low stakes know it alls, insert whatever synonym, in addition to trolls and mentally unstable people who would likely meet DSM V criteria (note: Autism spectrum disorders including Asperger's have been revamped in this edition and are not a mental illness). Nevertheless, there are legit players too, and ones who play currently in the most adverse blackjack conditions. Use your own judgement and critical thinking skills. Forge your own path, but the life of a pro blackjack AP ain't easy and shouldn't be taken lightly.
PS. Thanks for everyone's support during my absence, I especially appreciate those who contacted me via email and I'm always looking to expand my network and exchange information about games.
Cheers,
MH
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Originally Posted by Blitzkrieg
I think we are having a fairly pleasant conversation here today, with much less emotion and screaming and yelling than usual on all sides, with some points being made all around. 
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