Zen - indices and bet spread

I am toying with the idea of switching from Hi-Lo to a level-2 count, most likely Zen. I was wondering if anyone could help me out with a couple of things...

1) what are the I18 indices (good enough to get me started)?
2) what bet spread correlates with the bet spread I use for Hi-Lo, which is, for DD, 1-6, increasing my bet at +2 and betting max at +6 an up?

...I realize I should probably buy the book, but if anyone can direct me to a website to start me out, I would appreciate it.

-- Thanks, Homer J.

....so far says that i can essentially use Hi-Lo indices times 2. Is this correct for all basic strategy variations, including insurance? Also, I read something similar about bet spread. It said that for every increase of +1 in the TC, the advantage to the player increases by 1/4%. In Hi-Lo it is 1/2%. Thus, I am assuming that I should start increasing my bets at a TC of +3 or +4, and increase by one unit for every increase in TC of +2 thereafter. Is this logical?? Any advice is welcomed...

--Thanks, Homer J.

Buy 'Blackbelt in Blackjack'. It's got everything you need to play Zen. It also has a lot of other good information and general advice. 'Blackbelt in Blackjack', 'Professional Blackjack' and 'Blackjack Attack' together form the cornerstone of my blackjack library.

Arnold Snyder's Blackbelt in Blackjack would probably be on just about any knowledgeable player's list of 5 best blackjack books. It is an excellent book with plenty of info that is useful even if you never intend on learning the Zen count.

My advise is to stick with a level one count. I tried Zen for a short time and found difficulty with my counting speed. The Hi-Lo light mentioned in the book was more benificial to me then the Zen chapter (which is only a couple of pages). I swithched my TC to the True edge method and started eyeing the discard decks by 1/2 decks instead of full decks. Good luck, zuzu

I can't say that I agree with the previous poster. I happen to think that Zen is definitely worth the extra effort. For starters, it isn't really that hard, it just takes a little getting used to. This just means you're going to have to spend some hours practicing and drilling. Also, it is a very versatile count and is great for everything from single decks to eight deck shoes. It also lends itself nicely to tweaking and adjusting to fit your particular needs. In short, you get a lot of bang for your buck, so to speak.