For the past 2 years I have been using HiOpt II, which is almost the same as AOII. I started out with the HiOpt I, but soon found that I was ready to move up to a level 2 count. I think it's a great system, and it is definately right for me.
The biggest factor in chosing a counting system is what will work best for you personally. If you will be playing mostly shoe games, you should think about an ace-inclusive count like Zen. If you will be playing mostly pitch games, you should pick a system with a good PE, like AOII or HiOpt II. If you have trouble with level 2 counts, stick to Hi-Low and use your extra brain power for side counts or more indices. If you can't get the hang of TC conversions, use an unbalanced count like KO or Red 7. There's a count system out there for every type of player, you just need to find yours. What works for me might not work for you.
My advice is to start with something simple and work your way up. If you can successfully use Hi-Low or HiOpt I, then you can move up to AOII and start learning indices. After enough practice, you will find yourself doing it automatically. Once it becomes automatic, you can start adding more indices, or you can play faster, or add some other technique to your card counting arsenal (like sequencing or shuffle tracking). The most important thing is to start with a solid base that you can build on. Most players with change their system once or twice throughout their career. Who knows, maybe I'll be using AOII next week!
As for Chumash, I went there a few times last year. They have only 6 deck games with H17 DA2 and DAS. The house edge is about 0.55%, but the penetration varies so you may have to look for a decent table. Of course, I went on weekend nights so the place was packed. Maybe you'd have better luck during the week.
Good luck!
-Sonny-
