2 comments about Beat Multiple Deck Blackjack.

1. Having read dozens of books on the subject of blackjack, I found this one to be exactly what it is intended to be... a guide for anyone who wants to beat the multiple blackjack game. While it is a great primer on the game for anyone who has never been inside of a casino, it can also serve the more experienced player as well. It does not offer any anecdotal accounts of the author's experiences at blackjack. It does not offer card counting strategies at all. If you're an experienced player who's looking to hone your card counting skills, this book is not what you're looking for. But even an experienced player can benefit from all but the book's first chapter which details rules, equipment and blackjack terminology. It is probably the best book I've come across covering basic strategy. It not only shows you the correct basic strategy to use based on the number of decks and house rules, the author explains the "why", making it easier for players of all levels to recall what their correct play should be. It also offers a formula for determining the house advantage on the games that you may face by adding %'s of house advantage rules and deducting player advantage rules. Based on the various house rules, it gives you the variations of basic strategy that the player should employ. Whether you're an experienced player who wants to brush up on your game, a novice that wants to learn what variations of basic strategy to use, or you're simply a beginner who wants to get ready to hit the tables for the first time, this is the book to get.



2. This book is primarily for non-counting beginners who want to improve their basic strategy. Although there is no counting, the strategies provided are pretty good. There are some statistics for the different approaches, but not an abundance of support. It is basically a simple intro guide with some good hands-on information like how the dealing takes place, how to handle the IRS, how to play some other variants (which I do not care about), etc.

4 comments about Blackjack For The Clueless: A Beginner's Guide to Playing and Winning (The Clueless Guides).

1. I'm a novice blackjack player and have read 2 other books about the game, but found this book to be much easier to understand and much more fun to read. The author seems to really know his stuff!



2. I've been a blackjack player for many years and have read quite a few books on the subject...this is one of the most helpful books I've read! The author not only knows a lot about the game, he is also a very entertaining writer. I've tried the betting system he recommends, and so far it's working great! I now win a lot more than I lose!!! Every blackjack player will enjoy reading this fine book.



3. I picked up this book in anticipation of heading off to Nevada for vacation, and wow it really does lay it all out and explains everything in simple to understand jargon. I'm glad I started with it. I've been practicing playing over and over, and I'm pleased to report that (on paper) I am thousands of dollars ahead. The dealer I'm playing with (my hubby) is threatening to bar me from the casino (the breakfast room)!



4. it's the first blackjack book i ever read and i really enoyed it!

2 comments about Blackjack Basic (Playing) Strategy, 1 Deck.

1. Las Vegas has a saying, "players depend on luck, casinos depend on math". Well, here's your chance to almost even those odds to within 1/2%. These blackjack strategy cards (all 4 for 1, 2, or 4-8(2) decks) do the math for you and stretch your money a long, long way. You will get your money back in the first hour of play and wish you had had them a long time ago. If you play blackjack, this is the one item you should take with you. And you don't even have to think, pretty nice ugh.



2. These four basic strategy cards fit in your shirt pocket yet contain everything you need to optimize your odds under virtually all table conditions. Cards work for 1, 2, and 4-8 deck games covering most variations of house rules. Give yourself the best chance to beat the casino. Use these cards and experience how much fun blackjack can be when you play like the pros.

5 comments about Best Blackjack.

1. Even if you do not plan to be an expert player, this book is very interesting and enjoyable. You'll learn about the methods and the players. If you are serious about the game, you may have a slight edge (in The Netherlands for example you cannot count the cards and it limits the counting techniques you can apply) but do not expect making big money, and even less a living out the different methods (to say it otherwise you better have a "normal" job or write books about blackjack). It does not mean you cannot have fun



2. This book has everything you need to know to go from a novice to an advantage player, one who plays with an edge over the casinos. It is expertly written and enjoyable to read.



3. This is a great blackjack book with good analysis and great personal insights and stories.



4. A quikie indeed.
   
   I got it and it was over.
   
   A poorly laidout book. The material may be too exciting to stay with it longer than a minute.



5. Scoblete's Blackjack book doesn't have much that you can't find elsewhere, but he summarizes well, illustrates effectively, and writes in a breezy style which makes the whole book helpful and useful.
   
   The technical stuff is well presented; basic strategy isn't going to change from book to book unless the rules do, but it is well presented here. Likewise, the overview of all the various counts and systems is excellent and worth the price of the book itself. Further, I thought it was greatly to his credit that he admits most of the multilevel counts just aren't worth the mental effort and risk of making mistakes, a recommends a simple (but effective) count for the reader. Too many authors push their own counts which work if you happen to be a math savant but aren't as useful to the average player.
   
   There is a chapter of minor tricks of the trade which is pretty good, and there are interviews with successful counters and team leaders/members.
   Scoblete tosses in a lot of road warrior blackjack stories, all well told, most of them funny, and genuinely enjoys the people part of the game. It's also to his credit that he doesn't brag about how high he plays, how much he makes - no, he says straight out that he makes much more money from writing books on blackjack than on playing it. Blackjack is a fun and thrilling way of having a shot at making a bit of extra money, if one plays very well, while enjoying the rest of life as well. A particularly mature and refreshing attitude!
   
   Overall there is a wealth of hard information here, and tons of material of interest to both the serious and casual blackjack player. If you are to read only one book, this would be a great choice.

3 comments about Blackjack Secrets.

1. I like this book. I consider it a good book for a beginning counter. The intermediate player may be able to glean a few helpful tips from it as well. But the advanced counter will gain little, if anything, from reading this book. As with Wongs other books, there is some information that is still useful in todays game and there is other information that is totally antiquated. If you can't discern between the two then reading this book can lead you in the wrong direction and wind up costing you a lot more than the cover price. This game is extremely difficult to beat. It takes a lot more than reading a few books and practicing on a computer simulation.



2. What a great read! Wong has done it again. If you are a serious blackjack player, or you think that you may want to become one, then you need to have this book in your library. I also own his book Professional Blackjack, and there are some similarities between the two. For example, they both teach you B.S. and the Hi-Low, but this book offers a great discussion about how to get away with your newly learned skills, along with topics about tipping dealers, games to avoid, and training techniques. Plus the price isn't bad either. Id reccommend it to anyone!



3. This is an excellent book, however after getting 1/2 way through it, the glue of the binding did not hold and pages from the front quarter of the book came unglued from the binder and are falling out of the book. I wish there was an exchange policy for defective book bindings like this.

5 comments about Burning the Tables in Las Vegas: Keys to Success in Blackjack and in Life.

1. I am new to card counting and after reading this book - I feel like I have a whole new perspective on playing blackjack as a business. There is so much good information here. I would recommend this book a a must-read for anyone interested in counting as a business or just for fun!!



2. Ian Andersen is an entertaining writer as well as a longtime high-stakes professional blackjack player. With his latest offering, "Burning the Tables in Las Vegas," Andersen has attempted to update his classic from the '70s, "Turning the Tables on Las Vegas," and make it relevant to today's game. The results are mixed. "Burning" is a good read for sure, with many fascinating vignettes about life in the high-roller fast lane, as well as quite a bit of useful information for pros on how to survive and prosper in an age of high-tech casino surveillance. But, all that aside, it still left me wanting. Andersen may write about blackjack with the entertaining talent of, say, a Bryce Carlson, but he lacks the solid mathematical knowledge of a Carlson, or a Wong, or a Schlesinger to back it up. For example, with his so-called "Ultimate Gambit," he is all too happy in the name of camouflage to reduce his edge to not much more than half a percent, and then throw even more ev out the window with fairly large bets at craps and other negative-expectation games. His whole approach smacks of a certain lack of appreciation for the harsh realities of variance and standard deviation. Don't get me wrong, "Burning" is a very good book, and I think serious bj players will find it enjoyable and useful, but in the real world of professional play--high stakes or otherwise--it laces in a little too much fantasy with the facts to rate five stars.



3. There are simply no other players quite as experienced as Ian Andersen. Even if you are not interested in counting cards, his experiences make for great stories and wonderful anecdotes. If you are serious about card-counting, then this book will pay for itself with the Ultimate Gambit. This book is perfect for your first trip to a casino as well as the experienced card-counter.



4. What's new in this second edition of Burning the Tables in Las Vegas? Mostly Chapter 9 on Green Chip Play. If you have a copy already, it's probably not worth it to buy the new edition, but you might want to borrow a copy to read this short new chapter on low-roller betting. In a nutshell, Andersen tells you how to win with $25-$50 bets, but don't expect to make a living at it.

   Andersen spends about half the book talking about the mechanics of blackjack, and only the first few pages cover the basics. The rest is strategy and tactics, and he brings Stanford Wong along to add his expertise. The other half of the book covers topics that are not specific to blackjack, but are just as important: history, psychology, money management, risk management, health, demeanor. It is difficult to say exactly how much of a professional gambler's success is due to playing well and how much is due to people skills, being alert, reading a room, and staying healthy.

   This is an up-to-date book that takes into account the way casinos operate today, not twenty years ago. Andersen adds a lot of what should be common sense to the nuts and bolts of playing winning blackjack. You probably don't need someone to tell you not to piss off the dealer (or even shoot them a disgusted look when you're losing), but it doesn't hurt to be reminded. Especially by a proven winner.




5. HE'S A GREAT PLAYER AND A GREAT WRITER! HE'S TRULY A WORLD CLASS PLAYER. A GREAT BOOK TO READ AND TO OWN!

5 comments about The Counting Game: An Accountant Reveals How to Win at Blackjack.

1. Alan Berg has given us a thrill ride through the world's casinos from the view of a high-roller. Even for a confirmed non-gambler like me, his well-crafted book provides hundreds of insights into winning at blackjack - and winning all the side battles as well. Most impressively, he often succeeded at keeping himself in the building and in the game through guile, brains and style - when most card-counters would long have been banished from casinos everywhere. Read - and enjoy - "The Counting Game."



2. The thing I liked about this book is that it was like having a one on one lesson with the author. He gives you the important factual skills you need to win the game. But also throws in personal experience and stories that make it very entertaining. You will like what he has to teach but at the end of the book feel like you could hang out and have a drink with him.



3. I've never played blackjack and probably never will, but I was absolutely fascinated by Alan Berg's book. Serious players must be blown away. I was amazed to learn so much about the game when I had always thought it was just a question of luck. NO WAY. It almost makes me want to take up black jack so I can reach the zenith of being barred from a casino. That isn't apt to happen since I got a bit bogged down in the intricacies of the numbers systems, but I LOVED the book. I especially enjoyed learning about Alan's gambling experiences and now have enormous admiration for his honesty in telling about himself in a thoroughly enjoyable and often amusing fashion. WONDERFUL book- I recommend it to players and non-players alike.



4. The Counting Game: An Accountant Reveals How to Win at Blackjack is different from an ordinary "how-to" gambling guide in that author Alan Berg is not only a skilled professional gambler (so good at winning money through card counting he's been banned in casinos across America), but also a certified public accountant. The Counting Game teaches the reader about the mechanics of card counting, the savvy acting skills needed not to get caught doing it, and especially about tax law, including how to take the government's due into account when calculating one's gambling profits. In particular, Berg notes that tax law is brutally regressive to recreational gamblers, effectively amounting to double taxation (and it's not much nicer to professional gamblers, who must adhere to stringent criteria to be considered such by the IRS). Taking the hypothetical example of a female recreational gambler who wins a $7000 casino jackpot and then amasses $7000 of losses in subsequent plays: "Her preparer explains that the $7000 win, even though wiped out by aggregate losses of roughly an equal amount, reduce her refund to the tune of $1475!" Although The Counting Game is the "must-have" blackjack counting book for anyone seeking to make money at casino tables, it effectively (and unintentionally?) is also one of the strongest exhortations not to gamble at all, simply because it spells out the unvarnished truth about what gambling for a living is really like, the severity of its risks, and the demands it makes upon a player. Highly recommended.



5. This is the second blackjack book I've read. It's very good and has a lot of interesting and useful information. It also only costs about 10 bucks, but there are two important points here: In Berg's view, one would need to start with about $150,000 to make serious money in blackjack. Second, he uses one of the most complex card-counting methods out there.

5 comments about Million Dollar Blackjack.

1. this book was entertaining, cool storys of kens adventures.
   the info on blackjack is a little out dated. (but there will always be 52 cards in a deck, so counting systems should still be useful in todays games.) even though casino rules have changed, it is very possible to change basic strategy to suite the game. then choose a count system to advance your self to a better player.



2. This book is truly one of the best books ever writtn by a professional blackjack player in history! I will also recommend, Gregorian Strategy for multiple deck blackjack.



3. ive read quite a few books on the subject, most just repeat the basic strategy without telling you anything else. ken goes a step further here with flashcards to aid you in learning the basics. theres also a wide coverage for a few different counting strategies (without you having to pay extra for them) for different levels of your skill as well as fun little anecdotes about his heydey in team playing. its worth it alone just for the historical tidbits



4. Million Dollar Blackjack is a great book, but not for the reasons you might think! Written decades ago many other blackjack books have since been written with stronger, easier to apply, and simply more effective card counting systems. So if you're looking for "the system" look elsewhere!
   
   With that said, what MDB will do for you is introduce you to the fascinating history of card counting. Many people unfamiliar with card counting imagine it to be a solitary practice where a single player attemts to "take on" the casino. Ken (and others) viewed card counting as a business and developed a number of innovative (at the time) systems for team play to maximize profit, while minimizing financial risk! Some of the techniques they came up with (and revealed in MDB) are nothing short of genius!
   
   The Verdict:
   If you're trying to learn how to count cards or just become a better blackjack player there are newer books out there better suited for this purpose...But once you've read a couple of those books come back to MDB for a great read on how card counting evolved!



5. This is the bible. Oh, there are more recent books that have simpler and better strategies. Even Ken Uston himself said his strategies were too complicated before his death. Not that they aren't effective, just too complicated.
   
   But this book has it all. Strategies up the whazoo, instructions on how to learn and practice, betting strategies, his stories of play, how his teams worked, experimentation with computers during play, and legal battles. This book combined it all in one and earns my rating of "Greatest Blackjack Book Ever."

5 comments about Mensa Guide to Blackjack (Mensa).

1. Buy this book. Mr. Hornik's guide is helpful to both beginners and experts. I am now wiping the floor with my buddies during our weekly games. I AM NOW A PLAYAH!!!!



2. This fun to read guide to blackjack is great.
   I headed to Vegas with my new information and came home
   a winner.
   Even people who don't play more than once a year will
   enjoy this book.



3. Mensa Guide To Blackjack is a no-nonsense handbook of tested and proven techniques to win at casino blackjack. Written by a former professional solo and team blackjack player, as well as a member of the MIT Blackjack Team, Mensa Guide To Blackjack explains card-counting strategies and dispels common myths - one does not have to be extraordinarily skilled at math to count cards; card-counting is neither cheating nor illegal; and no one can be arrested for card-counting. Card-counting will get one banned from a casino, if one is suspected or caught doing it, because casinos know card-counters can win - therefore Mensa Guide To Blackjack offers simple exercises and techniques to practice until card-counting becomes so ingrained, one won't give away telltale signs while doing it (although betting and winning too much at high-limit tables may well tip a casino off!) Chapters cover both basic blackjack and rules variations, betting to win, refining basic strategies, playing with a team, and much more. An absolute "must-read" for anyone who wants to play casino blackjack to win.



4. I bought this book for many friends who frequent Vegas and all of them raved about it!



5. High recommendations for this book. Straight forward and unconfusing instructions. Hornik also educates the reader the about the subtleties of, and what to expect while sitting at a blackjack table. With consistent practice (play with your friends), you will play without initimadation!

5 comments about Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros' Way.

1. I found this book to be completely lacking in any new ways to beat blackjack. Furthermore, the methods espoused by this book are well known to all casinos in the world and are very easy to spot. Furthermore, this book is dangerous for the novice player yet useless for the working pro.



2. This is definately not a book for blackjack beginners. It expects you to be proficient at basic strategy, at least one card counting system, and all the various rules variations. This book teaches you how to apply that knowledge in real world situations. The best chapters (IMHO) teach you how to accurately evaluate your risk and expectation for any set of casino rules. Unfortunately, the the rambling writing style is often difficult to follow and the graphics are weak. I still recommend it since I know of no other books containing this level of detail.



3. This will be a classic book in the blackjack world just like Super/System is for poker.
   1) Yes the book goes into a lot of details, but this essentially proving his points. You don't want to blindly use the Illustrious 18 without knowing for sure that it is mathematically sound. I admit a lot of times the mathematical derivations get tedious but it's nice to know if you are industrious to use the methods for your own calculations.
   2) There is no counting system taught here; Don isn't a counting system producer. He is more of an player-analyst.
   3) For beginners, the stuff is probably way over your head. Otherwise chapters 10 and 11 are worth the book itself.



4. Serious problems with this book:
   a)The book is about card counting, yet the author does not provide any details as to a card counting system.

   b) It is academically self-indulgent to the point of unreadability. Chapters are glued together from the author's old articles with no cohesion.

   c) As the book says, you can spend 500 hours counting cards at blackjack and lose. Kind of pointless don't you think? The fine details of card counting in this book will not help much. You also need a minimum $50,000 dollars to start with.

   d) This page and the book itself is liberally sprinkled with comments from blackjack authors, software providers and webmasters all of whom are stablemates or have some financial interest in this book selling & succeeding. Are they all impartial? I very much doubt it.

   e) The author calls the book "playing the pros way", yet apparently has some flashy wall st. job. Its easy to make a small fortune at gambling if you start with a large fortune.

   Buy this book if you are a wealthy playboy with money and time to burn on a socially useless and unproductive activity.




5. This book is poorly written, unduly complicated, and definitely does not outline how to play blackjack in a way that remotely resembles the way professionals play. The would-be reader is advised to look for other titles on the subject and not sink unnecessary money and time into reading this one.