Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • This book and your own brain are all you need....well...a team...
  • The Book that Started the Blackjack Revolution
  • The Grandfather of Blackjack Strategy
  • Used it and won--when they didn't cheat!
  • Must read, but not all praise
Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One
Edward O. Thorp
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Performing Arts | Arts & Music | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
GamblingGambling | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
PokerPoker | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Children's BooksLook Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Entertainment BooksLook Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions
  2. Professional Blackjack Professional Blackjack
  3. Theory of Blackjack, Sixth Edition Theory of Blackjack, Sixth Edition
  4. Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised
  5. Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition) Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition)

ASIN: 0394703103
Release Date: 1966-04-12

Book Description

A winning strategy for the game of 21. The essentials, consolidated in simple charts, can be understood and memorized by the average player.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars This book and your own brain are all you need....well...a team..........2007-08-27

Next stop Macau

Still the classic for the high-low method, but nowadays you need to work in teams and with the perpetual continuous shuffle machines/decks the method has become harder to deploy in lots of casinos. Which is why those who use this with refined forced-card deck cutting are in the current gravy boat, although their day in the sun will also pass.

Most folks can intuitively understand card counting and shoe-skew. There are plenty of books on the topic of card counting. However, Thorp's original work is best and overlooked on several important points by most folks. The first point is: rigor. Thorp has backed up his method with solid empirical and theoretical underpinnings. This gave confidence to generations of card counters who refined his method. The second point is: clarity. Thorp is a first-string mathematician and easily could have stayed conversing with peers in jargon, or he even could have purposefully employed obscurantism to keep tables thin. Instead his prose style is lean, direct, and clear. Such is his brevity and Wittgensteinian exactness that you may need to re-read a few sentences here and there to absorb what he is saying, but on the whole this is an accessible narrative written by a mathematician for an intelligent audience.

A wonderful gift that opens up a new world combining math, fun and money.

Now about Kelly criterion in betting strategies......

5 out of 5 stars The Book that Started the Blackjack Revolution.......2007-03-08

Edward O. Thorp started the blackjack revolution way back in the early 1960s with a difficult but successful card counting system. This book explains that early system and why blackjack is a beatable game. There are now many easier card counting systems such as the Hi-Lo, the KO, the High Opt and the easiest of all Speed Count.

Thorp's book is a must have for your gambling library as he started it all.

Frank Scoblete: author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution!

5 out of 5 stars The Grandfather of Blackjack Strategy.......2007-01-22

Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One by Edward Thorp started a craze toward card counting in casinos, prompted several rules changes including increased numbers of decks, shorter cuts, and more frequent shuffles. It's the grandfather of Blackjack strategy books and the first mathematical analysis of the game published outside academia. For those reasons alone it's worth having and studying even if its effectiveness has been diminished by the rules changes I noted above.

The other advantage that Thorp's book has over the dozens of blackjack books available is that it includes the probability charts. You can take the numbers from the appendix, see where the strategy was developed and make your own adjustments based on the conditions you encounter at your local game or casino.

It's tricky, his counting system and strategy, but once you have the hang of it you can be assured a fair game with a casino. And, all told, it's not that difficult a system to master with some practice ahead of time. Don't read this volume on the plane flight into Vegas and expect to beat the dealers in a day, but spend a week or two with some decks of cards, practice, go online and play, then take your shot against the pros. Good luck.

- CV Rick

4 out of 5 stars Used it and won--when they didn't cheat!.......2007-01-21

The book was very useful in understanding how much to bet given your hand and where you are in the deck. The casinos do still cheat, so I would advise watching for opportunities to play at a fair table (then clean their clocks with these methods).

5 out of 5 stars Must read, but not all praise.......2006-07-25

If you were ever interested in card counting this book is for you. Not because it guarantees the edge against the casino with 10 simple rule, because it doesn't, but because it outlines several good strategies to maintain a small edge (or in some cases a smaller disadvantage) over the casino establishment.
I gave this book 5 stars for a couple different reasons. Although requiring a lot of practice, the ten count that thorp teaches should more than pay for the book. The stories, although providing little insight into the world of current gambling, provide comical relief for an otherwize stale and mathmatical book. Although a person can find easier to use systems and basic strategy tables on the internet, Thorp's main assistance to me came in his in depth modification to the tables based on what the count reflects. The short comings of this book are numerous however. For one, thorp dedicates a significant (not to mention hilarious) portion of the book to end play. A system where by busting certain hands and standing on others effects the composition of the deck post shuffle. That is, by busting all hands with aces and tens when the deck appears to be running out, the aces and tens are reshuffled with the remainder of the deck while the low cards are not, giving the player a small advantage. Another dissapointment is that thorp doesn't go into the deep mathmatics of his strategy or the simulations, he simply states nearly undunderstandable percent advantages and assumes the reader will trust him. (for owners, this is reference to the page where he outlines the percent advantages with different numbers of tens in the deck where no pattern is visible)
To splice in some praise, I would recomend this as a first book. A lot of information about advantages and disadvantages with different casino play is not included, but the basic outline presented, the expanitory style in which each of his 4 counts are explained, and the excitement in practicing "beating the dealer" make this a worth while read.
Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The More I Read It, The More I Like It!
  • Best Blackjack Book I've Read....
  • how to play
  • Outstanding BJ Book
  • Renzey is the Real Deal
Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition)
Fred Renzey
Manufacturer: Blackjack Mentor Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment BooksLook Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised
  2. Professional Blackjack Professional Blackjack
  3. Blackjack Blueprint: How to Play Like a Pro... Part-Time Blackjack Blueprint: How to Play Like a Pro... Part-Time
  4. Blackjack Basic (Playing) Strategy, 4-8 Decks Blackjack Basic (Playing) Strategy, 4-8 Decks
  5. How to gamble at the casinos without getting plucked like a chicken How to gamble at the casinos without getting plucked like a chicken

ASIN: 0615131042

Book Description

Replaces the 2003 edition of Blackjack Bluebook II with extra information added to several scattered pages.

This is an accurate, down-to-earth textbook on how to play and legitimately win at casino blackjack. Contains an extensive chapter on correct basic strategy including a multi-colored strategy chart, proper hand play revisions for different rules/decks and vivid explanations of the correct plays for hands that are consistently misplayed. Uses convincing visual illustrations to disprove prevalent blackjack myths which most players steadfastly adhere to and play by.

Showcases thoroughly developed super-simple to advanced card counting systems for both recreational and professional players, along with computer simulation results verifying their performances vs. other existing popular systems. Also presents rare but valuable "outside-the-box playing maneuvers for the common player, many of which have never or scarcely appeared in print, such as:

The Magnificent 7 Hands
Interacting with Other Players' Hands
High Card/Low Card Layouts
The Ace/10 Front Count
The KISS Card Count (Keep It Simple, Stupid)
"True Fudging" with Unbalanced Counts
The "Nifty 15" Camouflage Hand Plays.

This book contains more than 40 useful charts and 60 illustrated hand scenarios.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars The More I Read It, The More I Like It!.......2007-09-14

When I bought this book several months ago, I read it
and didn't like it much. It seemed to be too bombastic,
with large, bold fonts and other unorthodox styles.
Serious blackjack books should be more scholarly.

After reading a handful of other BJ books, I returned
to Blackjack Bluebook to find some information, and
ended up reading it again. Gee, this isn't a bad book.
Some of this information is pretty good, and up-to-date.

Then while on vacation a couple weeks ago, I took along
a half-dozen BJ books to review, so I could pick a counting
strategy to learn. And Blackjack Bluebook again came in
very handy. Actually, Mr. Renzey's Mentor count is one of
the few counts on my short list to learn.

The best part of this book is that it starts off with the
very basic strategy(don't all BJ books?) and progresses
through easy, moderate, skilled and on to a professional
count. So you can choose how much you want to learn about
BJ, and pick the best method for you to challenge the casinos.
Let's face it, the casinos don't give money away. You have
to earn it. And, Blackjack Bluebook shows you the path to
profitable BJ play.

5 out of 5 stars Best Blackjack Book I've Read...........2007-05-24

I enjoy playing Blackjack for entertainment value as well as the chance to make a little cash. After mastering basic strategy, most experts leave you with card counting as the only way to further your game. I'm not a professional gambler, and have no inclination to become one. I've tried counting, and for me, it detracts from the enjoyment of playing the game.

Renzey offers solid, statistically valid options to improve a player's chances at the tables, and he does so at different levels of "committment" by the player. You can choose how much time you want to invest in study and practice, but even the simplest level helps to turn the odds toward your favor. Renzey's more advanced options begin to delve into the card counting realm, but are significantly easier and faster to learn. I find I can still enjoy the "play" as well as the "results."

Hands down, the best Blackjack book I've ever read.

5 out of 5 stars how to play.......2007-04-11

I love the way that this book breaks down strategy for the casual player all the way up to professional play and it explains it in a progressive manner so that one can see what level they are playing at in a clearly defined manner. I also found the book to be a quick read making it accessible to quickly finding what information you were looking for on a need to know basis.

5 out of 5 stars Outstanding BJ Book.......2007-03-19

I've read several books on blackjack and this is by far the best. I'm not one to take the time to write a review, but I am so overwhelmed with this book that I had to take a few moments to share my thoughts. Most of us already know the basics, but Renzy takes the reader into a deck of cards in an easy to understand view from the inside out. I learned more in one reading of his book than I have in five years of playing blackjack. Myths were exposed and wrong plays were corrected. I've had to unlearn several bad habits after reading this book. Thanks Fred Renzey!!!

5 out of 5 stars Renzey is the Real Deal.......2007-03-01

I've known Fred for many years and I can testify that this is a man who understands blackjack inside and out. He is a top notch player and his book is a must read for players interested in becoming more advanced in their knowledge. Whether you use his various count systems is not as important as understanding the proper approach to becoming an advantage player at this game - and Fred is an astute, intelligent advantage player. You cannot have too much knowledge at this game and a wealth of good reading experiences is good for you and bad for the casinos. Enjoy!

Frank Scoblete: Author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution!
Play to Win: A World Champions Guide to Winning Blackjack Tournaments
Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • Waste of money
  • Interesting!
Play to Win: A World Champions Guide to Winning Blackjack Tournaments
Ken Einiger
Manufacturer: Huntington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Casino Tournament Strategy Casino Tournament Strategy
  2. Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition) Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition)
  3. Blackbelt in Blackjack : Playing 21 as a Martial Art Blackbelt in Blackjack : Playing 21 as a Martial Art
  4. Big Book of Blackjack Big Book of Blackjack
  5. Blackjack Blueprint: How to Play Like a Pro... Part-Time Blackjack Blueprint: How to Play Like a Pro... Part-Time

ASIN: 0929712382

Product Description

Poker tournaments have taken television by storm. So what's next? Blackjack. Ken Einiger is a tournament champion, having won the 2005 World Series of Blackjack on national television. In PLAY TO WIN, Ken introduces you to blackjack tournaments, explaining how to find them, evaluate profit potential, navigate the registration process, even improve your chances of getting on TV. He then takes you step-by-step through the powerful techniques he's developed over 15 years of successful play. Understanding just a few basic concepts can make you competitive in blackjack tournaments. PLAY TO WIN explains these concepts, then takes you further, providing everything you need to become a winner. Who knows? Perhaps one day you'll be the camp at his own game.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Waste of money.......2007-07-06

This guy is a no-talent hack who got lucky. He only marginally understands the math and strategy behind blackjack tournaments. This book was an attempt to take financial advantage of his winning the WSOBJ and I'm sorry to say I bought it. Complete waste of money. Only worthwhile book on blackjack tournaments is Wong's Casino Tournament Strategies and unfortunately it is slightly outdated, but still very worth it. Einiger is really an idiot, this book is terrible. Just a bunch of personal stories that are not very interesting.

4 out of 5 stars Interesting!.......2006-06-14

I watched the WSBJ and saw Ken win. I didn't find this to be an in-depth strategy book, but Ken doesn't claim it to be. I did, however, find his play-by-play commentary of the last few hands in each round very interesting. I enjoyed reading about his thought process and learning that even World Champions sometimes make mistakes!
Winning Casino BlackJack For The Non-Counter
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Winning Casino BlackJack For The Non-Counter
  • Fantastic beginner's guide!
  • A rip-off...
  • Buy it!
  • The best beginners/intermediate book around!!!
Winning Casino BlackJack For The Non-Counter
Avery Cardoza
Manufacturer: Cardoza
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GamblingGambling | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment BooksLook Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition) Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition)
  2. Blackjack Basic (Playing) Strategy, 4-8 Decks Blackjack Basic (Playing) Strategy, 4-8 Decks
  3. Essential Blackjack Wisdom Essential Blackjack Wisdom
  4. Blackjack Blueprint: How to Play Like a Pro... Part-Time Blackjack Blueprint: How to Play Like a Pro... Part-Time
  5. Play Blackjack Like the Pros Play Blackjack Like the Pros

ASIN: 1580421784

Book Description

Newly revised and expanded, this best-selling classic includes the latest rule changes and shows players how to adjust and maintain an edge on the casino. New update includes strategies and advice on playing blackjack on the internet and the 6-5 insurance rule-how it affects the odds and winning chances-plus a new section on strategies professionals use to beat the casino. The secret advantage strategies include shuffle tracking, front loading, back counting and more.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Winning Casino BlackJack For The Non-Counter.......2007-05-12

This is a good reference for non-counting BJ player.

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic beginner's guide!.......2005-12-07

Winning Casino Blackjack for the Non-Counter is a great strategy book for blackjack beginners. It gives comprehensive charts detailing which moves to make, but more importantly, explains the charts in understandable language.

I've tried other blackjack books, but they all just gave charts with no explanations. This one explains each move so you understand exactly why you make it, which makes it easier to remember at the casino!

This is the first blackjack book I ever used and it was a great starting point. Since then I've gone through a few more books and at my times at the casino, I made a killing! I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to start playing this game.

1 out of 5 stars A rip-off..........2005-01-09

Nothing more than an advertisement for his expensive mail-order non-counter strategies. The strategy he claims to present in this book is misrepresented as a non-counting strategy, when in fact it is (he basically says estimate the number of high cards remaining by watching which cards have been played, which is the definition of counting). If you want the actual non-counter strategy, you have to shell out $50 for a mail-order packet. Stay away.

5 out of 5 stars Buy it!.......2004-08-19

This book helped me incredibly understand the odds and help beat the casino at their games. I recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars The best beginners/intermediate book around!!!.......2004-01-16

When I made my first trip to Las Vegas over 10 years ago, I was lucky enought to find this book in the bookstore, insightful enough to buy it and terrified enough of losing money to read it and put it into practice. Since that time I've play tens of thousands of hands of blackjack in casinos all over the Western Hemisphere. I've also bought and read lots of other books on Blackjack. This one is without question the best.

It gives good introductory information on how to play winning blackjack. It covers basic strategy, money management and other fundamentals in a clear, concise way. He explains the strategy in such a way that it's easy to understand and REMEMBER. And he leaves out a lot of the non-sense and self promotion garbage you get in a lot of other books.

Even though I have a rather large library of blackjack books now, I still find myself throwing this one into my bag to read as a refresher on the plane trip to Vegas.

It's not meant to be the be-all-end-all book on blackjack and it shouldn't be judged as if it were. There will come a point, if you get serious enough about the game, that you'll want a more advanced book. This is the best book I've found however to give you the "blocking and tackling" fundamentals of blackjack.
Blackjack For Blood: The Card-Counters' Bible, and Complete Winning Guide
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Awesome -- best blackjack book in print!
  • Good Book - but very complicated counting system
  • Rebuttal of Reviewer: A reader from Las Vegas, NV USA
  • First Impressions
  • Very well written and informative book.
Blackjack For Blood: The Card-Counters' Bible, and Complete Winning Guide
Bryce Carlson
Manufacturer: Pi Yee Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GamblingGambling | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment BooksLook Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised
  2. Professional Blackjack Professional Blackjack
  3. Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition) Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition)
  4. Blackbelt in Blackjack : Playing 21 as a Martial Art Blackbelt in Blackjack : Playing 21 as a Martial Art
  5. Theory of Blackjack, Sixth Edition Theory of Blackjack, Sixth Edition

ASIN: 0935926232

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Awesome -- best blackjack book in print!.......2005-05-01

Blackjack For Blood is the best book on blackjack I have ever read -- and I have read just about all of them. According to all the experts, Carlson's Advanced Omega II System (included in the book) is much stronger than Hi-Lo or K-O, and I have found it surprisingly easy to master. It definitely gets the money; that's for sure. I also like the author's writing style. He explains things very well, and he intersperses the hardcore stuff with entertaining stories about his high-rolling experiences in various casinos around the world. All in all, a terrific book on how to beat casino blackjack. I highly recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars Good Book - but very complicated counting system.......2004-07-25

"BlackJack for Blood" can benefit any player of 21, from new people looking for the basic rules of when to stand/hit/double, to the more ambitious card counter who wants a system that can basically guarantee success at the table.

The unnamed author mixes rules with amusing, relevant anecdotes and actually creates an interesting read. He gives information that will help counters avoid detection and also deals out less-than noble (but not exactly illegal) tricks a player can use to take a few extra chips from those evil casinos.

The meat of the book, however, is a card counting system that takes some serious brain power and practice to master. I always found math to be boring and simplistic in school and received nearly perfect scores on the math sections of scholastic standardized tests. But the card counting system covered in this book may be a little above my mental capacity. It is only for people with Mensa-level processors.

3 out of 5 stars Rebuttal of Reviewer: A reader from Las Vegas, NV USA.......2003-12-19

I don't want to guess on who supplies the paycheck for " Reviewer: A reader from Las Vegas, NV USA" but... all readers should go to BJ21.com or Card Counter CAFE or any other BJ player hangout to review all the activity that is currently going on to win at BJ.

By the way this book is pretty good but Hi-Lo is a better count system for the begginer to start with.

4 out of 5 stars First Impressions.......2003-10-20

I have never played a game of BJ in a casino in my life. I once spent an hour and a half in a Las Vegas casino, spent $20 on a one armed bandit and then went to a movie while the rest of the family blew their money. I don't like to gamble! This book has me convinced that BJ is a game of skill and not chance. It was a fun read, and easy to understand. The mathematics involved seemed correct (although I haven't gotten out the computer to verify)I give it a 4 out of 5 only because I have never read another book on BJ and really have nothing to compare it with. The one thing he emphasized and I liked about his approach was that winning isn't easy and you have to be sharp to do it. I plan on reading a few more books and becoming a lot more proficient with basic strategys and counting systems before I go to the casino, but this book has me convinced I can win.

4 out of 5 stars Very well written and informative book........2003-10-18

A must have book for your blackjack library! I also recommend, Gregorian Strategy for multiple deck blackjack.
An Ex-Con's Guide to Living and Winning...at Slots, Blackjack, Roulette and Craps!
Average customer rating: Not rated
    An Ex-Con's Guide to Living and Winning...at Slots, Blackjack, Roulette and Craps!
    Silas Patterson S.
    Manufacturer: Giroir Inc.
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    CrapsCraps | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    RouletteRoulette | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    MotivationalMotivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
    True CrimeTrue Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
    ASIN: 1597440531

    Book Description

    If its money which motivates someone to break the law, then its money which will motivate them NOT to break the law. ¿An Ex-Con¿s Guide¿ teaches the repeat offender, career criminal, ex-con, parolee, and inmates serving time how to replace the money they¿re making from committing crimes with money won from the casino using a method with a proven 92% win probability.
    Blackjack For The Clueless: A Beginner's Guide to Playing and Winning (The Clueless Guides)
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • very good book
    • I was clueless
    • Even an experienced player will learn from this book!
    • Great book for a new player!
    Blackjack For The Clueless: A Beginner's Guide to Playing and Winning (The Clueless Guides)
    Walter Thomason
    Manufacturer: Lyle Stuart
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GamblingGambling | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    PokerPoker | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Sports | Subjects | Books
    Look Inside Entertainment BooksLook Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Look Inside Sports BooksLook Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition) Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition)
    2. Craps For The Clueless: A Beginner's Guide to Playing and Winning (The Clueless Guides) Craps For The Clueless: A Beginner's Guide to Playing and Winning (The Clueless Guides)
    3. Blackjack Basic (Playing) Strategy, 4-8 Decks Blackjack Basic (Playing) Strategy, 4-8 Decks
    4. Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised
    5. Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions

    ASIN: 0818405961

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars very good book.......2006-04-11

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

    5 out of 5 stars I was clueless.......2004-01-09

    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)!

    5 out of 5 stars Even an experienced player will learn from this book!.......1999-04-11

    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.

    5 out of 5 stars Great book for a new player!.......1999-04-04

    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!
    Winning Casino Blackjack For The Non-counter
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Winning Casino Blackjack For The Non-counter
      Avery Cardoza
      Manufacturer: Cardoza/Gambling Research
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: B000IY0KCQ
      The 11th Hand: A 21 Step Guide to Winning BlackJack!
      Average customer rating: 1 out of 5 stars
      • one of the worst blackjack books ever
      The 11th Hand: A 21 Step Guide to Winning BlackJack!
      Carl Spicer
      Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      Similar Items:
      1. Discoveries in Black Jack: Strategies and Mathematics Discoveries in Black Jack: Strategies and Mathematics
      2. Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution

      ASIN: 1424138280
      Release Date: 2006-05-22

      Book Description

      Are you tired of coming out of a casino empty handed? If you had a better way to increase your odds at winning at blackjack, would you buy it? Casinos around the world are taking every step to maintain their bottom line. No longer is it possible for the card counter to implement the various mathematical and statistical strategies in today's casino environment. The casinos have countered by using a combination of multi-deck shoes and computer generated shuffling machines. Well, now you can combat with your own measures! The 11th Hand: A 21 Step Guide to Winning BlackJack! will enable you to employ what I call “Behavioral and Conditioning Strategies” from the time you decide to visit the casino, to the moment that you actually place a bet, and on to the time that you make that crucial decision to leave the casino a winner. These simple strategies are not mathematical or statistically based and will allow you to discover and capitalize on the many patterns that emerge during blackjack play. No longer will you need a PhD in mathematics or statistics to play blackjack! Carl Spicer has been playing blackjack for over ten years and has discovered that blackjack is not conducive to long-term mathematically generated data. In the short-term, the game of blackjack has its own dynamics, recognizable patterns that even most novice and intermediate players can recognize. Also, you will become enlightened on how to become more focused as a player. Ultimately, you will begin a financially rewarding career playing the game of blackjack!

      Customer Reviews:

      1 out of 5 stars one of the worst blackjack books ever.......2007-04-07

      Quote: " ...everything I have written thus far is to enlighten players on some obvious strategies that may or may not work for them depending on how hard they try". Huh?

      This guy tells us how much he likes to play blackjack, but thats about the only good information this book has. He says to bet big when you are winning, that bad players make you lose, that you should feel confident, etc.. Lots of typographical errors and bad grammar make it hard to read. Nothing on how to win more. This book is laughable it is so bad.
      Winning Blackjack Without Counting
      Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
      • Forget the Math
      • a flaw in this theory
      • Some words about progression betting.
      • Simply the best gambling book I have read
      • Simple, Powerful Stuff! It works! READ THIS BOOK
      Winning Blackjack Without Counting
      David S. Popik
      Manufacturer: Citadel
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      PokerPoker | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      BlackjackBlackjack | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Sports | Subjects | Books
      Look Inside Sports BooksLook Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
      PokerPoker | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
      GamblingGambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Sports | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
      All 4-for-3 DealsAll 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
      Similar Items:
      1. Progression Blackjack: Exposing the Card Counting Myth Progression Blackjack: Exposing the Card Counting Myth
      2. Betting on Blackjack: A Non-Counter's Breakthrough Guide to Making Profits at the Tables Betting on Blackjack: A Non-Counter's Breakthrough Guide to Making Profits at the Tables
      3. Beat The Odds Blackjack: Playing Percentages Without Counting Beat The Odds Blackjack: Playing Percentages Without Counting
      4. Blackjack's Hidden Secrets, Win Without Counting (New & Expanded Edition) Blackjack's Hidden Secrets, Win Without Counting (New & Expanded Edition)
      5. Easy Blackjack for the Average Joe Easy Blackjack for the Average Joe

      ASIN: 0806509635

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars Forget the Math.......2006-02-09

      Yes...forget the math. As we know, you cannot make a progressive betting strategy pay off "in the long run". Playing blackjack can, and should be a series of short runs. With David's approach to progression, you can make money. I say "can", not "will". The key is money management and quitting when you're up.

      I've tried David's system in a combination of simulated play (using a reliable simulator...you know, the one counters train with) and actual table play. I've logged 240 sessions, with almost 11,000 hands played. I'm up 500 units. While that's not the "long run", I feel I can make the system work with David's 3 to 1 approach and good money management (loss limits, pull plateaus, discipline and reasonable win expectations). Heck, I wish I were bankrolled enough to use $100 units. If I can make 2.4 units per hour as an average over, say, 100 hours...well, I'd sure be doing it.

      Why does it work? Probably because it's the real world, and the player controls when he leaves or stays. There is some real world reality to streaks and clumping.

      Why do I give it a 4 and not a 5? I think the math contains some fuzzy logic (as a previous reviewer points out). It could be about a twenty page book...but then, would it have any credibility?

      I liked it and would recommend it to casually serious non-counting players.

      1 out of 5 stars a flaw in this theory.......2001-10-19

      I red the first edition of this book. First of all the basic stratedgy slightly differs from what other books say (like doubling 9 against dealer's 7).
      The main idea of the book is to bet on a series of wins/losses. If you win first bet you should increase you bet K times, if you lost your unit bet (and after that other 2) you increase you bet K times again. If it doesn't help, you keep loosing a unit bet at a time.
      The simplest way to proove the authour is WRONG is the following: he claims that every unit you add to K increases you chances to win by 0.5% (you probable win). Take K = 1000. Do you get 500% edge? No it can not exceed 100%.
      The author makes the fallowing mistake: if you average probability to wit is p=0.47 then the probability to loose is 1-p. Our edge (in bets) is -(1-2*p)=-6.0%. We are loosing. The probability to win 2 times is p*p, to loose the second time is p*(1-p). So he says the edge is -p*(1-2*p) is less than -(1-2*p) in absolute value and theirfore (due to blackjack and doubling) he says you can win money. What'a wrong here? It's not an edge. An edge in this situation would be -p*(1-2*p)/p. Because out of 100 bets we only will apply this stratergy p*100 times. And our edge is once again exactly the same -(1-2*p) = -6.0% in bets or (-0.3% in money under playing conditions he describes). You could just increase your everage bet once again with the same result.
      A word of causion. If you want to try geometric progression system (doubling you bet every time you loose), it would work, provided you could place an unlimited bets. But as long as maximum bet is restrected, in everage, you will loose onse again. If your chances to win were 50% (much better then 47), your mathematical expectation would be exactly 0.0 dollars to win. The problem is that every time you win the doubling chain you only regain 1 unit bet, when you loose your maximum bet you loose double your maximum bet minus unit (taking into account account what you lost already from the start). You can triple, the result would be the same (when the maximum bet is fixed).
      If there is a lawer who belives he could make this guy to pay for deceiving people, I'd be more then happy to help (tol60@hotmail.com).
      It doesn't mean you can not win with this strategy. I could give you another one. If it works, you might get reach, if it doesn't, you won't loose much time in a casino: take all your money you have for betting and bet it all (no more then you are redy to loose). If you win, drink free coke and go home, if you loose, do the same. And you save those 10$ for the book.

      1 out of 5 stars Some words about progression betting........2000-03-17

      I play blackjack for a living, and that means before I decided to do so you need to seperate the good from the bad books. I'm not the person to tell you what to do relating towards your goal playing blackjack, but one year after me trying to get it done the easy way, I,m glad that I switched to cardcounting. Remember do no think that blackjack is a easy money program. Many system sellers are making only money from selling books, or working indirectly for casinos. Any form of progression betting will get your cash in the longrun. I know from the early years of me playing blackjack that playing any form of progression you are able to winn money in the short run, but it will burn you out playing into the longrun, and I played too Popik's theory. But you can't compare a flip of a coin with 2 outcomes with a game of blackjack where you have 13 different outcomes relating to your hands.

      I play about 100 hours a month, 1200 hours a month. It is not about the no. of sessions you winn, but the no. of hours.

      Using Popik's system I won a majority of the sessions playing it in 1991, but the sessions I lost, I lost all what I won related to my winning sessions before. This is happening to all forms of progression play.

      Therefore I would suggest you to start reading work from Stanfort Wong, Lance Humble, Arnold Snyder or Peter Griffin.

      Again, I want you to winn but If you will ever decide to choose the profession I choosed you will realise that playing fulltime any progression system will hurt you playing about 1200 hours a year.

      5 out of 5 stars Simply the best gambling book I have read.......1999-11-11

      This book is fantastic. It is an easy read and a logical system based purely on mathematics. It does require some discipline, but when followed the system has proven to be profitable and substantially easier than learning to count cards. Will be useful to the occasional player as well as the consistent player.

      5 out of 5 stars Simple, Powerful Stuff! It works! READ THIS BOOK.......1999-06-28

      After listening to my friend explain his card counting methods -- I was impressed (actually amazed at his winnings) but discouraged to think I'd have to spend that much time and energy to beat the dealer at a game of Blackjack.

      So I found a book for the non-counter by Donald Dahl titled Progression Blackjack. A worthwhile read, but while using his strategies playing online, I quickly saw that the systems were "missing something."

      Then I read "Winning Blackjack Without Counting Cards" by David S. Popik! It's a real eye opener! He simply and powerfully shows that BJ is not a game of chance when certain rules are adhered to.... But MORE than that, he teaches a truly brilliant system for consistently beating the house! It's so simple a 12 year old couldn't lose with this strategy. The book's about an hour's reading time (or a little more to carefully go over all the numbers -- the author carefully documents all his findings)

      In my first game online after reading this book, I won over $500 in less than 2 hours. Don't miss this one!

      Books:

      1. Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One
      2. Beginning Algebra (Martin-Gay Hardback Series)
      3. Behind Deep Blue: Building the Computer that Defeated the World Chess Champion
      4. Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Second Edition
      5. Bird Signs: Guidance and Wisdom from Our Feathered Friends (Book & Cards)
      6. Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
      7. Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
      8. Bombers Broadside 2007: An Annual Guide to New York Yankees Baseball
      9. Building Thinking Skills-Book 1
      10. Byrne's Complete Book of Pool Shots: 350 Moves Every Player Should Know

      Books Index

      Books Home

      Recommended Books

      1. Parlay Your IRA into a Family Fortune: 3 EASY STEPS for creating a lifetime supply of tax-deferred,
      2. Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results
      3. A Youth in Babylon: Confessions of a Trash-Film King
      4. A Victor, Not a Butcher: Ulysses S. Grant's Overlooked Military Genius
      5. Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News
      6. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate: An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery
      7. Double flowers: A scientific study
      8. Financial Accounting, General Ledger Software Windows Version Data Disk
      9. Asymptotic Theory for Econometricians: Revised Edition
      10. Beauty and Sadness