10-31-2001, 08:54 PM
Originally posted on BJ21.com in February;
I am REAL new to all this, but i think i have a very good library in only a month, and so far,the ones i have read any of are for the most part, excellent. Here is a listing of what i currently have, with short comments if applicable. Most of the books i have chosen from the recommendation of Mason Malmuth in the back of his Gambling Theory and other Topics Not all of these are specific BJ books, btw. Please forgive the run-on sentences
Basic Blackjack, Wong. Excellent, exhaustive tables. I keep reading that warps are for the most part obsolete, as are some of he other "tricks" listed, at least for midwest games, where i live.
Professional Blackjack, Wong Again, excellent tables,( getting redundant), however, this is his book which i have touched least upon.
Blackjack Secrets, Wong. Amazing guerilla Tactics advice, cant wait to put them into practice
Blackjack Attack, Schlesinger. I feel that this book is currently beyond my scope of understanding of the game so far. I will consider this book as my course completion, not that you're ever really done learning. Shuffle tracking, outlined here and in other books i have, from the VERY limited experience i have locally, seems to probably not be useable, but i've only been to one casino, so blanket statements seem premature at the least.(ho chunk had a closed face shuffle machine).
Blackjack For Blood, System seems to be the best out there currently, but i don't know if i'll ever get around to learning it. Awesome guerilla tactics and and great read tho. ( Almost crapped myself when my friend pulled off a quadruple down which i had only told him of two hours earlier. It was only on a $5 bet, and of course, he lost, but it was like we were getting over on the whole casino establishment.)
BeatWEB Casinos.com, Not about BJ, per se, but otherwise, I have 3 words to describe to this reference- Heh Heh Heh.
Turning the tables on Las Vegas, Anderson. Only thumbed through it, looks like a great read and primer for BP comportment.
Sklansky on Blackjack, Sklansky. I am already a Sklansky disciple when it comes to all things poker, wasn't sure what to expect from this book, was hoping something between Theory of Poker and Poker, Gaming and Life, and got exactly that. An excellent basic introduction to the game with Sklansky's trademark clarity, plus a few nuggets of wisdom I haven't seen elsewhere. Amazing that he did it without ANY tables, but not very specific about bet sizing and deviations in stratey. I still highly recommend it though, and wonder why it isn't mentioned more often in BJ circles. I suspect because it is no compendium, nor magnum opus like his Theory of Poker, and definitely not nearly as exhaustive a tome as some of the above, but it doesn't try to be either.
KO Blackjack, Vancura & Fuchs. This book is very highly regarded in most reviews I have seen as a powerful, easy count. As i am prone to distraction, I will be using this as my system first, as it seems the easiest while still being a powerful system. Another excellent read, and one of the better of the obligatory "history of BJ counting/Why it works" sections found in most all BJ books. Can't wait to see how it performs in the casinos. Have heard some rumblings that some of the numbers do not jive, however. Any thoughts on that, anyone, (Messrs. Schlesinger, Wong?)
Million Dollar Blackjack, Fascinating book, only got it yesterday.. Seems like a few of the tactics are out of date, and i DEFINITELY do not plan to tackle the uston advanced point count system.. That said, this seems like more of a fleshing out book than anything else for my purposes. A classic that is still pretty current, i keep hearing, so i had to get it. Some people buy crack, i buy books.
Blackjack Essays, Malmuth. Defitely beyong my current realm of undersanding. In due time...
World's Greatest Blackjack Book, Humble and Cooper Only skimmed through this. Interesting section On Lawrence Revere, (His book is on the way for me).
Ken Uston on Blackjack, More narrative than anything else? Only thumbed through this too, seems to have great BP advice though.
Blackbelt in Blackjack, Snyder. Were it not for KO, Red Seven would be my first count of choice, i feel. He has some of the more innovative insights that i have read so far, but only had about 20% penetration on this 8-deck shoe of a book before getting KO, so i still may go towards his system/systems in due time. Sklansky and Malmuth, whose poker knowledge i hold in the highest regard, feel is Zen count is the best out there right now. I could probably swing that in due time.
Blackjack Wisdom, Bought it and immediately loaned it to a friend. I have enough on my plate right now.
Beat The Dealer, Thorp. I first read this classic about 9 years ago, not knowing there was better, more current info out there. Not sure where it is at the moment to check this out, but seem to remember his basic strategy including hitting 17 Vs. 10 and Ace. Taught my girlfriend how to play using this book, as she was going to Vegas shortly thereafter. She is no longer my girlfriend. Doubt it's related.
I also have a few books on gambling as a whole, such as Getting the Best Of It and Gambling for a Living by Sklansky and Malmuth, Arthur S Reber's book, Super Casino by Earley, The 2001 American Casino Guide, Gambler's Guide To the World by Jesse May, Beat the Casino by Barstow, and Wong's "Idiot's" book. All seem worthy tomes save for Barstow's, which at first glance seems a progressions tout. Comp City is on its way.
Any suggestions you may also have will be greatly appreciated, and any comments/criticisms are encouraged and will be rewarded by one extra Blackjack the next time you play. No, really, I have control over heaven and earth. I just like to do things on the up-and-up when it comes to my own cards.....
I am REAL new to all this, but i think i have a very good library in only a month, and so far,the ones i have read any of are for the most part, excellent. Here is a listing of what i currently have, with short comments if applicable. Most of the books i have chosen from the recommendation of Mason Malmuth in the back of his Gambling Theory and other Topics Not all of these are specific BJ books, btw. Please forgive the run-on sentences
Basic Blackjack, Wong. Excellent, exhaustive tables. I keep reading that warps are for the most part obsolete, as are some of he other "tricks" listed, at least for midwest games, where i live.
Professional Blackjack, Wong Again, excellent tables,( getting redundant), however, this is his book which i have touched least upon.
Blackjack Secrets, Wong. Amazing guerilla Tactics advice, cant wait to put them into practice
Blackjack Attack, Schlesinger. I feel that this book is currently beyond my scope of understanding of the game so far. I will consider this book as my course completion, not that you're ever really done learning. Shuffle tracking, outlined here and in other books i have, from the VERY limited experience i have locally, seems to probably not be useable, but i've only been to one casino, so blanket statements seem premature at the least.(ho chunk had a closed face shuffle machine).
Blackjack For Blood, System seems to be the best out there currently, but i don't know if i'll ever get around to learning it. Awesome guerilla tactics and and great read tho. ( Almost crapped myself when my friend pulled off a quadruple down which i had only told him of two hours earlier. It was only on a $5 bet, and of course, he lost, but it was like we were getting over on the whole casino establishment.)
BeatWEB Casinos.com, Not about BJ, per se, but otherwise, I have 3 words to describe to this reference- Heh Heh Heh.
Turning the tables on Las Vegas, Anderson. Only thumbed through it, looks like a great read and primer for BP comportment.
Sklansky on Blackjack, Sklansky. I am already a Sklansky disciple when it comes to all things poker, wasn't sure what to expect from this book, was hoping something between Theory of Poker and Poker, Gaming and Life, and got exactly that. An excellent basic introduction to the game with Sklansky's trademark clarity, plus a few nuggets of wisdom I haven't seen elsewhere. Amazing that he did it without ANY tables, but not very specific about bet sizing and deviations in stratey. I still highly recommend it though, and wonder why it isn't mentioned more often in BJ circles. I suspect because it is no compendium, nor magnum opus like his Theory of Poker, and definitely not nearly as exhaustive a tome as some of the above, but it doesn't try to be either.
KO Blackjack, Vancura & Fuchs. This book is very highly regarded in most reviews I have seen as a powerful, easy count. As i am prone to distraction, I will be using this as my system first, as it seems the easiest while still being a powerful system. Another excellent read, and one of the better of the obligatory "history of BJ counting/Why it works" sections found in most all BJ books. Can't wait to see how it performs in the casinos. Have heard some rumblings that some of the numbers do not jive, however. Any thoughts on that, anyone, (Messrs. Schlesinger, Wong?)
Million Dollar Blackjack, Fascinating book, only got it yesterday.. Seems like a few of the tactics are out of date, and i DEFINITELY do not plan to tackle the uston advanced point count system.. That said, this seems like more of a fleshing out book than anything else for my purposes. A classic that is still pretty current, i keep hearing, so i had to get it. Some people buy crack, i buy books.
Blackjack Essays, Malmuth. Defitely beyong my current realm of undersanding. In due time...
World's Greatest Blackjack Book, Humble and Cooper Only skimmed through this. Interesting section On Lawrence Revere, (His book is on the way for me).
Ken Uston on Blackjack, More narrative than anything else? Only thumbed through this too, seems to have great BP advice though.
Blackbelt in Blackjack, Snyder. Were it not for KO, Red Seven would be my first count of choice, i feel. He has some of the more innovative insights that i have read so far, but only had about 20% penetration on this 8-deck shoe of a book before getting KO, so i still may go towards his system/systems in due time. Sklansky and Malmuth, whose poker knowledge i hold in the highest regard, feel is Zen count is the best out there right now. I could probably swing that in due time.
Blackjack Wisdom, Bought it and immediately loaned it to a friend. I have enough on my plate right now.
Beat The Dealer, Thorp. I first read this classic about 9 years ago, not knowing there was better, more current info out there. Not sure where it is at the moment to check this out, but seem to remember his basic strategy including hitting 17 Vs. 10 and Ace. Taught my girlfriend how to play using this book, as she was going to Vegas shortly thereafter. She is no longer my girlfriend. Doubt it's related.
I also have a few books on gambling as a whole, such as Getting the Best Of It and Gambling for a Living by Sklansky and Malmuth, Arthur S Reber's book, Super Casino by Earley, The 2001 American Casino Guide, Gambler's Guide To the World by Jesse May, Beat the Casino by Barstow, and Wong's "Idiot's" book. All seem worthy tomes save for Barstow's, which at first glance seems a progressions tout. Comp City is on its way.
Any suggestions you may also have will be greatly appreciated, and any comments/criticisms are encouraged and will be rewarded by one extra Blackjack the next time you play. No, really, I have control over heaven and earth. I just like to do things on the up-and-up when it comes to my own cards.....