blackjack books

[Jeff V]

For someone who wants to start learning proper basic strategy and card counting, what books would you recommend? Also has anyone read Sklansky Talks Blackjack? If so how was it. Thanks. Jeff

[Homer]

Wong's Professional Blackjack -> Teaches basic strategy and the Hi-Lo and Halves count systems.

Schlesinger's Blackjack Attack 2 -> A more advanced book. Doesn't teach counting or basic strategy (assumes prior knowledge). Focuses on profitability of different game types (# decks, rules, penetration), teaches cover methods (so you don't get booted from the game), etc.

-- Homer

[bernie]

wong is the man....id get his basic BJ book first, along with many other BJ books. (avoid ones published in new jersey though) after awhile, youll be able to skip the basic strategy part and start reading further in....if you gain any nuggets, even one idea, in a BJ book, i found it was worth the price...(unless its a big price, like over $25 bucks)

my first book absolutely sucked. the author is an imbecile. BUT is still learned some stuff from it.

if youre really wanting to learn and take it seriously, learn ALL the info you can on it. look at Dalton's BJ handbook: a professional reference, if he's still putting it out.. it has some very good reviews on all books/videos/essays that involve BJ. fantastic reference for finding new books...

then have fun reading snyder....the bishop!

revere had a good book, but it was written by an A Hole...a little dated, but BJ really hasnt changed that much

also...if you live near reno, vegas or laughlin, and feel good about youre game, id suggest getting wong's BJ newsletter....it's well worth it's price.

hope i didnt overwhelm ya...

have a good one...

b

[mikelow]

I first learned card counting from the The World's Greatest Blackjack Book by Lance Humble. It was published in 1980, when card counting was still in its heyday.

I would recommend the Wong books ( Professional Blackjack is an outstanding reference) and the Bryce Carlson book.

See if you can quadruple down. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[bernie]

i remember the humble book having alot of great information...not only just the game but the whole overall game....even beyond the tables....great book....with a good count system in it...

b

[Jeff V]

Mucho gusto for the advice guys. I'm gonna check these out. Thanks again. Jeff

[snakehead]

to answer your question, sklansky's book is excellent. it is simpler than the other ones mentioned here, but it is a great starting point. if you want to get into more complex methods later, go ahead. but the gains from using more difficult stategies is minimal over the simple method sklansky outlines.

[nanoking]

I can beat your wimpy quadrupling down!

Last year at Suncoast I was burning through my 7th LVA POV 3/1 BJ coupon of the trip, but was getting clobbered anyway. Betting green even with the edge of the coupon was a little tough so I decided to move down to flat betting $10 with the 3/1 coupon. The dealer was new and didn't speak much English. The pit boss spoke English, but knew less about the game than the dealer. A supervisor was wondering around keeping an eye on both of them.

I played for about 30 mins before hitting my blackjack for the coupon payout. Like I said I had a $10 bet out there. So the novice dealer stacked the 5 red chips in a pyramid for my 3/2 win. I told her I should get paid 3/1, but she didn't understand so she called the pit boss over. He had never seen the coupon before and just stood there mumbling the fine print to himself. I have never been so unintimidated by a pit boss while working. He's unsure so he calls over the supervisor. The supervisor is annoyed and starts going yeah, yeah, just pay him 3 times his bet. The dealer is a little stunned from all this and the other players are getting pissed so finally she reaches into the rack and pays me my $75 win...LOL.

9 to 1 payout!!!

NK

p.s. Jeff, the Las Vegas Advisor book isn't as good this year, but check out Casino Perks. And check out billhere.com for matchplays and stuff.

[Wildbill]

Best thing to do is buy Blackbelt in BJ by Snyder. Learn BS first and use it at home until you make no mistakes, then go into a casino and realize how it is much tougher there. Once you have that down learn Red Seven and use it for at least a year, if not longer. The step up to other methods on the market isn't that significant in monetary value to you unless you are really serious about making money on counting. The key is to get to the stage where you handle casino conditions well and master the other things that matter more than just being able to use a highly accurate count. Red Seven is great in that it does what is needed to get you to be a slightly positive EV player while allowing you to get comfortable with the other things that go with being a winning player. If you try to master a 2-level count without fully dominating an easier count, you will have all kinds of problems and frustrations. Take if from me, I tried doing that myself years ago. I tried to branch out of just sports betting and tried BJ and eventually gave up being anything but a very recreational player. I tried Carlson's system and sure it worked in some respects, but I could never get anywhere near the level needed if I wanted to be a serious professional player. Its just so much more than being able to follow the count.

So learn from my experience, its a long long road to success. There are too many books and methods out there, you are likely to get in trouble if you try to learn from them all. The path I suggest is BS first, Red Seven second with a lot of time put in at it, then maybe, if you really have the desire to get serious, move into something tougher and get into the "community" by using the newsletters and travelling the circuit. Don't expect that step to come for at least 4 years, if ever. You might decide, like me, that Red Seven is enough, that all you want is to play and win a little while enjoying the challenge and entertainment of an occasional session at the tables. In the end, I think the key is unless you become a really top notch player at any of the gambling games, reading too much can be harmful. Keeping things simple with only a few books until you are indeed really good at a game works better. While all the authors have something to contribute, most people work best when things are kept simple and trying out a bunch of counting methods is clearly not keeping it simple. In any case good luck...

[mikelow]

I think that's true in other forms of gambling also. In sports, I
don't look at a lot of stats and numbers. I also limit what I bet on. In college basketball, I only follow the major conferences at this point in the season. You may consider this silly as the numbers are tighter, but I think that is more than offset by greater knowledge of the teams, and the fact you know more of what you are getting.

It's better to simplify and shorten the process first. Get to know what you're good at and stick with that.
And I think you never need anything more than a one-level count in blackjack.