Customer Reviews

Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book started it all. Before this book, only a very few people knew about card counting, and most only had primitive systems. Thorp analyzed the game, ran computer simulations, and devised two effective strategies for beating the casinos at their own games.

Can you run out and use these systems today against the casinos? Sure, but over 30 years have gone by and there are now simpler more effective systems. But if you are naturally gifted at doing complex calculations in your head quickly, I think the 10 count system would still be wickedly effective.

Buy it for the theory and the stories. Then go out and buy a newer book with simpler more modern counting systems.

I totally disagree with the other reviewers who say this book is "no longer relevant". It is the definitive guide to Blackjack's "Basic Strategy" plus provides a fascinating historical perspective on how Thorp ran the computer simulations to develop the Basic Strategy and test it in Nevada casinos back in the early '60's. What the other reviewers say is true, that the methods Thorp used (card counting) to make a lot of money back in the '60's no longer work today, but that doesn't diminish the value of the book. The casinos were changing the rules and "shutting down" the big opportunities before Thorp even finished the book. But that isn't the measure of the value of the book (although it is testimony to how powerful Thorps's insights were when first developed).

Everyone playing Blackjack (one deck or out of a shoe) should be playing "Basic Strategy" at a minimum. If you want to implement some other strategy on top of that (changing bet size, card counting, etc. etc.) have at it. But the starting point should be Basic Strategy.

Furthermore, the average recreational Blackjack player should be playing Basic Strategy, but many (most? -- at the cheaper tables anyway) don't as you can observe by sitting down at any Blackjack table.

This book should be read by anyone who wants to play Blackjack.

If you are looking to learn blackjack for the first time or even if you are an intermediate player, I would not recommend this as the book to read. You should read Frank Scoblete's BEST BLACKJACK which teaches a much simpler and easier to learn card counting system. Also, Scoblete's book is a lot more fun. But Thorp is the genius who invented card counting and his book is a must as background.

Everyone who ever THINKS about playing blackjack to win should read this book. Thorp is the one who started it all - the Einstein of gambling theory. Anyone who doubts this should read any of his other books or articles, or simply count the number of references to Thorp in Epstein's Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic.

The clarity, depth, and scope of this work surpasses any other on the subject - and it started a revolution! The theory, complete with computer printouts from 1961(!), and the methodology are there, yet this is no dry textbook. Thorp includes fascinating historical and motivational material, as well as a spellbinding account of his first successful tests in Las Vegas.

How anyone could aspire to become a winner at blackjack and not read this book is a mystery to me! And some of the reviewers are simply mistaken. Thorp's systems ARE still relevant, and they absolutely still work. Naturally, they have been improved upon over the course of 34 years, and aspiring card counters will have more than one text, one would HOPE. But Thorp is still:

Relevant, Mesmerising, Indispensable.

I think some of the reviewers below are missing something: this is still an essential purchase. Much of the detail can't be found elsewhere. There are ideas here which can still be used to devastating effect on occassion. Most modern texts dwell on the dry detail of card-counting: Thorp has that kind of visionary mind which is always searching for the big score. In addition it reads like a thriller (and you would'nt believe some of the stuff Thorp could'nt put in!). The card-counting systems are obsolete now, but I very much doubt anyone would make it as a pro counter without familiarizing themselves with the material here.

John May (Author of "Baccarat for the clueless")

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!

The cover of the book brilliantly displays a variation of the game called double exposure, among other names. Both of the dealer's cards are exposed for the players to see. This may seem like a great advantage to the player until you consider that pushes loss. This, along with whatever other restrictions may be placed on the players by the house for knowing what the dealer has, such as doubling only on 10 and 11. Also, when the player has a 19 looking at a dealer's 20 the player will have no choice but to hit a hard 19. Beat the Dealer explains the importance of rule variations. Take it from a dealer, read this book.

The fact that this book, which was originally published in the 1960s, is still ranked so high in the bestseller lists says something about its historical value in the gambling world.

If you've ever had any interest in card counting (which accounts for many people since the successful ride of "Bringing Down the House"), this book is definitely worth picking up -- especially at its small price.

Much of the information is outdated, but to actually relive the earliest stages of basic strategy and card counting is pretty freakin' cool. For the blackjack enthusiast, this book won't disappoint.

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

This book is of historical importance because it is the first book written, as it is the oldest, with a viable counting system. A must have for your blackjack library. I also recommend, for modern games, Gregorian Strategy for multiple deck blackjack.