Customer Reviews

Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros' Way

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've bought several good books on blackjack (The World's Greatest Blackjack Book, Best Blackjack, Blackjack a Winner's Guide, Professional Blackjack, Beat the Dealer, Theory of Blackjack, Burning the Tables on Vegas, Blackjack Attack) and the two best are Burning the Tables in Vegas (BTV) and Blackjack Attack (BJA). In BTV it covers counting along with the entire lifestyle and behavior needed to prosper in the casino playing blackjack. In BJA Mr. Schlesinger covers every significant detail relating to the modern game. His famous "Illustrious 18" play variations gives the beginning player 90+ % of the advantage available though card counting in one very simple package. Throughout the book he uses several other blackjack authorities (some are authors of the above mentioned books) to verify his findings on many of the finer points of the game. This book assumes you already know how to card count using the most popular basic card counting system in use today, Hi-lo. This system is covered comprehensively in most of the other books forementioned.

PEace

There is much mathematical theory on blackjack. I have read pretty much all the major books on blackjack, and read most all its theory. The problem with some blackjack books is that it's based on bad mathematical theory. The problem with most of the other books is that it discusses the theory and math behind which a winning foundation can be built, but leaves the implementation of that theory at the casino table up to you.

Some writers do a passable job at addressing the application of blackjack mathematics at a blackjack table. Some leave you on your own to guess a lot of it. But to date, I have seen only one author, in one book, who crosses both realms perfectly with an uncanny gift to pick out what's relevant, dismiss what's not, and then apply that knowledge to answer virtually every important question that can be asked about blackjack.

This is the book.

This is not a basic blackjack book. It assumes you already have one of those, already know a count, and wish to put it to work in the most effective manner possible. If you fall into this category, this is the book you've been waiting for all these years.

This is a graduate course on winning at blackjack, not a basic primer. The author is extrememly creative in applying elementary probability theory to the tough practical questions that confront counters on a daily basis.

This should probably not be your first book on blackjack - but if you plan to give the casinos a run for their money, you MUST study this book.

Blackjack Attack is an excellent book, and has been very well received by a most critical audience -- visitors to BJ21.com, the busiest blackjack web site. The material in the book can be valuable to you if you learn to count cards to win at blackjack in casinos.

Stanford Wong

This is not a book in the traditional sense; it's really largely an anthology of Schlesinger's "Gospel" articles from Blackjack Forum magazine, dating back to the 1980s. Because of this, it's somewhat lacking in integrated cohesiveness, but it's a very valuable resource, nonetheless. Schlesinger covers most of the statistical aspects of Blackjack in a clear, concise and accurate fashion. In addition, Chapter 10, which is primarily the work of Schlesinger's collaborator, John Auston, is all-new and presents some very comprehensive game-selection and risk-of-ruin charts. All in all, an excellent and very useful resource for serious players.

All serious blackjack players own this book. It is a good read and a frequent reference. Chapter 9, on risk of ruin, is important reading for serious gamblers. Ch 10 is a very good quick reference to find the relative favorability and win rate approximations for hundreds of the permutations of rules, number of decks, and betting strategies for blackjack games. I'm a professional gambler and I refer to this book often. It easily ranks among the five or six "must own" books in the field of blackjack.

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.

I was stunned when I read some of the negative reviews. It was apparent that some of those individuals were looking for a "winning system." This book doesn't provide you with some magical counting system. Rather, the author discusses the nuances of card counting. Don't expect to learn "which system is best." You won't. (Different methods play better with different rule variations.) But, you will learn how to think about the game. I used a counting method before I read this book. I still use the same one. But my approach to the game has changed. For example, at one time I dismissed the importance of deck penetration. No longer. Also, I didn't think that the dealer standing on soft 17 would make that much difference over hitting on soft 17. Wrong. So, although I use the same counting method, my game selection has changed considerably. I didn't learn to count because of this book. But I AM a better player because of this book. And that's because of how I now select my games, not because this book supplied some magical counting system.

Every serious blackjack player ought to own this book. Schlesinger explains the mathematical underpinnings of the game with great authority and applies them to practical considerations of casino play, particularly "card counting." In so doing, he makes many original contributions to the game. Chief among them is his analysis of the varying rules and conditions that can affect the player's advantage from casino to casino (and even from table to table within one casino). Schlesinger's anecdotes about his own experiences in the game keep the book lively. There have been hundreds of books written about blackjack over the years. I've read a great many of them. I believe that "Blackjack Attack" joins Thorp's "Beat the Dealer" and Wong's "Professional Blackjack" as the three classics in the field

This book had more research put into it than all off John Patrick and Frank Scoblete's books combined. I notice in some other reviews that some people find this book too hard a read and wonder if BJ is really that complicated. Yes, it is, and if you want the answers, here they are. If you don't then this book is not for you. Playing BJ At a basic level and playing with a full understanding you can come to have from reading this book is and understanding this book islike the difference between a G.E.D. and a masters from Harvard. There are few easy answers in BJ. This book answers the hard ones for you. If you want to feel like BJ is an easy game, by all means, pick up any of patrick's books, or any book that says you can win without counting in today's game.