Customer Reviews

Blackjack Blueprint: How to Play Like a Pro... Part-Time (Gambling Theories Methods)

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Although Rick Blaine has had a "square" job most of his life, he writes with the full knowledge of someone who has spent his life "in the trenches" of playing advantage blackjack around the world.

His step-by-step course in learning basic strategy and card-counting blackjack is excellent and utilizes drills and quizzes to solidify the material in the readers' mind before proceeding to the next level. Basic strategy and counting are concepts that are taught in other books, but are very well-presented here.

Blaine pays attention to concepts such as bankroll sizing, dealing with all the different people in the casino chain of command, and how and when the casino is observing you that you might not be aware of. The thing that sets this book apart is that Blaine leaves no stone unturned, whether it is discussing casino cheating, tournament play, comp-garnering strategies, shuffle-tracking, ace-location play or the several chapters on team play.

In my mind, his most useful sections are on casino comportment and camouflage, and his discussions of the patience and discipline required to become a long-term winner.

This book has a wealth of information for beginners, intermediate players, and even those who have been playing with an advantage for many years.

Not only is this book full of valuable information, it is presented in a way that is easy to learn the right way to make money playing Blackjack. Blaine is meticulous. His insight and those of his contributors are what casinos fear most. Great reference for those serious about making money playing Blackjack.

Rick "Night Train" Blaine is a top-notch blackjack player and an excellent writer. He's combined the two skills to create a book that is user friendly, extremely informative, and totally beneficial for seasoned players as well as beginners. Besides serving as a terrific primer for anyone who wants to learn how to count cards, Blaine's book is loaded with illuminating tips and anecdotes from inside the world that inspired Bringing Down The House. Prior to reading Blackjack Blueprint, I was pretty much of a blackjack sucker. After reading it and implementing Blaine's strategies -- as I recently explained in the pages of Cigar Aficionado magazine -- I became good enough to get backed-off in a Vegas casino. And, as every blackjack pro knows, when they don't want you to play, you're doing something right. This book is the real deal. Read it and make a pit-boss weep.

There are a million card counting books out there, most of which offer a more thorough examination of card counting than this one does. But then again, for most of us, 300 pages about the minutae of card counting may be a bit much.

What this book offers is a quick but sufficient introduction to basic strategy and card counting based on Stanford Wong's Hi-Lo system, which is pretty easy to learn. Blaine spends a chapter on teaching the reader how to count, and then another one on how to adjust to a true count. Subsequently, he shows how to tailor your play (and betting, of course) to the count.

The card counting portion takes up less than half of the book. Some of the rest of the book may or may not be interesting to some readers. The sub-title of the book is "How to Play Like a Pro...Part-Time", but much of the remainder of the book is more "professional" in nature. There is a section on zone tracking as well as a LOT of stuff on team play.

I am not a professional card counter. In fact, I read the book based mostly on curiosity and the desire to perhaps play at a slight advantage at low stakes on Vegas trips. However, I still found the section on team play interesting on its own merits. Blaine kept a diary of a team and its successes (or in this case, failures). It was nice to see that Blaine didn't sugar coat things and included a section on how even at an advantage, negative swings are inevitable at times.

If you're planning a trip to Vegas, the book is definitely worth a read. Pick it up a few weeks beforehand and give the card counting tips some practice and I think it'll be more than worth the twenty bucks you shell out for it.

I read this book quickly at the bookstore the other day and was thouroughly impressed. I prescreen my blackjack books now due to the sheer number of them and that most of them are recycled and crap. This, however, was truly an exception. This book takes the beginner from the very basics of the game, to basic strategy, card counting, and money management, all while explaining how to get away with it in a practical enviornment. Add in anecdotes and a special section of putting together a team, and you have yourself a unique and refreshing reference guide. I particularly liked the added drills that were included with this novel. Definately one of the better of the blackjack book genre.

I've read several books on Blackjack, as that is the only game I enjoy at the casinos. This one definitely added to my knowledge. Seems like it has something for all levels of players. I particularly liked the list of things that inexperienced counters do (but shouldn't). I found that I do most of them (sigh). Knowing this now should help me to advance my game and cover. The sections on team play weren't relevant to me, but still interesting reading.

Blackjack Blueprint was a clever, all-inclusive and extensive book on the art of playing professional blackjack. It was wasy to follow whether or not you are an expert player. This book pertains to professionals, as well as people who are interested in becoming one. Rick Blaine is a fantastic writer, and this book is a must!-- Joanna W, Queen Of Spades

I'm reading "Blackjack Blueprint" for the second time.
It is an impressive tutorial and practice guide for
anyone seriously interested in learning to play blackjack.
Similar to Revere's classic work, Mr. Blaine explains the
basics one must learn to get an advantage playing the game.
Then he offers practice drills designed to ingrain those
basic skills/info, so the new BJ player can perform at a
level to compete with the casinos.
The last half of the book introduces related topics like
BJ tournament play, casino critters, comps, shuffle tracking,
team play, camouflage, etc. All interesting topics for aspiring
advantage players.
Blackjack Blueprint is among the best introductory books on
advantage blackjack play that I've read. It compares favorably
with Revere's and Wong's books, and is more up-to-date.
I don't hesitate to recommend it, and am happy to own it.

Rick Blaine is a blackjack expert who understand all aspects of the game and can take you step by step through many of the problems and experiences that savvy blackjack players encounter. His information is diverse and valuable. What is just as important is that he writes in a way that is easily understandable to even average players. He has a wealth of knowledge and this book shows flair and insight. Whether you become an advanced card counter or a super-astute basic strategy player, gaining more knowledge is important to become the best player you can be. This book gives you plenty of knowledge.

Frank Scoblete: Author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution!

This book is without doubt the most well written and entertaining blackjack book around right now. I have read many many books on counting cards and the game of blackjack in general and this is by far the funniest read there is while actually giving really good information on counting cards and the game you must play to be a counter. Blackjack Blueprint doesn't bore you to death with super advanced systems that will cause you to sleep after read each single rule. Instead it's filled with many stories and useful information that are completely relevant to the situation that they accompany. If I were to have one blackjack book this would be the one without any doubt in my mind. I will also add that I don't read for fun at all, I only read books that will give me information and teach me how to do stuff. If all books were this good I would read more then I do.