Blackjack is by far the most popular casino table game. The reason is because it has the lowest house edge. While other table games give the house a minimum 3% edge, blackjack provides close to even odds for players willing to learn what is called "basic strategy." And for players who are able to learn card counting, blackjack is actually a beatable game.
But the reality is that out of the millions of people who play blackjack, only a small percentage will take the time or make the effort to play perfect basic strategy. And very few players will take the time to learn card counting. Most of those who do will ultimately fail in a live casino environment.
So what’s a reasonably intelligent person to do? Among the blackjack books available today, few take readers beyond basic strategy, and of those that do, virtually none balance the necessary level of detail with a simple approach that is easily understood by everyone (not just math whizzes and autistic savants).
BLACKJACK: PLAY LIKE THE PROS is a comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide to playing and winning at blackjack. John Bukofsky—an expert player and card counter with over twenty years experience—provides readers with clear and engaging instruction in everything from the basics of game-play and strategy, up to and including card counting at the professional level.
In it, readers will find:
• A step-by-step approach that is easily understood by both beginners and serious players looking to take their game to a higher level. Though the book involves a technical subject, the writing style is casual yet clearly defines and explains each facet of the process. • Attention to details and finer points that are only touched on in many other books. • Chapters on betting and bankroll, casino countermeasures, camouflage techniques, and many of the other topics necessary to become a successful advantage player. • A chapter dedicated solely to "negative swings," which are the number one reason many aspiring serious players end up leaving the game. • Presentation of two separate point counts, which allows the reader to choose the system most suitable to him or her, depending on individual goals, time allowances, motivation, interface, etc.
The greatest feature of this book is its instruction in the holy grail of blackjack: card counting. Bukofsky shows readers how to learn and master the technique that many think is simply too difficult to learn, much less use in an actual casino. He also covers the intangibles playing under real world conditions, including many aspects not in any way associated with the actual mechanics of card counting.
How do we know that John Bukofsky is an expert card counter? Simple: he’s been barred from playing blackjack in Las Vegas and harassed in Atlantic City and Connecticut. He’s also played alongside some of the most prominent and prolific gamblers in the world at the Casino de Monte Carlo.
John’s expertise in the mathematics of card counting became apparent by age thirteen, which led to a life-long interest in the game. An engineer by profession, John understands the need for precision and clarity, which he brings to this book. As a result, he has written the most intelligent and up-to-date book on blackjack ever written, one that goes into every level of the game. BLACKJACK: PLAY LIKE THE PROS is destined to become the bible for the next generation of blackjack players.
"A savvy, comprehensive text that covers the essentials of winning blackjack from soup to nuts. Bukofsky is an excellent writer, whose ‘hold-your-hand’ style makes it easy for the reader to master, sequentially, the skills needed to become a successful player. Many blackjack books skimp on details, especially when it comes to the mathematics of the game or complete card-counting systems. Not so here. I highly recommend it."--Don Schlesinger, author of Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros’ Way
