Blackjack Wisdom [Paperback]

Arnold Snyder (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: RGE Publications; Rev Exp edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910575061
• ISBN-13: 978-0910575065
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,751,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Arnold Snyder is a high-stakes professional gambler who has been writing about casino games for over two decades. He has authored hundreds of articles on gambling in dozens of publications in the past twenty years, including Blackbelt in Blackjack and the Big Book of Blackjack. In January 2003, Snyder who is one of the great legends of blackjack, was elected one of the seven charter members of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read, March 4, 2002

By 

obediah (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blackjack Wisdom (Paperback)

Well this isn't a "how to" book it's more a collection of a decade or so of writing by Arnold Snyder. As such you won't learn any particular counting system or style. Snyder writes in a clear, witty style with piercing insights into the nature of gambling.

Some gems from the book include Social Irrelevance class where you will come to grips with the "existential essence of being a replaceable cog in a machine that produces nothing" and how card counters are essentially parasites "siphoning money from a meaningless cash flow system". Humour abounds, for example in reviewing one of the blackjack systems, Snyder remarks "My heart goes out to the tree that died for this".

All in all a very worthwhile text covering a whole range of different blackjack topics. Occasionally digresses from the main theme but this is more an observation than a complaint it does not detract from the book whatsoever.

The book's final conclusion? You won't win. Why? Statistical fluctuations mean that on a bell curve some will end up all the way on the right and some will end up all the way on the left. Sure with card counting you have an expectation that is slightly positive, however there's still a big margin for statistical variation that could plonk you pretty much anywhere in terms of winnings. In which case you may as well take your bankroll and plonk the thing on the damn roulette wheel.

1 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice addition to your Blackjack library!, June 15, 2000

By 

Alan D. Hogan (America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blackjack Wisdom (Paperback)

I love this book! Its an excellent book to read on the trip down to the casino. Filled with great text instead of dozens of tables. Definately worth it.