Scarne on Card Games: How to Play and Win at Poker, Pinochle, Blackjack, Gin and Other Popular Card Games [Paperback]

John Scarne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 2004

In addition to complete rules and instructions for playing dozens of games, tables of probabilities and percentages, and the fine points of winning play, this book — one of the best on the subject — also contains some 60 pages of information on how to detect cheating.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486436039
• ISBN-13: 978-0486436036
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,715,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Magic & Illusion

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What happened to the photographs???, July 11, 2004

By 

R. Li "roninja" (Stony Brook, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scarne on Card Games: How to Play and Win at Poker, Pinochle, Blackjack, Gin and Other Popular Card Games (Paperback)

This is a Dover reprint of the 1965 edition of Scarne on Cards. However, the photos showing card cheating techniques are missing. Also, the reprint is the abridged paperback version by Mass Paperbacks. While Dover is famous for printing its books on high quality paper that are signature-stitched so that it can last a lifetime (and possibly be rebound), none of this is present. The paper it's printed on is like the paper of a low-quality paperback and not signature-stitched. I was hoping that it would have come out much better and unabridged.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, August 5, 2008

By 

Yeshua's Follower (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scarne on Card Games: How to Play and Win at Poker, Pinochle, Blackjack, Gin and Other Popular Card Games (Paperback)

Scarne does it again! First I discovered Scarne invented poker. Now I learn that he invented every other popular card game out there. Don't waste your time or money reading this book. Scarne wastes most of the space, as he does in his other books, bragging about himself. The book is over 400 pages long and it only addresses NINE games: Gin Rummy, Black Jack, Poker, Pinochle, Cribbage, Pitch, Casino, Kalabrais, and Hearts (including, of course, "Hearts According to Scarne"). Now, if you really really wanna learn how to determine if someone's cheating you in Rummy or determine if the cards in your Pinochle game are marked, I guess you can read those chapters. Much of the stuff in this book appears to be little more than cut and pasted from Scarne's other books anyway.

Overall, very little useful information and Scarne is so arrogant throughout the book that you'll quickly grow weary and turn the TV on.

5.0 out of 5 stars The best from the best., June 15, 2011

By 

J. Boljanac Mandres "Jonel Boljanac" (Lakewood, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Scarne on Card Games: How to Play and Win at Poker, Pinochle, Blackjack, Gin and Other Popular Card Games (Paperback)

John Scarne is the most authoritative author on gambling in print. His Blackjack 21 analysis alone is worth the book. The casinos turned to him to counter card counters in Blackjack and his ideas and suggestions have been implemented by casinos to this day and have affected the game. Yet his mathematical analysis stands today just as it did at the time of first print. The cards themselves and basic rules of play are the same no matter how many decks are used, his combinatorics are the best in print.

His influence is also felt in many other casino games worldwide and governments also turned to him to educate the public and understand the odds and house advantage of gaming. This book is a must for anyone wanting to understand card games in general and the mathematics behind them.