The World Greatest Blackjack Book (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I've got a very important message for you that the gambling casinos of the world don't want you to know..." (more)
Key Phrases: doubling max, betting correlation, hard std, Basic Strategy, Las Vegas, Atlantic City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Now, for the first time, the most comprehensive guide to blackjack ever written is available as a trade paperback.

From the Publisher

A revised edition of the blackjack player's bible, with complete information on the odds, betting strategies, and much more -- now updated to include the rules of play in Atlantic City as well as international playing rules.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books (March 17, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385153821
• ISBN-13: 978-0385153829
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #215,895 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the beginner, But a bit dated, August 11, 2001

By A Customer

I found this book in a used book store and read it for fun. The basic system seems to work. I've played the system against computer blackjack games for hours at a time until I get bored and I seem to run pretty even. As he mentions in the book, the basic hit,stand,split,double system simply evens up the odds between you and the house. To actually make money you need to start counting.

The count system he teaches (The Hi-Opt 1) is easy to understand, but it takes a lot of practice to perfect (as does any counting system). From what I've seen on the web it's still a decent system, but it's not one of the more optimal systems that's been developed since this book was written in the 80's. But it's still a good one.

It's funny though to be constantly reminded that this book was written in the late 70's to early 80's. He keeps making references to Farrah Fawcett and Lee Majors and TV shows like "Barreta". That makes it tough to feel like you're learning the latest and best system. Also, if you just want to know the basic strategy and the count system then you can ignore about 380 of the 404 pages in this book. The rest of the book is stories and advice (which is also quite dated) on how the casinos work and how not to get barred as a counter.

Overall, it's not a bad book, but here in the 21st century it no longer rates as "The World's Greatest Blackjack Book".

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great first book, July 8, 2005

By	John Salerno (Hoboken, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the type of book that, if I were to look at it now after having learned a lot about blackjack, I would probably consider one of the "dumb" or "mainstream" books that try to convince you there's a system you can use to beat roulette. I think the title might help lend it this idea as well.

But in reality this is the book that started it all for me. I don't know why I chose it first, but I learned *everything* about blackjack from this book, except for advanced card-counting techniques (which are here as well, but I chose to learn a simpler system, the KO Count). This book does an excellent job of describing the game for those who are new to it, and it presents Basic Strategy very clearly and concisely. I still refer to it to refresh my memory every time I go to a casino. In a lot of ways it really is one of the greatest books, at least in my experience.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but watch out, January 12, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is very good blackjack book. It's very entertaining andeasy to read. The first part of the book concentrates on introducingyou to the gambling world and how it works, with interesting anecdotes as well as useful info. Later in the book he introduces the Hi-Opt I counting system. A very easy to learn and powerful system. Nevertheless the system is weak when certain rules are implemented by the casinos. For example, if the casinos in your area use 6 decks and play european style, this book will be worth it's weight in dirt. It's truely for the amateur player who goes to casinos strictly for fun or to break even. END