The Theory of Blackjack: The Compleat Card Counter's Guide to the Casino Game of 21 (6th Edition, Indexed) (Paperback)

~ Peter A. Griffin (Author) "I played my first blackjack in January, 1970, at a small club in Yerington, Nevada..." (more)
Key Phrases: basic strategist, basic strategy expectation, basic strategy advantage, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Generally considered the bible for serious blackjack players, Peter Griffin's classic work provides insight into the methods and numbers behind the development of today's card-counting systems. Contains the most complete and accurate basic strategy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Huntington Press; 6th edition (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929712137
• ISBN-13: 978-0929712130
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #254,058 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed my opinion of gambling books, November 4, 2002

By	K. Rule (Beaverton, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I ran across this book many years ago in a used bookstore (mine was the 2nd edition). I must say this book changed my opinion of books about gambling books. Up to that point, all the gambling books I've come across were laughable. But this book was startlingly different. It thoroughly explains the mathematics behind basic strategy and card counting techniques in a way that really made sense.

This may sound too advanced for many folks, but frankly the math is fairly easy to understand (it mostly uses basic statistics that you probably learned and forgot in high school).

If you are serious about card counting, the information in this book will help you evaluate BJ counting systems (or even systems you invent). It will also help you subtly modify your play for changes in rules at different casinos.

Do you need to be a computer programmer to use this book? No, but it wouldn't hurt. Is this book useful for writing BJ simulators? Yes, but it's also great for really understanding what it takes to be a really good card counter.

Personally, this book convinced me that I don't have the patience (or time) to become a good card counter. But at least now I know why.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for those interested in theory!, December 12, 2004

By	Reynard Moore (Saratoga Springs, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although this is a great book you really need to know what it is and what it IS NOT!
It is not an introduction to blackjack. It's assumed you already know how to play the game.
It is not an introduction to card counting. The author assumes you already know a card counting system, or at least have a basic understanding of what one entails.
It is PROBABLY not going to make you a better player. It's not really a "how to" guide for the game as much as it's a guide to show you how to effectively ANALYZE the game.

As the title suggests this book is a fairly comprehensive review of the theory of blackjack. While a traditional counting book will tell you the HOW of card counting, this book will show you WHY it works, how card counting systems are derived, how to compare the power of different card counting systems (the so-called "efficiences") and contrast them to an (linearly) ideal system. You will also learn how to calculate exact probabilities (well, really how to write a program to do this) that could be used to determine the values (in terms of expected return) of different hands or to design a tool that will give you the optimal play in any situation that may arrise in blackjack. This tool isn't to be confused with "basic strategy", which only gives you the optimal play off the top of a freshly shuffled shoe.

This book is ideal for someone who is comfortable with playing blackjack in a casino environment, has a basic understanding of the difficulties faced by card counters, and is comfortable with mathematical formulas and their derivations (although a lot of concepts can be understood without a strong background in math, you'll get a lot more out of the book if you can follow its derivations). After reading it you should be in a position where you COULD develop your own card counting system, calculate expected values (essentially probabilities) for given hands and given plays, and have the satisfaction of knowing that you have a better understanding of the inner workings of blackjack than 99% of the people who play the game!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the faint of heart, March 6, 2002

By	obediah (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

I'll start off by saying that this book is a tool for those interested in the underlying mathematics of the game of blackjack. For those people who just want the numbers, many blackjack simulators are currently on the market. In fact, most of the simulators would be more accurate than the numbers in these books due to the fact that you can customise then to your exact table conditions and playing strategies.

Even for those who are mathematically inclined, this book is very heavy reading. I've completed university level statistics courses and much of this text is still beyond my grasp. Griffin often does not explain why particular statistical methods are appropriate presumably he assumes familiarity with the underlying mathematics.