Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Spanish 21 Book Ever Written, June 3, 2008
Once in a great long while, we are dazzled by the brilliance of an utter newcomer onto the scene of blackjack literature -- an author whose name is completely unknown to aficionados of the game, but whose qualifications, expertise, and scholarship are nonetheless impressive. Katarina Walker is just such an individual.
Since their creation, many years ago, Spanish 21 and its Australian equivalent, Pontoon, have rarely been taken seriously by blackjack pros. It was widely believed that these carnival-like bastardizations of the "real game" were nothing more than frivolous diversions for the uninitiated and fodder for the fools who would deign to play them. Until now! Imagine our surprise when along comes Ms. Walker to inform us of how wrong these beliefs are, as she presents her stunning "Pro's Guide" to these hitherto misunderstood games.
Walker has been playing Pontoon in her native Australia since the game was first introduced, and has won considerable sums of money traveling around the globe in search of the most exploitable Spanish 21 games to attack. This book is the result of over three years of research, computer programming, simulation, and calculations, and represents the distilled wisdom of, unquestionably, the foremost authority on these two games in the world today. To me, what is equally impressive are Katarina's innovative presentations of some of the material in a manner that is fresh, original, and has never before been seen in any blackjack text, be it on Spanish 21 or the classic version of the game.
This work is destined to become a classic in gaming circles, for it instantly qualifies as the most complete and magnificent tome ever written on Spanish 21. Make no mistake about it: a book of this scope and importance can be dangerous for the practitioners of the game. When the "enemy" reads this book -- and rest assured, he will -- there will undoubtedly be instant repercussions and unavoidable changes in the way Spanish 21 players are regarded by casino personnel. When it becomes widely known that Spanish 21 and Pontoon are every bit as beatable as their traditional blackjack counterpart and, in some cases, even more so, inevitable countermeasures are likely to be instituted. Such is progress!
So, read quickly: the days of pit bosses' turning their heads on the "dolts" who sit down at a Spanish 21 table may fast be coming to an end. Katarina Walker's work is going to put the game on the map forever, and it is also going to establish her as one of the brightest stars in the blackjack firmament -- an authority with impeccable credentials, whose future works will, I predict, be seriously sought after in the years to come. Join me in welcoming Ms. Walker to the blackjack community, and enjoy one of the most impressive and well-researched works on the game ever written.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Resource for Spanish 21, March 7, 2009
The Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon by Katarina Walker provides readers with a variety of information about basic strategy for quite a few rule variations. She offers basic strategy charts for 3 common Spanish 21 rules and adjustments to these charts for 7 Pontoon games.
The charts in the book are not formatted in a particularly easy-to-read format, and it requires careful reading to understand the adjustments that need to be made to the charts to create your own Pontoon strategy charts, but the information is all contained in a single chapter.
Review courtesy of www.hitorsplit.com
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by Don Schlesinger
by Peter A. Griffin
by Arnold Snyder
