283 pages
List Price: $14.95
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Best Blackjack
by Frank Scoblete
Spotlight Reviews
I agree with the title, April 1, 2002
Reviewer: Keith Watt (Phoenix, AZ USA)
I agree with most of the other reviewers, this is the best blackjack book I've read, and I've read quite a few of them.
Most BJ books are either useless to the serious or semi-serious BJ player, or are about count strategies that are useful but the book itself is so theoretical and tedious it will bore you to tears. Not so with Mr. Scoblete's tome. In a breezy and easily understandable style, he covers the basics of single and multiple deck strategy for various gambling venues, then moves on to advanced counting strategies. Where this book excels, he then gives practical suggestions on how these strategies can be applied in real life, without being preachy about only doing it "his way", as some authors do. He also flavors the book with his own experience and self recognized bias (the section on "ploppies" is a hoot!)
This book has information that will be useful for a novice's first session at a table, or a more serious player looking to improve their skills. If you are planning to purchace one BJ book, make it this one.
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256 pages
List Price: $14.95
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Basic Blackjack
by Stanford Wong
Customer Reviews
Contains a truly dizzying amount of information!, June 24, 1999
Reviewer: A reader
OK Mr. Counting Pro, you're on vacation where you know there are casinos. You figure you'll stop in and mabey make some money. But when you sit down at a table, you discover that the rules are not what you're used to. BJ pays 2:1, dealer wins ties, and 21 after splitting tens pays 3:2!? What to do now? Well, you could lose your shirt, or you could get Basic Blackjack.
Wong's impressive text contains proper basic strategy for just about every rule variation and "bonus" (side bet, coupon, etc) that has ever been offered. It also tells you how to estimate the value of each of these variations. As a bonus, there is a good discussion of non-counting strategies such as warps, tells, and the like. At 256 pages, the amount of material covered is amazing.
If you only play Las Vegas or Atlantic City, and already know the stategy for the rules there, you probably don't need this book. But if you like to travel (Europe?) or take advantage of coupon books and other special offers and side bets, it is a must-have.
Wong's writing stye is clear and easy to read, although this book is valuable mostly as a reference guide. I found it very interesting to read about all of the rule variations, side bets, and bonuses that the casinos have thought up, even though I will never encounter the majority of them.
The one thing that I would have liked to have seen in a text on basic strategy is the expected cost of making the "wrong" play. i.e. How much does one give up by not splitting 33vs5? Obviously it would be impractical to include this information for all of the strategies presented, but it would have been nice to have it for common sets of rules. (This information can be found in Wong's Professional Blackjack.)
Overall, a very impressive work.
Good Luck, and Good Cards,
- Jacob W.
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List Price: $4.95
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Blackjack Basic (Playing) Strategy, 2 Decks
by Hal Marcus
Customer Reviews
Blackjack Strategy Cards - Don't Leave Home Without Them, October 14, 2003
Reviewer: A reader
These four basic strategy cards fit in your shirt pocket yet contain everything you need to optimize your odds under virtually all table conditions. Cards work for 1, 2, and 4-8 deck games covering most variations of house rules. Give yourself the best chance to beat the casino. Use these cards and experience how much fun blackjack can be when you play like the pros.
Math not luck, October 3, 2003
Reviewer: A reader
Las Vegas has a saying, "players depend on luck, casinos depend on math". Well, here's your chance to almost even those odds to within 1/2%. These blackjack strategy cards (all 4 for 1, 2, or 4-8(2) decks) do the math for you and stretch your money a long, long way. You will get your money back in the first hour of play and wish you had had them a long time ago. If you play blackjack, this is the one item you should take with you. And you don't even have to think, pretty nice ugh.
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List Price: $4.95
Buy new: $4.95
Blackjack Basic (Playing) Strategy, 4-8 Decks
by Hal Marcus
Customer Reviews
Blackjack Strategy Cards - Don't Leave Home Without Them, October 12, 2003
Reviewer: A reader
These four basic strategy cards fit in your shirt pocket yet contain everything you need to optimize your odds under virtually all table conditions. Cards work for 1, 2, and 4-8 deck games covering most variations of house rules. Give yourself the best chance to beat the casino. Use these cards and experience how much fun blackjack can be when you play like the pros.
(Note to Amazon - Please post this review for all four strategy cards. Thanks.
One red chip, September 26, 2003
Reviewer: "proghappy" (Georgia)
Ever wonder how to get the house edge at blackjack to around half a percent (or less)? If you're new to blackjack and/or need a quick set of game dependent strategy variations, then these are the cards to get.
You actually recieve 3 double-sided, laminated strategy cards (4 strategy, 1 explanation, 1 cover) connected together that easily fold out and refold so the game variation you need is right on top. The 4-8 deck cards are very handy for review or learning the strategy variations between Hit 17/Stand 17 and Doubling After Split Allowed/Not Allowed. Should you surrender 15 vs. 10 when the dealer stands on Soft 17? The surrender variations are provided.
I found the cards very easy to read because of their larger size and good color use. It's easy to find the intersection of your hand vs. the dealer up card, especially since the dealer up card is located at the top and the bottom of each card. They are handly to have for quick review on a plane, hotel room or between casinos. They fit neatly in a shirt or pants pocket and are very flexible. Since they're laminated, so don't worry too much about those swim up blackjack games.
For one red chip, these cards will pay for themselves quickly, especially when you forget those pesky soft double-downs. Kudos to Mr. Marcus for this indespensible tool.
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