Zach: Books

[Bettie]

> In some respects reviews are important. For example, I
> read
> John May's Getting the Edge at BJ. I'm still not
> certain whether I should trust the advice as some
> people have been quite critical of the work. Is John
> May a respected BJ author? How about Frank Scoblete?
> His book Best Blackjack recieved superb reviews on
> amazon.com(yet he recieves no mention on the BJ
> boards) so he must be doing something right.

"He" does nothing but turn out several books a year that are largely written by staff members of a large publishing house (they tell him the topic and usually provide an outline, and then edit the book to their liking). A search on these boards will generate another thread on the reliability (or rather, lack thereof) of Amazon.com reviews. Anyone can make up a handle and post a review, including the same publishing company that put out the book. They have entire departments devoted to marketing their books, and I guarantee that many of those reviews are false. Unfortunately, many of them are also actual reviews from people who were drawn in by the hype and have allowed themselves to be swayed by the promise of riches without the work.

Other reviews are also obviously false, such as the one from "Parker" in "San Diego" panning Don's Blackjack Attack. Do you really think that one of the most upstanding guys I know wrote that? If I didn't have morals and ethics, I'd create a fake handle and post a rebuttle, but I have better things to do with my time (and conscience). That review has been up for years; I'm still waiting for one of our customers to write their own, honest, review.

If an author is either largely ignored, or frequently panned, on reputable advantage play sites such as ours, you can bet that there's no substance to the style.

Bettie

[Praying Mantis]

> My feelings exactly. Even if I glean only one bit of
> useful information, or a single insight to improve my
> game, the book will pay for itself many times over.
> I've never heard of anyone losing as a result of
> knowing too much.

> Having too many books on blackjack is sort of like
> having too big a bankroll.

I failed to say, that it sure don't HURT to read them a few times, as well. I read "BJA" and "CardCounter's Guide to Casino Surveillance", as well as, others, at least once a year and every time I re-read a book, I read something I didn't remember reading before...it's weird, but the mind needs a constant bombardment to retain...just make sure the stuff you're bombarding your mind with is REPUTABLE...Leave Patrick, and the likes, alone...make sure you're getting the BEST information.

PM

[Parker]

> I agree with most of what you said. Knowledge is
> power. The only reason I asked is because sometimes a
> book can be really dry and make for a difficult read.
> For example, Peter Griffin's Theory of BJ(although
> brilliant) is way too technical and mathematical for
> my taste. I doubt I will ever read it. Another book
> which falls in the same category
> is SW PBJ. I never read it but hear it is quite dry
> (although informative). I guess I prefer a book which
> is informative as well as entertaining. This way it is
> not a chore to read.

I never had any problem with Wong's books. While his style is a little drier than some others, I found it to be pleasant enough reading. I've always treated Griffin's TOBJ as a reference work. While I've probably read every page at one time or another, I would no more read it from beginning to end than I would a dictionary.

> Having said that, I enjoyed KO Blackjack and Blackjack
> Bluebook II. I also liked The Counter by KB, BDTH by
> BM, and Barfarkel's book You've Got Heat(amongst
> others). I learned a lot by reading all the books
> mentioned above. I hear good things about Blackjack
> Zone and Kevin Blackwood's book so I will definitely
> buy them. Right now I am reading Million Dollar BJ. It
> is alright...I liked his other work better.

Uston had the rare combination of being both an expert AP and a good storyteller. While his books are showing their age, they are entertaining reading.

> In some respects reviews are important. For example, I
> read
> John May's Getting the Edge at BJ. I'm still not
> certain whether I should trust the advice as some
> people have been quite critical of the work. Is John
> May a respected BJ author? How about Frank Scoblete?
> His book Best Blackjack recieved superb reviews on
> amazon.com(yet he recieves no mention on the BJ
> boards) so he must be doing something right.

May is somewhat controversial. There is no disinformation in his book, although he is a little short on specifics in some areas. See my post elsewhere in this thread regarding what I consider to make a book worthwhile.

Any idiot can write a review for Amazon - and call themselves anyone. I put about as much stock in Amazon reviews as I put in the spam "stock tips" that clutter my e-mail.

Scoblete writes for the masses. Best Blackjack is actually an okay book, and quite an entertaining read. However, it simply presents the rules, basic strategy, and the Hi-lo count. Nothing new here, although there are some interesting anecdotes. When he discusses the math behind the game (kelly betting, ROR, bankroll, etc.) it is evident that either he really doesn't understand the topic, or he is "dumbing it down" for his intended audience.

Besides, it is hard to take the author of Breaking the One-Armed Bandits (a book on slot machines) very seriously.

There is a glaring omission in your comments. I can't believe that there is no mention of Blackjack Attack! :-)

[Parker]

> I failed to say, that it sure don't HURT to read them
> a few times, as well. I read "BJA" and
> "CardCounter's Guide to Casino
> Surveillance", as well as, others, at least once
> a year and every time I re-read a book, I read
> something I didn't remember reading before...it's
> weird, but the mind needs a constant bombardment to
> retain...just make sure the stuff you're bombarding
> your mind with is REPUTABLE...Leave Patrick, and the
> likes, alone...make sure you're getting the BEST
> information.

My paperback edition of BJA3 is a couple of feet away as I write this. I consult it on a near-daily basis. It sort of comes with this hosting gig. There are some very sharp people who read this site, and I learned early on that if I post anything that is even slightly incorrect, someone will certainly call me on it. Not that I mind - I've learned a great deal in this manner.

Besides, Don gets really annoyed if I misquote him. :-)

[WallStRunoff]

> I never had any problem with Wong's books. While his
> style is a little drier than some others, I found it
> to be pleasant enough reading. I've always treated
> Griffin's TOBJ as a reference work. While I've
> probably read every page at one time or another, I
> would no more read it from beginning to end than I
> would a dictionary.

> Uston had the rare combination of being both an expert
> AP and a good storyteller. While his books are showing
> their age, they are entertaining reading.

> May is somewhat controversial. There is no
> disinformation in his book, although he is a little
> short on specifics in some areas. See my post
> elsewhere in this thread regarding what I consider to
> make a book worthwhile.

> Any idiot can write a review for Amazon - and call
> themselves anyone. I put about as much stock in Amazon
> reviews as I put in the spam "stock tips"
> that clutter my e-mail.

> Scoblete writes for the masses. Best Blackjack is
> actually an okay book, and quite an entertaining read.
> However, it simply presents the rules, basic strategy,
> and the Hi-lo count. Nothing new here, although there
> are some interesting anecdotes. When he discusses the
> math behind the game (kelly betting, ROR, bankroll,
> etc.) it is evident that either he really doesn't
> understand the topic, or he is "dumbing it
> down" for his intended audience.

> Besides, it is hard to take the author of Breaking
> the One-Armed Bandits (a book on slot machines) very
> seriously.

If I am not mistaken Stanford Wong, probably among the 5 most respected BJ authors, wrote a book on craps advocating that a skilled roller can play to advantage. Not exactly Ed Thorpe calibre academics there but his BJ books remain classics. But your point is understood.

> There is a glaring omission in your comments. I can't
> believe that there is no mention of Blackjack Attack!
> :-)

[Sonny]

> May is somewhat controversial. There is no
> disinformation in his book, although he is a little
> short on specifics in some areas.

I would have to disagree. Although I do like the book, I did quite a bit of research on what May calls the "Stacker Play" and found his accounts of it to misleading. I found no practical advantage to be gained by returning the cards in hi/hi or low/low order.

-Sonny-

Stacker Play?