BJinNJ: Any Gems Missing from MY BJ Library?

[BJinNJ]

Each time I become interested in BJ, I pick up a few
books to read. A few years back I picked up:

Beat the Dealer, Thorp
Playing Blackjack as a Business, Revere
Professional Blackjack, Wong

All of these are excellent reads, and sources of info
and history.

Here I am reading up on BJ, again, and recently
acquired a few more current books:

Blackjack Bluebook II
Blackjack Blueprint(2nd ed.)

(BJ Blueprint was quite good, Bluebook has its pluses
as well)

And also, Million Dollar Blackjack, Uston
(not yet read, but expect it to be xlnt)

Are there other 'required readings' for a
novitiate in BJ? Each book seems to present
the basics, i.e. BS and a count system or two,
as well as other unique bits of info/strategy
which each author thought important to include.

TIA for any/all responses.

BJinNJ

[ES]

1. Blckjack Attack by Don Schlesinger
2. Theory of Blackjack by Peter Griffin
3. Bootlegger's 200 Proof Blackjack by Mike "Bootlegger" Turner
4. Black Belt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder
5. Big Book of Blackjack by Arnold Snyder
6. Play Blackjack like the Pros by Kevin Blackwood
7. Knockout Blackjack by Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs
8. How to Play Winning Blackjack by Julian Braun
9. Blackjack in the Zone by Eliot Jacobson
10. Basic Blackjack by Stanford Wong
11. Blackjack Secrets by Stanford Wong
12. The World's Greatest Blackjack Book by Lance Humble and Carl Cooper

No. 8 is out of print.

[BJinNJ]

Thanks for the list! It's a bit discouraging to think
that I need to read all of those before my study is
sufficient. Can't I get started, and add to my knowledge
as I go along?

My list neglected to include May's 'Get the Edge at
Blackjack', which I found quite interesting, and the
'Mensa Guide to Blackjack', which was good, too.

I was considering Carlson's 'Blackjack for Blood', but
decided to get that later, along with some of the books
you list (Schlesinger, Griffin, Snyder, Wong) Braun is an
interesting pick. (I think it's still floating around
used. Ran across it recently, somewhere online.)

FWIW, almost every book has a count that's intriguing.
My current preference is a balanced level 1 count for starters.

Thanks for your input.

BJinNJ

[Trapper]

I'm sure ES wasn't suggesting you needed to read the whole list before playing some real world blackjack. One book is more than enough to read before getting started. Read Wong's Professional blackjack if you plan to use Hi Lo or Black Belt in Blackjack by Snyder for Red 7 and Hi Lo lite. Read Knockout Blackjack if you want to play KO. Pick up several decks of cards and put down the books and start practising. Even better buy Norm's CVBJ and split your time between dealing yourself real cards at your kitchen table and playing and running drills on the computer. When you have basic strategy down cold and you can count down a deck in less than 30 seconds it is time to hit the casinos playing table minimum with the recommended spread to beat the game. If I had to choose, I would pick the software and the cards over the books but doing both will certainly help.

I'm not saying that all of those books aren't worth having but there is a point of diminishing returns for a green counter. Many of these books were written twenty years ago or more and the game has changed. Still, you will gleam important information from them once you have played a bit and are ready to pick up new information. You can't read in books how to keep a count in your head while a dealer talks to you non stop or the cocktail waitress asks you if you want a drink for the second time while you are trying to recall the basic strategy for the play in front of you.

When you are comfortable counting and you discover if you are the type of person who can take the ups and down of card counting without letting it effect your life, you should move on to some of the intermediate books that ES listed. I would advise not playing for serious money without reading Blackjack Attack 3 by Don Schlesinger and Black Belt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder. A little further down the road you may want to read Theory of Blackjack and you may want to pick up Wong's Basic Blackjack if you find yourself playing games with unusual rules or promotions.

[BJinNJ]

I've already reached the point of diminishing returns
reading the 6-8 already in my library. But there are
so many 'important' tidbits in each of them, that I
wondered if I missed something key in a book I hadn't
considered/acquired.

The CVBJ software is high on my priority list, at the
moment. It looks to make practice fun and efficient.
Are either of the sims CVCX or CVData worthwhile for
a novice?

Once I get the hang of casino visits, BJA3 and Blackbelt
in BJ are on my list. Just started poking around in
Uston's 'Million Dollar BJ' last night. I bet it was
a homerun when new.

Thanks for your input.

BJinNJ

[Trapper]

Reading good books never hurts. I just think that you may be losing out if you are waiting to read every important book on blackjack before you dive in. Practice and real world play are much more important. Having a deep understanding of how card counting works is very useful and opens doors to future opportunities but it doesn't compare, for instance, to the ability to continue putting out your max bet at a high count after losing hand after hand. Other skills are the ability to play a strong game while you feel the whole pit crew is counting down your cards with you (they probably aren't.)

I have CVCX but not CVData at this time. CVCX is very good in helping you to learn the value of the games you have available to you and optimal betting strategies to attack them with. It certainly wouldn't hurt to own it but at first I would suggest just using the spreads recommended in the basic strategy books you are reading and not worry about whether you are betting optimally or maximizing SCORE. That will come when you move from your practice bankroll to a real bankroll.

The problem with reading older texts is that knowledge of the game has improved over the last several years and much of the texts are taken up with concepts that have been proven wrong by simulations or strategies for games that no longer exist. For instance, there is often an assumption that complex counts and a truckload of indexes are required to beat the game. The trend over the last ten years or so has been towards simpler counts, simplified and rounded indexes, and narrower spreads when wonging. Snyder, Schlesinger, Wattenberger and Fuchs and Vancura among others have shown that very little is given up by these simpler strategies. Many beginners read these older books and get sucked into a 1970's mindset and start posting questions about moving to multi level counts with side counts after their first weeks of play. In almost all cases, it is exactly the last thing they should be doing. Understanding of the game is important and the books are invaluable but success at blackjack is ultimately measured by your ability to pound the casinos at whatever level your bankroll and comfort level with risk allow. There is no final exam for your studies.

Million Dollar Blackjack is a very entertaining book and is especially so if you will be playing single deck or hole carding but I would avoid the complex count Uston advocates at least until you have played for a while.

If you are interested in a level one balanced count you may want to try Arnold Snyder's Hi Lo Lite (see Black Belt in Blackjack) which uses rounded indexes which give up almost nothing to the full version of Hi Lo. There is no reason that you couldn't be ready to play with this count with a few weeks of either kitchen table or computer practice.

[David Spence]

As already pointed out by others, there is certainly a point of diminishing marginal returns in buying and reading blackjack books. Nevertheless, one title I would add to the list of "must haves" is Burning the Tables in Las Vegas by Ian Andersen. No other book provides better advice on cultivating the proper act and attitude for getting away with winning consistently.

It's much better to learn these skills early than to first get backed off or barred, then try to figure out what you may have done wrong.

[BlackJack Paladin]

> Each time I become interested in BJ, I pick up a few
> books to read. A few years back I picked up:

> Beat the Dealer, Thorp
> Playing Blackjack as a Business, Revere
> Professional Blackjack, Wong

> All of these are excellent reads, and sources of info
> and history.

> Here I am reading up on BJ, again, and recently
> acquired a few more current books:

> Blackjack Bluebook II
> Blackjack Blueprint(2nd ed.)

> (BJ Blueprint was quite good, Bluebook has its pluses
> as well)

> And also, Million Dollar Blackjack, Uston
> (not yet read, but expect it to be xlnt)

> Are there other 'required readings' for a
> novitiate in BJ? Each book seems to present
> the basics, i.e. BS and a count system or two,
> as well as other unique bits of info/strategy
> which each author thought important to include.

> TIA for any/all responses.

> BJinNJ

I agree with the responses. The older books can have dated material. Many books are centered around a certain count so no real need to worry about books with conflicting count strategies. I have very little experience with Snyder's books but I don't think you could go wrong with them. If you are interested in Hi-Low I would recommend professional BJ for learning the count itself and then BJA3 to polish your game. Beyond that probably qfit software would be helpful. Some people like to spend money on their hobby and there is nothing wrong with that.

Burning the Tables is a good book but may be a little much for a beginner. A beginner needs to have a good grounding in the basics and experience before considering more advanced concepts that are not needed by a beginner with a small bankroll and can be very costly if you don't understand the basics fully.

[BJinNJ]

Your post sums up my impression of quest for BJ knowledge.
Newbies need to keep it simple, until sufficient experience
is gained.

So many of the level 1 counts are similar, and of interest.
Wong's "Professional Blackjack" doesn't leave much unanswered
about Hi-Lo for a newbie. Hi-Lo probably meets my needs, and
can grow with me, as the need for count indices arises. All
of the variants are readily available, like I18 and Fab4.

AFA qfit CVBJ. I think I'll spring for it, to make practice
more interesting, and for the feedback while learning.
Verifying the count by hand is tedious, while playing. And
a little reminder about BS plays, as needed, is good, too.
Surely there is alot CVBJ can do for a novice.

Thanks again for all the input. Time to get to study and
practice.

BJinNJ

[Blackjack Paladin]

[Parker]

Okay, so I am a shill. :-)

Nonetheless, BJA3 (Blackjack Attack, 3rd Edition) is a must-have for anyone serious about advantage play blackjack. It pretty much picks up where the basic books leave off, and while it gets quite math-intensive at times, there is always a summary in plain English for the math-impaired among us (me, for example).

While there are plenty of good books out there, someone with the basic text for the counting system of choice (Examples: Professional Blackjack for Hi-lo, or Knockout Blackjack for KO) and BJA3 will have all of the fundamentals covered.

BJA3 is, of course, available from our Online Catalog (I wouldn't be much of a shill if I didn't point that out).

[Blackjack Paladin]

[BJinNJ]

You guys are incorrigible.

Math? Programming?... no problems.

I'd order BJA3 right away, but my identity might be
revealed! LOL

Thanks for your replies.

BJinNJ