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There is much to be excited about in this third, ?Ultimate Weapon,? edition of Blackjack Attack. As the subtitle suggests, I have tried to cram in the pages of this one volume an incredible amount of highly sophisticated blackjack information. To that end, I have eagerly sought the advice and collaboration of some of the keenest minds in the area of blackjack research, and together, we have broken new ground in several ways.

Here, then, are the major additions and improvements to be found in this third edition: first and foremost is the complete revision of the Chapter 10 charts, by Norm Wattenberger, to include optimal betting ramps, unit sizes, SCOREs, and much, much more; a light piece, ?More on SCORE,? appended to the SCORE chapter, as we seek ways to distinguish between the ?original? concept of SCORE, and the ?generic? meaning the term has taken on; the complete version of the Optimal Departure study, which began in the second edition of BJA, but was completed in a subsequent issue of Blackjack Forum; four brand-new risk of ruin equations, encompassing goal-reaching and time-constraint concepts, and an enlightening testing of the formulas? accuracy, through the computer simulations of Dan Pronovost; an entirely new Chapter 12, as a mythical blackjack team takes a ?Random Walk Down the Strip,? utilizing John Auston?s BJRM 2002?s genial software application; a three-part Appendix, courtesy of the amazing Cacarulo, with almost 100 pages (!) of precise expectation tables, basic strategy charts (the most accurate in print), and effects of rules variations on basic strategy expectations; finally, a modified cover design, an enlargement of the book?s format, and, for collectors, an elegant hard-cover edition, which will be followed by a soft-cover version.

We learn to ?never say never,? but, with this ?Ultimate Weapon,? I believe I have furnished virtually all of the tools that the traditional card counter must have at his disposal to levy a full-blown attack on the casinos. I?m sure you?ll let me know if I?ve left anything out, but, for now, this third edition of Blackjack Attack contains just about everything I know about the game of blackjack. As one reviewer observed (speaking of the second edition), I suggest that you ?don?t leave home without it.? Enjoy!

Don Schlesinger

New York, November 2003