Suggested Reading for a Beginner

[21LDN]

Hello all,

I have recently developed an interest in the game of Blackjack and began to read around the subject. I've done the very basics such as learnt BS and can fairly comfortably count through a deck of cards using HiLo at a decent speed.

Could anyone recommend any good reading for someone in my position? What sort of material helped you when you first started?

Thanks for your suggestions in advance.

P.S. great forum. Only discovered it about an hour ago but seem to have learned a lot already.

[Gramazeka]

http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=9666

[DBJT]

Highly recommend NT21's book "The Blackjack Life" as a good overview of the learning process, getting to a point of being able to beat the game, and then what you can expect once you've arrived there...

All the "classics" are must-reads too of course but TBJL is recent, so relevant to current conditions, and IMHO the best "view from 30,000 feet" of what playing this game well is all about, and whether a beginner will even want to start the journey.

Lately it's what we recommend to all our site's new members as a starting point, together with the blackjack documentary video "The Hot Shoe".

-DBJT

[Intermediate]

In addition to DBJT's recommendation, I suggest the following (if you haven't read them already):

Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong
Black Belt in Blackjack, by Arnold Snyder
Modern Blackjack, by Norm Wattenburger ( elec. version is free at qfit.com)

Once you start getting more comfortable, find a copy of Blackjack Attack, by Don Schlesinger. You'll read and reread this one for years.

[George C]

In addition to DBJT's recommendation, I suggest the following (if you haven't read them already):

Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong
Black Belt in Blackjack, by Arnold Snyder
Modern Blackjack, by Norm Wattenburger ( elec. version is free at qfit.com)



Once you start getting more comfortable, find a copy of Blackjack Attack, by Don Schlessinger. You'll read and reread this one for years.

Yes to all of these

[KJ]

In addition to DBJT's recommendation, I suggest the following (if you haven't read them already):

Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong
Black Belt in Blackjack, by Arnold Snyder
Modern Blackjack, by Norm Wattenburger ( elec. version is free at qfit.com)

Once you start getting more comfortable, find a copy of Blackjack Attack, by Don Schlessinger. You'll read and reread this one for years.

Books like 'Black belt' and 'Professional BJ' and a number of others from the 80's and early 90's are beginning to become a little outdated, just because the game has changed so much in the last few years and you really need to think about designing your attack specifically for today's games and conditions.

For the longest time Mr Schlesinger's 'Blackjact Attack 3', was at the very top of my list. It no longer is, having fallen behind two recent books, Norm's 'Modern Blackjack', and 'Advanced Tactics in Casino Advantage Play' by Abram Alexander. These two books really begin to look at changing conditions and begin the discussion on designing your attack for these specific conditions.

But Don's BJA3 hasn't fallen far, as some other from that era have, IMO. BJA3 is really a special book, and can't really be categorized like the others. It is just mountains of useful and still relevant information.

Edit: just for the record as to why 'Blackjack Life' is not in my top 3,.... I love the book. Really do. I highly recommend reading it. I myself, purchased it just days before a long flight, to read on the plane. Never made it that far. I was done before I even got to the airport. Just couldn't put it down. It is truly a great read and you can learn from NT and DA's experiences, but I don't see it as a top technical book for learning the game. No offense, NT.

[ZenMaster_Flash]

The book to read is the 6th ed. (1999) of Peter Griffin's The Theory of Blackjack

Here is a copy for the price of a hot dog . . .

http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ1117262

[ZenMaster_Flash]

May as well buy both volumes of Norm's book if you like graphs and Level One counts..

[KJ]

The book to read is the 6th ed. (1999) of Peter Griffin's The Theory of Blackjack

Here is a copy for the price of a hot dog . . .

http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ1117262

Do you really think this is an appropriate book for a beginner just getting into the game, Flash?? IMO, this isn't a beginner type book. This is the book for the math heavy guys that really want to dive deep into the mathematics of the game, not a book for a beginner.

A much more appropriate book is Modern Blackjack, simply because Norm makes everything so easy to understand, with his charts and graphs as well as just his easy to understand way of explaining things.

[Halbruno]

Check out this old thread on the same subject:

http://www.blackjacktheforum.com/sho...ighlight=books

[21LDN]

Many thanks for your suggestions. I am admittedly at a fairly early stage in the learning process, so it seems that Modern Blackjack and The Blackjack Life may be a good place to start some in-depth reading.

[ZenMaster_Flash]

KJ,

Yes, it is the very BEST book for a beginner.

The mathematical formulae can be skipped over.

The book itself is written in VERY plain English.

At least there are no false promises about how easy it is to win.

[shadroch]

Do you really think this is an appropriate book for a beginner just getting into the game, Flash?? IMO, this isn't a beginner type book. This is the book for the math heavy guys that really want to dive deep into the mathematics of the game, not a book for a beginner.

A much more appropriate book is Modern Blackjack, simply because Norm makes everything so easy to understand, with his charts and graphs as well as just his easy to understand way of explaining things.

There is a reason this book(The Griffith book) is the price of a hot dog. Its because it is useless to the vast majority of casual players.