Books are a good method for learning various gambling strategies. In regards to blackjack books, many authors were or still are players themselves. They share their strategies, but the also share experiences from their past. Things like playing blackjack for a living, learning strategies quickly and how to deal with suspicious casinos.
Being as we’re a blackjack site, we thought it’d be helpful to recommend some books to you. However, on Amazon alone there are over 1,300 listings of blackjack books. So what we’ve done is research the best blackjack books for 3 categories, card counting, beginners and biographies, and listed a few books for each one. This is by far a complete list, but it should give you a good place to start.
Lesson 24 – Understanding the Surrender Option I can well remember the good ol’ days in Atlantic City when casino gaming first began there. The one casino that was open at the time (Resorts International) had to offer a Blackjack game where the rules were established by the Casino Control Commission and that included a weird rule called. Hello Reddit, Blackjack is my hobby, and I've been successful at it for over 30 years now. I was mesmerized the first time I saw a blackjack table. It became an obsession. And I found a way to win consistently. I've seen it all at the casino. I've spent time in all the high roller rooms. I've enjoyed all the perks of the casino. Jan 04, 2013 You got a blackjack.” This is my absolute, all-time favorite thing to say at the blackjack table. Anyone who counts cards knows that it is advisable to leave the game when the true card-count is relatively low. If I sit out of the hand, and the dealer subsequently gets a blackjack on the next hand, I say, “Good thing I got out that hand.
Blackjack for Blood by Bryce Carlson – An all-in-one reference. This book focuses primarily on the Omega II card counting system. It also covers blackjack basics, true counts, preventing being barred from casinos, how long to play, bankroll management and more. Blackjack for Blood has received positive reviews from recreational and serious players alike.
Knock-Out Blackjack by Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs – This books covers basic strategy and an intro to card counting, and the rest of the book focuses on the knock-out card counting system. There isn’t a whole lot for experienced players, but maybe a few interesting stories. This book is best for blackjack players new to card counting, and that want to learn an easy system that is free of basic math like fractions and division.
The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book by Lance Humble – Claimed to be a book for all blackjack players by Nick Christenson, The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book covers blackjack basics, the casino environment, basic strategy and the Hi-Opt I counting system. A good value for $12.
Top 2 Blackjack Books for Beginners
Blackjack: Take the Money and Run by Henry J Tamburin – This covers blackjack basics, including how to play, why blackjack can be beaten, basic strategies and risks. Also covered are some intermediate to advanced card counting tips.
Basic Blackjack by Stanford Wong – Another book for beginners (for anyone who likes to play blackjack really). It has received low reviews on Amazon from (assuming) amateur players, but it has received high praise from more serious blackjack players in the community. This books covers basic strategy and rule variations, as well as how your strategy should change for these variations.
Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich – A books that exaggerates the tales of the famous MIT blackjack team, a team that won millions from casinos all around the world using card counting, systems and team strategies. Characters in the book portray Jaff Ma, Mike Aponte and Bill Kaplan. The book was later used for the movie 21.
Hollywood Blackjack by Dave Stann – A mixture of personal stories and blackjack strategies. 'Hollywood' Dave Stann shares stories on his appearance on Friend or Foe, Celebrity Blackjack and gives his advice on card counting.
Cheating at Blackjack & Other Casino Games by Dustin Marks – The author, Dustin Marks, managed to cheat the casino for millions without getting caught. And now he’s here to tell the tale. Learn how Dustin and other casino cheaters took the casinos for millions.
Benefits to Reading Blackjack Books
There are a number of benefits to reading blackjack books:
Learn theory from the pros. Most, if not all the books we’ve recommended are by serious blackjack players. They live, breath and play blackjack. They’ve spent hours studying various blackjack strategies and then have relayed that information to you. This cuts your learning curve dramatically. You also can read about first hand experiences with strategies, casinos, being a pro and dealing with being banned. This type of information is priceless, especially if you aspire to become a pro blackjack player.
Books are cheaper than training. You’ll spend $100-$500 on other kinds of blackjack training. While these videos, ebooks and 1-on-1 training are undoubtedly more valuable and easier for learning blackjack, you can still go a long ways on a $15-$30 book.
Books are available on multiple platforms. You don’t have to (only) order a physical book anymore. It’s now possible to read blackjack books on your computer, tablet, phone or ereader. Many of these options are cheaper than buying a (physical) book, too.
There are downsides to blackjack books, too, such as:
Not all books are up to date. A book that was written in 1990 or 2000 isn’t going to be as relevant as a book written today. That could mean that a particular strategy doesn’t work anymore, or at least not in today’s casinos.
Reading is only half the battle. You can’t just read a blackjack book and expect to become a blackjack master overnight. You’ll still need to put in the hours of work necessary to learn basic blackjack strategy, let alone an advanced card counting system.
Not all information is accurate. The Wizard of Odds has reviewed several books, and cannot recommend some of them because he claims the basic strategy information is not right. If you’re a beginner you might not know right from wrong, and as a result, could consume incorrect information. That means potentially making mistakes at the blackjack tables.
Not everyone learns by reading books. Blackjack is a math-oriented, technical game. Personally, I don’t learn this type of information well from books, but instead from videos and pictures. Not everyone learns the same way. So a book may or may not be useful to you, depending on how you learn best.
Books are biased. A couple of the books in our list above have exaggerations in them. The author isn’t necessarily lying, but not everything they say may be the truth either, or a common experience that everyone reading the book will have.
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Read The Dealer
Blackjack 'tells' are subconscious gestures or expressions that people might make without knowing it. In this section you will find information to help you learn to try to pick up on dealer tells, which are gestures and expressions a blackjack dealer might make without knowing about it. If you can learn to spot black jack dealer tells, you can increase your edge in blackjack.
Do Dealer Tells Really Work?
Yes. When discussing dealer tells, some players will often discredit tells because they have never used them or they have never before noticed them. However, dealer tells can in fact greatly help benefit your game if you learn to use them correctly.
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to dealer tells is that not all dealers will show expressive tells. You might play several different tables before finding a blackjack table with a dealer that has noticeable tells. The next section will show specific blackjack dealer tells and explain their importance and how they can benefit you.
Dealer Reveals Hole Card
One of the most common types of dealer tells is the that the dealer accidentally reveals his hole (under) card. This is a common tell and has a few different variations which are explained below. To master this tell you must carefully watch how long the dealer glances at the hole card and at what type of angle he bends the card at to be able to clearly see his under card before continuing game play. The two common forms of this blackjack tell are listed below.
Dealer Has a Stiff Card
If the dealer has a small stiff card such as a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, in the hole, he might be required to lift the card slightly more than usual to make sure the card isn't an Ace. The most difficult of these cards for the dealer to see is the 4. Even experienced dealers will be forced to lift the card once or twice when holding a 4.
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Dealer Has a Paint Card
We derive the next most common dealer tell from the previous tell. Dealers can generally spot face cards quickly. If you ever see a dealer take an extremely brief glance at the under card that seems quicker than the standard peek, there is a good chance he's holding a paint card or a card larger than a 6.
Steve Forte
If you're looking for additional information on blackjack dealer tells, you should find a copy of Read the Dealer, by Steve Forte. This book is the first intensive study on how to beat blackjack through applied psychology. In this book, the author describes how to find tells, create tells, and even force tells. The book teaches how to gauge the strength of a dealer's hand by carefully observing subtle physical mannerisms.
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