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Summary: ***** The Foundation of Card Counting *****
Review:
"Beat The Dealer" by Edward O. Thorp is still difficult to beat. Even though it is now quite ancient by current standards, it is still right on target. Everyone who is serious about blackjack has read this book , has a copy of it tucked away somewhere and re-reads it from time to time. This book, with help from Dr. Thorp's: "The Mathematics of Gambling", is responsible for most of the Las Vegas casinos asking me to take my blackjack business elsewhere.
This book, as a follow up and summary of Dr. Thorp's technical papers, is truly the foundation stone for card counting. Although improvements have been made in card counting systems (see: Wong's "Professional Blackjack" or Ford's "How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken") none has improved on the basic principles this book sets forth..
There is no better place to start an education in blackjack than by reading this book. Just remember, the pit bosses can read, too.
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Summary: Where Card Counting Started
Review: "Beat the Dealer" is where card counting started. It was the culmination of Dr. Thorp's mathematical studies on blackjack. With this book, he distilled one of first practical methods of determining when the remaining deck was favorable enough for the player to gain an advantage. Although ancient by most measures, it is a landmark book.
Like "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong and "The Theory of Blackjack" by Peter Griffin, it is a well-written, serious book that requires more than a little effort on the part of the reader. For those who are not serious "number people", these books can be more than they ever really wanted to know about blackjack. They are, however, well worth the effort.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of Blackjack books which promise the moon. They should be avoided. Blackjack is not something you can get-rich-quick at. The really first-rate blackjack books, like "Beat the Dealer", don't promise more than they can deliver. They tend to stick to the facts.
In this regard, another really first-rate book is "How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken" by James Harrison Ford. It covers all the casino games and its overview of blackjack, although not as detailed as the heavier tomes, provides some important perspective that can keep you from getting lost in the woods.
In addition to "Beat the Dealer", every gambling library should contain these books. Even at the minimum of $5 a hand in most casinos, a few hours of play can add up to some serious money. The time and expense involved in buying and reading a few good books is quite small compared to the time and expense put at risk when you play blackjack for money.
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Summary: Didn't cover much the type of blackjack that I play
Review: Dwelled mainly on one to four deck games. I only play at the indian casino's hear; so I don't know if they still play one deck games where they deal down to the last card or not; but they don't around hear.
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Summary: Best Book on Blackjack Ever Written
Review: Everyone who ever THINKS about playing blackjack to win should read this book. Thorp is the one who started it all - the Einstein of gambling theory. Anyone who doubts this should read any of his other books or articles, or simply count the number of references to Thorp in Epstein's Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic.The clarity, depth, and scope of this work surpasses any other on the subject - and it started a revolution! The theory, complete with computer printouts from 1961(!), and the methodology are there, yet this is no dry textbook. Thorp includes fascinating historical and motivational material, as well as a spellbinding account of his first successful tests in Las Vegas. How anyone could aspire to become a winner at blackjack and not read this book is a mystery to me! And some of the reviewers are simply mistaken. Thorp's systems ARE still relevant, and they absolutely still work. Naturally, they have been improved upon over the course of 34 years, and aspiring card counters will have more than one text, one would HOPE. But Thorp is still: Relevant, Mesmerising, Indispensable.
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Summary: Priceless
Review: I think some of the reviewers below are missing something: this is still an essential purchase. Much of the detail can't be found elsewhere. There are ideas here which can still be used to devastating effect on occassion. Most modern texts dwell on the dry detail of card-counting: Thorp has that kind of visionary mind which is always searching for the big score. In addition it reads like a thriller (and you would'nt believe some of the stuff Thorp could'nt put in!). The card-counting systems are obsolete now, but I very much doubt anyone would make it as a pro counter without familiarizing themselves with the material here. John May (Author of "Baccarat for the clueless")
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Summary: THE Classic Book On Blackjack
Review: I totally disagree with the other reviewers who say this book is "no longer relevant". It is the definitive guide to Blackjack's "Basic Strategy" plus provides a fascinating historical perspective on how Thorp ran the computer simulations to develop the Basic Strategy and test it in Nevada casinos back in the early '60's. What the other reviewers say is true, that the methods Thorp used (card counting) to make a lot of money back in the '60's no longer work today, but that doesn't diminish the value of the book. The casinos were changing the rules and "shutting down" the big opportunities before Thorp even finished the book. But that isn't the measure of the value of the book (although it is testimony to how powerful Thorps's insights were when first developed). Everyone playing Blackjack (one deck or out of a shoe) should be playing "Basic Strategy" at a minimum. If you want to implement some other strategy on top of that (changing bet size, card counting, etc. etc.) have at it. But the starting point should be Basic Strategy. Furthermore, the average recreational Blackjack player should be playing Basic Strategy, but many (most? -- at the cheaper tables anyway) don't as you can observe by sitting down at any Blackjack table. This book should be read by anyone who wants to play Blackjack.
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Summary: Outdated but Interesting
Review: If you are looking to learn blackjack for the first time or even if you are an intermediate player, I would not recommend this as the book to read. You should read Frank Scoblete's BEST BLACKJACK which teaches a much simpler and easier to learn card counting system. Also, Scoblete's book is a lot more fun. But Thorp is the genius who invented card counting and his book is a must as background.
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Summary: Classic blackjack!
Review: One of the best books written on blackjack!
This is the book that started the whole counting craze!
A must read for all serious players.
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Summary: What's with the cover?
Review: So the book supposedly is the genesis of card counting and I guess that makes it a "must have" for degenerate gamblers. But has anyone else noticed the cover? You have the player on the cover's left side taking a hit after both of the dealer's cards have been turned over. I would like to think we could all develop a pretty coherent strategy for winning against a dealer hand if we could hit after seeing what he has. Sadly, this book is just like the cover: all nonsense.
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Summary: Must have book for beginner blackjack players
Review: The basic strategy can be learned in just a few days of practicing. The high/low method of counting can be learned just as easily. When you combine the two, and vary your bets accordingly, the house no longer has an advantage. I used the basic strategy and the high/low count methods taught in THIS BOOK only, and stuck strictly to the strategy one weekend. I started with $250.00 betting $10 per hand and won over $20,000 in 17 hours. By the end I was playing three hands at a time of $250 minimum on each hand. I was amazed at how well the strategy worked for me. The book is wonderful and entertaining even if you don't plan to play any. The stories are great. Highly recommend it.
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