Rating: 
Summary: Re: A reader from La Canada, CA United States
Review: The cover of the book brilliantly displays a variation of the game called double exposure, among other names. Both of the dealer's cards are exposed for the players to see. This may seem like a great advantage to the player until you consider that pushes loss. This, along with whatever other restrictions may be placed on the players by the house for knowing what the dealer has, such as doubling only on 10 and 11. Also, when the player has a 19 looking at a dealer's 20 the player will have no choice but to hit a hard 19. Beat the Dealer explains the importance of rule variations. Take it from a dealer, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Gotta have this book in your gambling library
Review: The fact that this book, which was originally published in the 1960s, is still ranked so high in the bestseller lists says something about its historical value in the gambling world.If you've ever had any interest in card counting (which accounts for many people since the successful ride of "Bringing Down the House"), this book is definitely worth picking up -- especially at its small price. Much of the information is outdated, but to actually relive the earliest stages of basic strategy and card counting is pretty freakin' cool. For the blackjack enthusiast, this book won't disappoint.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This book explains the history of how card counting started and details the strategy that he used. I think the book is interesting cause it is not just a manual on how to count cards it also tells a story on how Mr. Thorp tested his theory in vegas.
If you like this book I would also recommend getting "Bringing the house down" which is a book about some people that utilized Mr. Thorps techniques to win a lot of money if vegas.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: This book is of historical importance because it is the first book written, as it is the oldest, with a viable counting system. A must have for your blackjack library. I also recommend, for modern games, Gregorian Strategy for multiple deck blackjack.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: This book started it all. Before this book, only a very few people knew about card counting, and most only had primitive systems. Thorp analyzed the game, ran computer simulations, and devised two effective strategies for beating the casinos at their own games. Can you run out and use these systems today against the casinos? Sure, but over 30 years have gone by and there are now simpler more effective systems. But if you are naturally gifted at doing complex calculations in your head quickly, I think the 10 count system would still be wickedly effective. Buy it for the theory and the stories. Then go out and buy a newer book with simpler more modern counting systems.
Rating:
Summary: The book that started it all!
Review: This book started it all. Before this book, only a very few people knew about card counting, and most only had primitive systems. Thorp analyzed the game, ran computer simulations, and devised two effective strategies for beating the casinos at their own games. Can you run out and use these systems today against the casinos? Sure, but over 30 years have gone by and there are now simpler more effective systems. But if you are naturally gifted at doing complex calculations in your head quickly, I think the 10 count system would still be wickedly effective. Buy it for the theory and the stories. Then go out and buy a newer book with simpler more modern counting systems.
Rating:
Summary: Only useful for history of the game
Review: This book was originally published in the mid-1960's. At the time, it was revolutionary. Today, it is nearly useless in practical terms. If you already know the basics of card-counting and want to learn some of the history, this is the book that started it all. If you want to read some "war stories" about casino cheating or winning thousands in a matter of hours, this is a good choice. If you want to learn how to count cards, look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent for historical perspective but of little use today
Review: This is the book that started it all, at least for the "rest of us" who weren't mathematicians. It is a wonderful read, and excellent for historical information on what the game used to be like in Nevada. It is, however, useless to try to learn current playing skills from this book. It is simply too far out of date -- like trying to learn software engineering techniques from a book published around the same time, in the early 1960's. The state of the art has changed dramatically. Buy it only if you have already learned about the game and want to gain some perspective on the origins of card counting. For that, it's a "10".
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for historical perspective but of little use today
Review: This is the book that started it all, at least for the "rest of us" who weren't mathematicians. It is a wonderful read, and excellent for historical information on what the game used to be like in Nevada. It is, however, useless to try to learn current playing skills from this book. It is simply too far out of date -- like trying to learn software engineering techniques from a book published around the same time, in the early 1960's. The state of the art has changed dramatically. Buy it only if you have already learned about the game and want to gain some perspective on the origins of card counting. For that, it's a "10".
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