Blackjack Autumn: A True Tale of Life, Death, and Splitting Tens in Winnemucca

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: This guy is pretty funny. As other's have mentioned, he really overdoes the metaphors, and it gets tiresome. "As (blank) as" is written probably a hundred times in this book. Or, in the writer's parlance, "the author uses this same joke form about as often as guppies ovulate." Or, "the author pulls out this joke form faster than than Pee Wee Herman would go down boxing Mike Tyson." When he's not using those lines though, he can be LOL funny. And of course, for any blackjack player, stories like his are pretty much irresistable. If you have ever fantasized about making money as a card counter, buy it.

Rating:
Summary: a funny, smart book
Review: With casinos sprouting up everywhere, this funny and smart "road-trip" book with blackjack-playing stops at every casino in Nevada is a great read. Even as a non-gambler, I was fascinated by Meadow's take on the subject, as well as the compelling narrative: Will the author, an accomplished blackjack "counter" who plays at a high enough level that he might OCCASIONALLY have a slight advantage over the house (but don't bet on it, he concedes) lose his $8,000 stake after nine weeks of play at a mind-bending succession of casinos, from dusty roadside joints to the glitzy emporiums of Las Vegas? The guy knows his subject, but more importantly, he knows its culture and thinks it's a riot. Time and again, I laughed out loud while reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: a funny, smart book
Review: With casinos sprouting up everywhere, this funny and smart "road-trip" book with blackjack-playing stops at every casino in Nevada is a great read. Even as a non-gambler, I was fascinated by Meadow's take on the subject, as well as the compelling narrative: Will the author, an accomplished blackjack "counter" who plays at a high enough level that he might OCCASIONALLY have a slight advantage over the house (but don't bet on it, he concedes) lose his $8,000 stake after nine weeks of play at a mind-bending succession of casinos, from dusty roadside joints to the glitzy emporiums of Las Vegas? The guy knows his subject, but more importantly, he knows its culture and thinks it's a riot. Time and again, I laughed out loud while reading this book.