what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

I recently came back from Vegas and played some blackjack.

What are the best books out there for today's most common Blackjack games in Vegas (i.e. 6 deck randomized) or 6 deck shoe?

thanks,...

Re: what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

Blackbelt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder. see www.blackjackforumonline.com

Re: what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

depending on your skill level, you may only need to learn simple non-counting basic strategy (which surprisingly 99% of casino patrons have never heard of). I would suggest:

Blackjack Bluebook II - Fred Renzey
American Casino Guide - Steve Bourie
Smarter Bet Guide to Blackjack - Basil Nestor

you can even go to a place like www.blackjackinfo.com, get the strategy chart and practice online for free.

if you decide you want to move up to card counting, then Snyder, Wong, Schlesinger, Vancura/Fuchs etc are available.

Re: what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

Snyder's Blackbelt in Blackjack is the most complete single volume on card counting and shuffle tracking.

Re: what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

If you want to learn how to count but not get too heavy try the following:

Knockout Blackjack - good book with an easy unbalanced count, easy for beginners and good for shoe games.

Blackjack Bluebook II - already mentioned and I agree, another easy unbalanced system caled the KISS count. The good thing about this book is that he has varying levels of counting starting with a very easy count ( I believe it is a 10s count of some sort ) to get your feet wet, also contains interesting info on blackjack as well as some non-counting tips.

Blackbelt in Blackjack - again, already mentioned, contains an easy unbalanced cound called the Red 7, a good read and interesting, but it does contain advanced info that is not needed for a casual player, i.e. shuffle tracking, team play

All 3 counts mentioned are relatively easy to learn and are close enough in effectiveness to be worth it for the causal player.

I mentioned that all three are unbalanced. There are balanced and unbalanced counts. With a balanced count you must be aware of your count, plus estimate how many decks have not been played, then you can figure out the "true count". With an unbalanced count you don't need to estimate the decks left and just use the count as is, called the "running count". Some people find estimating the # of decks left to be difficult. So unbalanced is easy for a beginner, but again these counts are very effective. This is a basic explanation.

I would advise looking at these 3 books and seeing which style of writing appeals to you.

Also look at Snyder's Big Book of Blackjack, which is an interesting read. You can also look at Blackjack Blueprint.

Don't buy anything by John Patrick or Richard Harvey. Also the Golden Touch book is a simple methoud that is not as effectice as the methods mentioned in the posts here. Get one of the books advised instead.

Counting is not rainman stuff, it's easy with a little bit of practice.

Good luck if you try it!

Re: what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Snyder's Blackbelt in Blackjack is the most complete single volume on card counting and shuffle tracking.

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't played blackjack for a long time, but I would think shuffle-tracking was made obsolete when automatic shuffling machines were introduced. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Re: what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

most places do not have shuffle machines. I guess the typical gamb00ler thinks they are rigged.

-Shaggy

Re: what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

thanks a lot guys! this is great advice..I am going to buy some of Snyder's books.
Most of the high stake blackjack tables in Vegas do use auto shufflers (i.e. Mandalay Bay) but there were still some that didn't.

I get the feeling that it is only a matter of time before it becomes standard everywhere.

Re: what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I get the feeling that it is only a matter of time before it becomes standard everywhere.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is in the best interest of the casino to use auto shufflers. This keeps the games going. Normally it takes about 2-3 minutes to shuffle 6 decks. That amounts to about 3 rounds of play at a nearly full table. Shuffle machines also reduce the variance for the casino. By offering such low penetration into the shoe (a machine might deal 1/2 deck out of 5 before the cards are re-inserted into the machine) the count (ratio of tens to non-tens) remains relatively neutral.

The only reason casinos don't use them exclusively today is that some players refuse to play against them and the machines are expensive. I agree however that eventually they will be everywhere.

-Shaggy

Re: what\'s the best book for Blackjack?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I get the feeling that it is only a matter of time before it becomes standard everywhere.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is in the best interest of the casino to use auto shufflers. This keeps the games going. Normally it takes about 2-3 minutes to shuffle 6 decks. That amounts to about 3 rounds of play at a nearly full table. Shuffle machines also reduce the variance for the casino. By offering such low penetration into the shoe (a machine might deal 1/2 deck out of 5 before the cards are re-inserted into the machine) the count (ratio of tens to non-tens) remains relatively neutral.

The only reason casinos don't use them exclusively today is that some players refuse to play against them and the machines are expensive. I agree however that eventually they will be everywhere.

-Shaggy

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you mean continuous shufflers and not auto shufflers.