This book is simpler but works as well as other books for two reasons. You don't have to do multiple calculations to get a true count and it offers great advice for disguising your card counting techniques. I won $2,000 the first time out of the gate using this method.

"Knock-Out Blackjack", like most blackjack books makes a big deal out of card counting. The authors like to pretend that it takes learning some sort of magic method, like the one they are promoting, in order to become a proficient card counter. That simply isn't true.

The effectiveness of card counting in blackjack rests on the fact that it is more favorable for the player to make bigger bets when the remaining undealt cards contain a higher than average proportion of large cards, principally 10's and Aces. When the undealt cards contain a smaller than average proportion of big cards (more small cards), the game is more favorable for the house, so the players should make smaller bets then, or stop playing. Any number of methods for keeping track of the ratio of high cards to low cards will serve as an effective method of card counting.

Check it out with one of the really good, old blackjack books like:
"Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong,
"Theory of Blackjack" by Peter Griffin, or
"Beat the Dealer" by Edward Thorp.
The information in these books is absolutely correct, but they come from the stone age of card counting. Although their information is rock solid, they spend so much time marveling over the minute details that they also leave the impression that card counting is a bigger deal than it really is.

Currently, the best book on blackjack, one that blows away all the fog, isn't even dedicated to just blackjack.
"How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken"
does a great job of explaining how to play profitable blackjack. First and foremost, it tells you not to play the lousy varieties, like 8 deck blackjack or 6-5 blackjack or Spanish Blackjack. In about 30 pages, it tells you everything you really need to know about blackjack, without all the bs.

This is a very easy system to learn, still it's among the most powerful and profitable systems ever created. Even if you want to go professional it should be one of your first choices. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to beat the dealer, aren't a math genius and wants to have some fun.

"Knock Out Blackjack" is a reasonably good Blackjack Book, but it over-sells itself. Most card counting systems will work - with about the same results - which are not as spectacular as "Knock Out Blackjack" would have you believe.

For a more honest apraisal of what to expect with card counting systems and a good explanation of the standard Hi-Lo method, you should get "How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken" by Ford. Its card counting section is accurate, effective and relatively easy.

If you really want to get serious about card counting, you should get "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong. It will require more time and effort than most people are willing to spend, but it is as good as card counting books get.

Another good choice, if you are really serious, would be "The Theory of Blackjack" by Peter Griffin, but you should brush up on your math first.

Card counting does work, perhaps not as dramatically as "Knock Out Blackjack" implies, but it also takes patience and practice as well as a good sized bankroll. The implication that any system will make the casinos easy to beat is not quite honest.

This book helped me incredibly understand the odds and help beat the casino at their games. I recommend it.