Lance Humble and Clark Cooper, The World's Greatest Blackjack Book (revised edition) (Broadway Books, 1980)

The problem with the classic in the genre, Edward Thorp's Beat the Dealer, is that it's simply too complex for English majors like me to figure out. If you don't have a head for numbers, trying to put Thorp's work into practice is liable to send you to the nuthatch for long stretches of time. Humble and Cooper, after a good deal of expository prose (most of which is long, long out of date-- much of it, they surmise at various times, was probably out of date by the time the book rolled off the press), introduce first a basic non-counting system, then build on that to introduce the Hi-Opt (High Optimization) counting system. As it's a gradual process, it's already easier for boneheads like me to make sense out of. It does get complicated towards the end, of course, but as you're learning it in steps, things certainly seem a good deal easier. Besides, the big fad these days is Texas Hold 'Em, so you might actually be able to find a seat at the blackjack tables for once (or, better yet, at a no-dealer game administered by machine, where you can range your bets without a pit boss getting after you). The expository prose may be outdated, but the system is a "now more than ever" kind of thing. *** ½

This is the type of book that, if I were to look at it now after having learned a lot about blackjack, I would probably consider one of the "dumb" or "mainstream" books that try to convince you there's a system you can use to beat roulette. I think the title might help lend it this idea as well.

But in reality this is the book that started it all for me. I don't know why I chose it first, but I learned *everything* about blackjack from this book, except for advanced card-counting techniques (which are here as well, but I chose to learn a simpler system, the KO Count). This book does an excellent job of describing the game for those who are new to it, and it presents Basic Strategy very clearly and concisely. I still refer to it to refresh my memory every time I go to a casino. In a lot of ways it really is one of the greatest books, at least in my experience.

This was the first book I read on blackjack and overall it provided a thorough description of how to play the game, outlined basic strategy using tables and desciptions, and a coherent explanation of Hi-opt1 counting strategy. What it didn't do is provide sound reasoning for using the hi-opt1 counting system over the more common, and in my opinion simpler, braun method. The book also fell short in how it explains betting correlation. It gave a textual description of how to do it with a few short paragraphs but then spent most of a chapter discussing how to mask your bets. The emphasis on betting correlation seemed to get lost among a lot of "covert ops" to disguise your card counting. Many of these secret methods are useless until you actually learn how to correlate your bets anyway.

One of the first book i enjoy reading on blackjack, even old this book is great..

I'm planning my first trip to Vegas and wanted to brush up on my Blackjack skills. I heard about this book from several websites and decided to buy it.

Overall, the book is a very good buy. The author thoroughly explains the ins and outs of gambling and does a great job teaching Basic Strategy, the Hi-Opt I counting method, and adjustments to Basic Strategy to accommodate the Hi-Opt I. The book details many gambling tricks and actions you can use to increase your advantage, explains casino cheating, and details betting procedures, etc. The author also discusses the variations and strategies for non-casino blackjack. The book is also fun to read because of the many stories the author tells from personal experience.

The major downside of the book was that it was printed in the 80's. The comparison of blackjack conditions in various casinos was based off the casinos that existed in the 70's and 80's. Obviously, that has changed drastically. Most of the mathematics and strategies are described for single, double and four deck games, which still exist, but more common these days are six or eight deck games. The only other downside is that the author is paranoid and obsessed with the topic of casino cheating.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is intersted in Blackjack, regardless of their skill level. There is information for anyone in this book!