STREETWISE BLACKJACK

State of the Art: Part III

Continuing the New Year's peek into where the blackjack world stands as we begin a new era, literally and figuratively, I want to examine some of books aimed at the general public, published over the last few months. Last week's article concentrated on books meant for a more experienced, sophisticated audience. This time Śround, I want to address some of the more recent publications for the novice or player who is still learning some of the more basic concepts.

I'm well aware most casino blackjack players are recreational dabblers (Jean Grosjean's "civilians"). They have no intentions of committing the great amount of time, effort, and money to learning the mathematics and strategies required to become top-notch card counters. They enjoy playing the game, like the social interaction, and hope to win, but don't want to progress beyond this stage. They never invest the time and energy required, neither do most risk enough money to severely damage their finances. Never really winning nor losing a lot of money, they are in it for a good time -- not surprisingly, the results match the level of commitment.

These folks might read an article now and then but for the most part, they remain content to graze in the casino trough, never really nourished. Fortunately, this group is not the largest in terms of casino table player representation. That distinction belongs to those players who possess the desire to elevate their game beyond sheer recreation and guesswork. They subscribe to monthly publications, visit Internet chat rooms and web sites devoted to furthering their understanding of strategies and concepts. They also purchase the greatest number of books aimed at helping play better blackjack.

It is this audience for whom most gambling books are written and marketed -- not as simple a task as it might appear on first blush. That age-old problem of trying­to-teach-players-to-win-while-avoiding-messy-math keeps rearing its pointed little head. How do you convince players some amount of aptitude, awareness and memorization is required without scaring them back into the purely recreational group?

The first book to address some of these issues is an often lighthearted look at blackjack titled "Hit and Run (How to Beat Blackjack as a Way of Life)". Authored by Arnold Levy, the book uses anecdotes to teach, a time-honored tactic handed down from Aesop and Chaucer. In his Introduction, subtitled, "I'm not a Gambler", Levy writes, "What I am going to tell you in this book will save you a lot of dollars. I'll confess the costly mistakes I've made so that you can avoid them. The information I offer cost me many thousands of dollars in pitfalls and pratfalls along the way. I finally wised up, but it was an expensive journey. I learned it the hard way, but I can help you to learn it the easy way."

In chapters ranging from "Hit and Run," "Blackjack, "Vegas Vamps," "Money," "Cheating," "Lotto," "Luck," Gambler's Potpourri," "Slots and Table Games" and "Gambling Around the Country," Levy paints striking and often humorous or meaningful vignettes as examples of our human frailty and common excesses -- Insightful and fun reading comes to mind.

John May, author of "Baccarat for the Clueless" has a new title on the market called "Get the Edge at Blackjack", subtitled "Revolutionary Advantage -- Play Methods That Work." In a direct and concise style, May has written an up-to-date book which addresses playing blackjack in modern casinos with automatic shuffling shoes, preferential shuffles, preponderance of multiple decks, betting progressions, card readers, and stiff casino pressure from floor to surveillance. From "card steering" to "sequencing," "shadow play," dealer errors, and other nuances of the blackjack universe, May provides an informed up-to-date roadmap through the panic curves and steep canyon drives a casino excursion can become for the uninitiated or inexperienced. This book is well worth the price of admission ($13.95) as an introduction to some of the more advanced concepts to the uninitiated

Like Don Schlesinger's revised "Blackjack Attack," Richard Harvey has issued a second "Millennium Edition" of last year's Blackjack -‹ "The Smart Way." Unfortunately, that and the subject matter comprise most of the common ground shared by the two books. While Schlesinger's book has secured a place for itself as a contemporary casino masterpiece, Harvey's book is filled with experience masking itself as certified knowledge worth studying. His central point revolves around a concept he calls "The X Factor." This is defined as "how well you are doing against a dealer." Harvey prioritizes this amorphous feel-good concept as central to winning. There is an inherent "chicken and egg" problem to this approach. You are "doing well" if you are winning, but if you are not, it might be time to move on. Why did you do well or not? Were you playing well or poorly?

We all feel good when we win and bad when we lose. It has nothing to do with the dealer, who is not responsible for the cards you receive. The other players have more to do with those decisions. In years prior, dealers in casinos cheated and players cheated. These days, legal casinos in Nevada and elsewhere rarely cheat. They don't have to. Besides the risks are too great -‹ fines and the potential loss of license are far too risky.

The "X Factor" is also defined as "the personality of the cards," Harvey noting "No one else seems to talk about this!" No wonder! I find much of the writing in Harvey's book to be a collection of anecdotal hearsay presented in folksy assured manner. In attempting to quantify factors in winning and losing, Harvey creates a series of questions to answer numerous questions comprising "How am I doing at this table?" or the components of his "X Factor."

Cute phrases like "Silent 7s" and "Tricky 2's" and "X Factor" notwithstanding, Harvey's book begs the question, "Why not learn to play solid, hard-nosed blackjack and let matters take care of themselves?"

We'll wrap up this look at the literary blackjack world next week.