STREETWISE BLACKJACK

State of the Art: Part IV

This is the final part of an examination of the current crop of blackjack books which have appeared on the shelves of Gambler's Book Shop in the last six months. I've tried to separate them into experiential levels (i.e., no beginner will derive a great deal from a book on blackjack teams that pre-supposes a familiarity with advanced card counting), my premise being a purely recreational player hoping to elevate his/her game needs to familiarize him/herself with certain concepts. Within any category, not all books are equal, not all books are targeted toward the same audience.

Gambling author and casino veteran Jerry Patterson has written a number of books through the years: Blackjack: A Winner's Handbook, Blackjack's Winning Formula, Sports Betting (co-authored with Jack Painter), Break the Dealer (co-authored with Eddie Olsen) and The Casino Gambler's Winning Edge (co-authored with Nancy Patterson). In his latest, Casino Gambling , subtitled, "A Winner's Guide to Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, and Casino Poker," Patterson updates his gambling theories to deal with the changes in playing conditions over the last two decades.

On the book's first page, Patterson informs the reader he will address "three long-standing controversies head-on:

• Does card counting really work in today's blackjack shoe game?
• Can a controlled throw really alter the random outcome of casino craps?
• Do dealer signatures really exist in casino roulette?"

As an expert casino player, Patterson writes from years of his professional experience, walking you through the basics, then dealing with the abstract mental preparation winning casino gambling requires. Realizing most recreational players alight from plane, bus or automobile launching themselves into the casino fray ASAP, more experienced players take their time to play when mentally alert and most professionals have developed their own preparatory methods. Often these methods involve an attempt to prepare the mind and body for the mental dipsy-doodles of gambling. Legendary blackjack player Ian Andersen (Turning the Tables in Las Vegas, Burning the Tables in Las Vegas), advocates a vitamin regimen, rest, and a long shower prior to play. Patterson lists "Sixteen Axioms of Successful Casino Gambling," wise pointers to avoid losing.

The next 67 pages are devoted to blackjack‹the basics through card counting. He also returns to blackjack toward the end of the 244-page book where he also gives a cursory examination of Internet gambling. Unlike several of his other books, Patterson doesn't focus solely on the subject of blackjack, choosing to write a contemporary primer on today's real-life casino. It is informed but really doesn't cover any new ground. Still, you could do a lot worse in trying to move up the ranks from a purely recreational player to one possessing more knowledge using this book to help.

Millionaire Blackjack by Dean A Johnston (not to be confused with the classic Million Dollar Blackjack by Ken Uston) pitches the author's MN-I (Millionaire) card counting method. Both front and back covers relate that Johnston is a professional blackjack player, the back bio stating his "main job for the past ten years has been to play 21 in the casinos of Nevada for serious money."

Once again, there is no real new ground broken here--admittedly, a tough task as there have been more books, periodicals, columns and magazines written about blackjack than any other casino game. Still, Johnston is making an honest effort to create a comprehensive book which recognizes different traditional territorial playing conditions‹Las Vegas Strip, Downtown, Reno, single, multi-deck, etc‹in the hopes of guiding the basic player through an entire process of becoming a better more strategic and skilled player.

As most blackjack books (and casino strategy material, for that matter) are often rehashes of customary rules, then what you are looking for is a different or unique perspective to offer new insights. Johnston attempts to accomplish this postulating his own card counting method applied to specific rule variations utilizing a mixture of common sense and strategy.

While not offering startling breakthroughs, Millionaire Blackjack offers a solid enough foundation for the beginning or intermediate player. Complete with charts and easy-to-follow explanations it follows in the well-trodden path of many before in leading the player to the window.

As a group this latest collection of books reflects the tenor of the times. Where blackjack material used to be written for the general populace, the era of specialization and the Balkanization of the blackjack world now requires different texts for varying levels of experience. This isn't to say books written previously are hopelessly outdated‹far from it. The classics (listed in many previous articles in the archives) will remain so and I heartily endorse them.

I don't know many who can seriously discuss blackjack without a fully realized, working knowledge of these older books. After all, how much credibility would a modern writer posess if he/she hadn't studied Shakespeare, Joyce and Hemingway? You may not enjoy these authors with the same love held for others, but you cannot deny their mastery or influence!

There's a great deal more to the seemingly deceptive game of blackjack than numbers and decisions such as the time-honored debate as to whether one should stay or hit on 16 versus a dealer's ten-up card. I fell in love with the game of blackjack many decades ago. I voraciously devoured everything. I talked to everyone‹players, dealers, mathematicians, philosophers, old-time gamblers, anyone who I thought could help me understand the "outer" and "inner" mysteries of the game.

Understanding my level of interest and devotion isn't necessarily shared by everyone, still, I urge those of you out there to learn more. In the "good old days" the casinos figured to hold about 18 percent of the blackjack players' money. Modern times has seen this drop closer to 12 percent. What accounts for this decline? When pressed, most in casino management acknowledge the difference stems from better educated players. Clearly, books, videos, magazine articles, seminars and software have made a dent.

Realizing I'm the general manager of the world's oldest and largest gambling bookshop, the more cynical among you might think it's vested self-interest in my urging you to read blackjack books. Honestly, that's not the impetus or my motive. We do a good business at Gambler's Book Shop, as we have since 1964. But I continue to see such unbelievably poor play there's still a long way to go. Quite simply, there's no excuse for standing on a 4! I don't want to say I've seen it all as I'm only afraid of what I haven't seen.

I'm not alone in my unabashed love for this literature and urge you authors to keep writing and players to keep reading. It does make a difference!