This is not a book. This is a very short pamphlet for a lot of money (compare to almost any other of the books on blackjack). It is only 45 pages long, and those pages are only 3 inches by 5 inches ! All the information in the so-called book can be found elsewhere, cheaper, more organized, more detailed, and large enough to hold without tweezers. Don't waste your money...

I took the book to the table and it was handy to have it with me. The laminated card showed me exactly how to play the cards based on what the dealer had showing. I never walked away from the table with any moeny but this time I did. The book was well worth the information for me. It was simple and to the point. I made money. I am happy.

The book saved me. I took it to the table and it was handy to have. The Laminated insert showed me exactly how to play the cards based on what the dealer had showing. I had been to the table before and never walked away with any money. This time I did because I followed the simple strategies in the book. The money I spent on the book was the best investment I have made in a long time.

This book is cheaply constructed and falls apart right away. It is under 30 pages. If you want to play blackjack without counting cards, but any of the popular blackjack books, whether they involve card counting or not. I bought a bunch of them and all of them have a section at the begin on the basic strategy, which is what you are probably looking for anyways. They are better written and cost just a few dollars more. This book is worth ... tops. Buy something else, I regret buying this book.

If you're afraid of learning how to count cards, get this little book. You can read it in less than an hour, on the plane or in your hotel room, and you'll learn how to win at blackjack without learning how to count cards. It also explained to me doubling, splitting, insurance and a lot more! A very easy to read basic book!

I was always afraid of blackjack, I didnt want to learn how to count cards, and this book taught me how to play without counting!

Blackjack is a game that is easy to understand and nearly impossible to master. It is also a game that is largely influenced by how people play. The odds will vary depending on compliance with basic strategy. For a new player, the basic strategy chart will be useful, as may the description of gameplay. But the suggested betting strategies and card counting techniques are nothing but snake-oil! I'd recommend Andy Glazier's works over this book to experienced as well as inexperiened players.

Thomason's book is very good. Novice blackjack players will find it informative and very helpful. I did.

This is a good book for newcomers to the world of Blackjack but should NOT be considered a thorough review of the game. Mr. Early presents only one method of counting cards which may or may not be the most effective for the myriad of Blackjack rules and games available. I was expecting more. A much more useful tome is BEST BLACKJACK by Frank Scoblete. It thoroughly explains not only the gory details (if you want them) of Blackjack geeks but also the easiest methods to maximize your odds of winning if you are, like me, a casual player

This is one of the very few books which emphasizes the reasoning behind mathematical results; knowing WHY plays are made is the first step to memorizing those plays. The book is excellent for those who face six-to-eight deck shoes. Only one counting method is presented, but others are referenced in the bibliography. For the low price required, it has paid for itself over and over again in superior play. I highly recommend this for everyone interested in 21.

By chance, this was the first book I ever bought when I decided to learn how to play blackjack. Some 15 books and four years later, it is still the book I recommend friends read first when they come to me for advice on how to improve their game.Sure, Patrick's basic strategy is in error. Still, it's not a bad strategy to start out with. I didn't win in the long run with it, but I had some very good days. As a beginner, I definitely lost less in those sessions and days when I was getting killed and didn't know enough to recognize it. Eventually you'll want to learn and adopt the true basic strategy, available in virtually any other reputable blackjack book.Of course Patrick's counting system (taught in his follow-up book, Advanced Blackjack) is creaky and nebulous compared to most medium-level systems that are just as easy to learn. Read Best Blackjack by Frank Scoblete, start with the Hi-Lo count taught there, then advance into the better systems.I still contend that this book stands alone as the best on the topics of discipline and money management, and I consider myself lucky to have read this one first.Patrick's concepts on win goals, loss limits, pocketing profit and playing the excess are extremely valuable to any and all blackjack players, but especially to those just starting out. Any time I find myself losing and ultimately playing poorly, it is Patrick's money management rules I am breaking. No single blackjack book teaches you everything. Read as many as you can, because most of them will give you a little something. Patrick's books will give you a solid money management approach to use as a starting point. As you get better you'll vary it, but you'll know when and why.Pay attention, too when Patrick writes on the topic of discipline. No one tells it better or more accurately.This year (1998), my fourth year of playing, I will finish the year with a tidy little profit, for a $5-table player. I credit Patrick's writings for some of that.

This book must be taken with a grain of salt. Patrick differs from basic stategy based on short term results. The majority disagree with this practice.

The best thing about this book is its' money management system. Patrick teaches a conservative money management system that helps gain small but consistent profits.

My sugesstion is get a different book if you want to learn basic strategy, but get this book for its' money management system.

This book has taught me how to be a consistent winner at blackjack. with loss limits it has kept me from getting killed at a hot table.Hit your loss limit and move on to another table. This book has made me a big winner. I have made a lot of believers in this way to play in that we go out to vegas and play as a team on a table and we have yet to lose. thank you John Patrick.

The title notwithstanding, this book is not a compendium of the manga, but a promotional and/or keepsake scrapbook with cover art. What text exists is Japanese. While serious otaku particularly interested in Osamu Tezuka's work might consider purchasing this book (some of the supplemental material is quite good), the casual manga reader will find it disappointing.

From the moment Francisco met Star the fire works began. Their story should be on the big screen. The story is movie like in all its glory. The book leaves me waiting for more. To be continued...............

Leon B. Dubey, Jr., No Need to Count: A Practical Approach to Casino Blackjack (Barnes, 1980)
availability: out of print

I'm no good with numbers on the fly, especially when math is involved. This has kept me from ever playing blackjack in the casino. I've done my damnedest to learn some of the "simple" systems that require card-counting, simply because those are the ones that will still work as you increase the number of decks at the table. And I can't make heads or tails of 'em. Sure, they're fine when I have the book open and I'm puzzling it all out... but put me at the table and I'm dogmeat. So if I find a book offering a supposedly easy system that doesn't require counting, I'm in.

Dubey's book (which is out of print, but can be found relatively cheaply at bookfinder.com [and no mention anywhere of the promised horse racing-related book Dubey hints at in here... ah, well]) sticks with the basics: hit here, double here, stand here, bet this much at this time. There are shadings you can add optionally, but the basic system is simple enough to remember. And despite Dubey's background (statistician and programmer for the department of defense), he keeps it all on layman's terms, which in and of itself kicks this book up half a star. I haven't yet tried it out, but card systems aren't like horseracing; they're not breeding new generations of card decks that can run faster and with more versaility than they did twenty years ago. Also, Dubey doesn't whitewash the advantage you're getting over the house with this system: it ranges between one-tenth and one percent. (One-tenth of one percent, flat-betting, is roughly equivalent to five bucks an hour if you're a five-dollar bettor playing a hundred hands an hour. I like the pay better on the horses.) In other words, this isn't going to enable you to quit your job and move to Vegas, but it'll at least allow you to even up the odds while your spouse is blowing rolls of quarters trying to hit the progressive jackpot on the one-armed bandits. ***

Not wanting to count cards in a 6 deck shoe, this book offers an alternative to card counting. Some other reviewers don't think that the progression system makes any sense, but think about it. When the deck is in your favor you will more likely win more hands. The progression system leads you to bet more when you win more.

My experience is that for ~92% of the time, the deck is neutral, and the good basic strategy Dahl teaches keeps me from losing too much money. ~4% of the time I'll lose several hands in a row and I'll sit out the rest of the shoe. ~4% of the time the shoe is decidedly in my favor, and the betting progression system makes a lot of money very quickly. I played about 12 hours of blackjack in Vegas last weekend using the strategies in this book and left with quite a bit of the casino's money.

The book is short, no doubt. But that made it easy for me to learn and use. The World's Greatest Blackjack Book, while a great read, is too much to memorize, and requires more precision focus than I can maintain for four hours of play.

Give this book a chance, and see which strategy (progression or counting) you can honestly use correctly in a casino.

A great book for someone new to the game. Progresion Blackjack is an enjoyable and easy read. Dahl gives you a formula for success at the tables. This book will teach you the following: Blackjack basics, basic play strategy based on the well accepted IBM statistical models, a winning betting system, effective money management, the most favorable rules for the player (double down on ANY two cards, dealer MUST stand on soft 17, etc.), and more. I started out playing blackjack using this system and I am happy to say it has worked for me after playing over 20 sessions from Montreal to Vegas to the Chicagoland riverboats. Using Dahl's system I have been able to play for hours on a relatively small bankroll and usually walk away a winner! This is THE book for the non-cardcounter!

In the 1960's card counting as as formulated by Thorpe, Braun and others, produced an edge for the player. Although difficult to execute, many players learned the system and profitted by high counts. Then the casinos introduced multiple deck shoe play, reshuffles and barred players. This effectivly cut down players profits. This book offers the player an edge through proper play and money management by a positive progression system which keeps losses at a minimum while allowing the player to realize greater profits.
Basing a bet on a count belongs back in the 60's. Buy this excellent book and play winning blackjack.