This is one of the best if not the very best book on blackjack out on the market today. This book does not have colorful stories but has all the information you will need to get an edge at blackjack and win money from the casinos consistently. The rest is up to you(proper bankroll, camoflage, patience, and discipline). This book will give you basic stategy for six decks. It will teach you the hi-lo and also the halves count(a 2 level count). The book will tell you how much per hour you are expected to win due to differing rules when a specified hi lo bet scheme is used. There are also chapters dealing with double exposure and the over under side bet. There are also charts for taking advantage of special rules like 7-7-7 , 6-7-8 , or 5 or 6 card 21's paying a bonus.Wong also discusses risk and includes many charts including expected values for hands and strategy changes for counts using the hi lo and for using the halves count. This book has no fluff it is packed with information. If you want stories buy another book but if you want to win money buy this one. This book has everything I mentioned and more.A five star book definitely worth more than the price.

To win at Blackjack, you need to do four things:

(1) make the appropriate playing decision (e.g. hit / stand);
(2) bet more when odds favor that you will win;
(3) have a sufficient bankroll available; and
(4) play enough rounds

This book covers all four points.

Making the appropriate decision (playing strategy) can be achieved by learning basic strategy. Playing strategy -- and hence your win rate -- can be improved by memorizing index numbers, but basic strategy is actually sufficient for winning at blackjack. Basic strategy, as well as index strategies for two card counting systems, are presented thoroughly.

Making the appropriate betting decision is necessary for winning at blackjack. In the long term, it is statistically impossible to win at blackjack without varying your bet appropriately. Selecting an appropriate bet is covered thoroughly in this book.

Having a sufficient bankroll is essential. While the minimum bankroll size (say $2500 for playing on the Strip) may be more than you like, the details of calculating the bankroll you need is provided.

Playing enough rounds is essential. The details are provided for you to calculate your expected win rates, and their standard deviations, so you know what to expect. You may need to play more than you want (say 100 - 1000) hours to have a reasonable chance of doubling your bankroll, but again, you can calculate it.

This book does have math. No calculus, but basic statistics. Everything is explained -- and you will want it explained.

The material in the book is not heavily dated (cf _Million Dollar Blackjack_ by Ken Uston). Some readers have expressed concern, but as of the date of this review, it's easy to find games in Las Vegas with odds better than the benchmark rules.

I am tempted to add a fifth necessary condition for winning at blackjack -- finding a table with sufficient penetration. This means a table where enough of the deck is used that you will see variations the card counter can take care of. A dealer that shuffles after one or two hands, or the increasingly-present continuous shuffling machines, significantly reduces a counter's advantage by reducing the opportunities to count! I agree with other readers that say penetration deserves better coverage in this book.

Good luck! You can win! But first learn basic strategy, calculate your bet sizes, accumulate your bankroll. Then play as many hands as you can.

Look, the casino is a business, not a charitable institution. Uston and his mouth have ruined it for most people by making the casinos aggressive. If you use Wong's approach, (hi-lo), you will attract a lot less attention, and make as much money as you did before. I know, I do it.

What most people forget, and what Wong does not, is that blackjack is an exercise in pitting mathematics against random chance/odds that alter in your favor as the cards fall, if you are observant. Wong shows why most people lose is that they get piggy. He has a short section on desireable behavior. If you follow this, you don't need to know more.

Uston and genre may be great raconteurs, but if you want to win quietly (win), my money is on Wong. Think about it this way: Whoever "Stanford Wong" is, he uses an alias, which means he wants to keep playing. Uston runs his mouth, sells games, writes books, and brings lawsuits. Every casino knows Uston by face. Well, which one do you want to be? I want to play, so I follow Wong's time-tested methods, as set out in the book.

If you needed to read a book to know that deck penetration is an important factor, for example, you shouldn't be playing the game in the first place. That's why Wong didn't play with such nonsense in his book. Read the whole book, then go think about it and learn how to be unobtrusive. Then go win.

While experts won't get much from this title, I wholly recommend it for any player with a basic understanding of the game, as well as for more experienced poker players who haven't yet tried hold 'em. The author is thorough and easy to understand for the most part, offering plenty of helpful exercises and examples to help build good hold 'em strategy. I wish I could give this four and a half stars, because it is great with one exception- the claim "updated for today's double blind structure" means a few footnotes added to the text that don't offer much insight. A warning to beginners: you won't get rich against strong players simply by reading this book once (after reading it the first time I managed to break even over a weekend in a tough $5-$10 casino game), but you should bust up a relaxed Thursday night game without much trouble. To sum up, pay attention to the lessons in this book, and you'll be several steps ahead of the average poker player. Good luck!

I'm writing this review from a background of undergraduate-level knowledge in mathematical theory, specifically, Game Theory.

I've been playing Hold 'Em for about six months now. When I started playing, I immediately decided I'd like to try casino poker. Considering I don't turn 21 until about a year from now, I thought I'd do the best I can in learning about the game. Besides playing almost every day, I decided to get a couple of Sklansky's books, recommended to me by a professional player. I'm glad I took his advice.

The book presents concepts in a such a clear-cut way. Not to say that the book can be skimmed through and understood easily, for it takes an amount of disciplined study to completely grasp these concepts, but that the book presents these concepts in brutal honesty, revealing both the theories behind the concepts and the results of the practice of these theories.

Sklansky is both a brilliant mathematician and poker player and presents this book from both backgrounds, although he sometimes holds back on expressing himself mathematically.

All in all, I'm amazed by the book. I don't know what more to say.

This is a book for beginners, respectively. It can only be concluded that he or she who posted the "confusing" review is either one who has not grasped a basic grounding in poker theory him- or her- self or is illiterate.

Notwithstanding the fact that this is the first book ever to be written on hold'em, and thus can be expected to be slightly outdated, it is still a book no serious poker player I know is without. I strongly recommend it to be the first text read on the subject for the aspiring hold'em expert.

Just reading it once through will not be enough. You'll find that this book can be studied over and over. Fom Sklansky's famous hand rankings to the concept of the free cards, this text gives the reader something to look forward to. I definitely recommend it.

Despite drastic changes in the way the game is dealt in Las Vegas and other areas, very little seems to have been changed in the new edition of this classic introduction to educated blackjack play. There does seem to be more discussion of bankroll requirements, which is nice, but the major change is the addition of a section on shuffle tracking -- an extremely advanced technique which goes far beyond what a beginner would want to learn.

The new edition still includes information on old strategies which simply don't apply in today's environment, such as "depth-charging".

The book is still a good beginner's tutorial, but Snyder does a disservice to the beginner by keeping such outdated impressions and information in the new edition; and the added information on shuffle tracking will only be useful to the advanced player.

The title of this book is misleading. It's a book aimed at beginneres by the time you've finished you certainly won't be a blackbelt at blackjack. The systems offered are not the most powerful available.

The blurb of the book states that the main advantages of the modern player are shuffle tracking and team play. Unfortunately, automatic shuffling machines make shuffle tracking impossible. Furthermore if you're just beginning blackjack there's a good chance that you'll be going solo and won't have the luxury of a team.

A few things I'd like to see included in this book
(a) Risk of ruin - i.e the chances of losing your bankroll given certain playing conditions
(b) Realistic expectations of where you can expect to be monetarily e.g. in the long term 68% of you will be within one standard deviation of the mean, which given xxxxx playing conditions should place you somewhere between -$yyyy and +$zzzzz
(c) More in depth statistics about the power of his playing systems e.g. playing efficiency, betting correlation
(d) More in depth card counting drills

However all in all it's a great book it covers a lot of the basics including betting strategy, counting systems, rudimentary counting drills

Arnold Snyder, well-known blackjack author and expert, updated his 93 classic. An excellent book for those wanting info on balanced and un-balanced counts. His hi-lo lite is a model of simplicity, showing better results than more complicated strategy tables. A great book for anyone just getting into blackjack and in need of some expert advice.

This book works well as in-flight entertainment on the way to a gambling vacation, although Meadow's writing is about as predictable as a cocktail waitress with a 25-cent tip. I'm not sure what that means, but that's a good illustration of Barry Meadow's prose style.

Over and over and over and over he employs that technique, which for lack of a better name I'll call sarcastic simile. Card counters are about as popular with casino personnel as Jerry Falwell at a gay-pride parade. Over the long haul, counters are as likely to lose as Mister Rogers is to be caught in a Watts cocaine bust. Mesquite, Nevada, is growing faster than Warren Buffett's bank account. There are probably 200 more examples. If you can put up with that, it's a decent book. If not, imagine being stuck in an elevator with an unfunny version of Dennis Miller. (There -- are you happy, Barry? Now you've got me doing it!)

With casinos sprouting up everywhere, this funny and smart "road-trip" book with blackjack-playing stops at every casino in Nevada is a great read. Even as a non-gambler, I was fascinated by Meadow's take on the subject, as well as the compelling narrative: Will the author, an accomplished blackjack "counter" who plays at a high enough level that he might OCCASIONALLY have a slight advantage over the house (but don't bet on it, he concedes) lose his $8,000 stake after nine weeks of play at a mind-bending succession of casinos, from dusty roadside joints to the glitzy emporiums of Las Vegas? The guy knows his subject, but more importantly, he knows its culture and thinks it's a riot. Time and again, I laughed out loud while reading this book.

I have read MANY book on Vegas and blackjack. From the dry, strictly strategy themed blackjack books, to humorous stories of Vegas adventures.

This is by far the best. I could not put it down. I came to Amazon searching for Vegas books, and bought many. This one was recommended by a good friend or I would have never read it.

Take my advice, get this book... I more enjoyable read I can not recall.

If you are looking to learn blackjack for the first time or even if you are an intermediate player, I would not recommend this as the book to read. You should read Frank Scoblete's BEST BLACKJACK which teaches a much simpler and easier to learn card counting system. Also, Scoblete's book is a lot more fun. But Thorp is the genius who invented card counting and his book is a must as background.

Everyone who ever THINKS about playing blackjack to win should read this book. Thorp is the one who started it all - the Einstein of gambling theory. Anyone who doubts this should read any of his other books or articles, or simply count the number of references to Thorp in Epstein's Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic.

The clarity, depth, and scope of this work surpasses any other on the subject - and it started a revolution! The theory, complete with computer printouts from 1961(!), and the methodology are there, yet this is no dry textbook. Thorp includes fascinating historical and motivational material, as well as a spellbinding account of his first successful tests in Las Vegas.

How anyone could aspire to become a winner at blackjack and not read this book is a mystery to me! And some of the reviewers are simply mistaken. Thorp's systems ARE still relevant, and they absolutely still work. Naturally, they have been improved upon over the course of 34 years, and aspiring card counters will have more than one text, one would HOPE. But Thorp is still:

Relevant, Mesmerising, Indispensable.

I totally disagree with the other reviewers who say this book is "no longer relevant". It is the definitive guide to Blackjack's "Basic Strategy" plus provides a fascinating historical perspective on how Thorp ran the computer simulations to develop the Basic Strategy and test it in Nevada casinos back in the early '60's. What the other reviewers say is true, that the methods Thorp used (card counting) to make a lot of money back in the '60's no longer work today, but that doesn't diminish the value of the book. The casinos were changing the rules and "shutting down" the big opportunities before Thorp even finished the book. But that isn't the measure of the value of the book (although it is testimony to how powerful Thorps's insights were when first developed).

Everyone playing Blackjack (one deck or out of a shoe) should be playing "Basic Strategy" at a minimum. If you want to implement some other strategy on top of that (changing bet size, card counting, etc. etc.) have at it. But the starting point should be Basic Strategy.

Furthermore, the average recreational Blackjack player should be playing Basic Strategy, but many (most? -- at the cheaper tables anyway) don't as you can observe by sitting down at any Blackjack table.

This book should be read by anyone who wants to play Blackjack.

Although the book can be a little preachy, John Patrick takes you thoroughly through every aspect of the game. If you want to get serious about craps, this is the book to read. Not for aggressive gamblers who want to hit it big overnight.

This book is great! It covers a number of right betting techniques, then the don't side then a few hedges and finaly puts them all together in a trend system that wins for me at the $5 table. I have won $540 in 4 sessions starting with a $220 buy in each time (I had one really good session, 2 pretty good, and one loss). And I gave back $100 after I had ended a couple of sessions proving that the displine section of this book is the hardest to master. It is tough to quit when you are ahead... really tough. But at least this book can get you ahead. The rest is up to you. I found this book as complex if not more so than his book titled "Advanced Craps". If you want to stop playing stupid, read this book and play by the rules.

John Patrick is, by far, the authority on gambling- especially at the tables. I have gone from loser (big time) to winner by studying his books and methods. John Patrick's Craps contians not only the best approach to craps ever put on paper, but also gives the reader a foundation with which to attack all games in a casino. My personal experience with Mr. Patrick's books has enabled me to master five different table games. I have become known and respected by many casino personal in Reno, NV as a tough player. I win small amounts consistently. Futhermore, the foundation I have recieved has enabled me to actually learn how to be a competitor (and a fierce one at that) at the low-limit poker games in the Nevada casinos. Be forwarned: John's style is like that of a coach. If you are really timid or thin-skinned, it may not be the book for you (then again, gambling may not be for you either). But, if you are a competitor whose desire is to win, this and all of Mr. Patrick's books are priceless!

As a beginner/intermediate player, I found the pace just right. It was an easy read that CLEARLY left me a better player - and isn't that what it's all about? The book is a seminar condensed to text form. Caro uses "billboards" in the book just like he would on a chalk board at one of his seminars to emphasize clean points. By the time you're done reading this, you'll understand that winning poker is all about knowing which way to go on "borderline" decisions. There is also a small, but interesting section on "tells" that brings an awareness to the novice about what other players at the table might be thinking. Clearly for the beginner or intermediate player, it will be a good review for some, and nothing short of an eye-opener for many others. For a beginner, it takes away that naked feeling of walking into a game with great uncertainty - a game that feels like mostly luck and gut feelings. For an intermediate player, it should clarify some decisions while giving them an overall edge they may have lacked. Even the intermediate player should have a more cohesive plan and play with more authority to "own" his table. I wanted to give this 5 stars, but I felt it should have had some kind of a test or review (ie, sample hands, fill-in or mult choice decision questions, etc.) Nonethless, if you want to improve your game, you shouldn't pass this one up. I review the book occasionally in just a few minutes to keep myself grounded and focused on the task of playing WINNING poker.

Mike Caro clearly goes over winning tactics for poker in general as well as specific games. The information in this book would not serve an expert well at all, but for a beginner I would recommend it.

Before I leave my house for one of the local card rooms, I always flip through this book. Caro presents all of his thoughts in a vary concise manner while highlighting all of the important points. If you read all of the highlighted text before stepping out the door, your game will improve. Also, unlike other books, I was surprised at how well his thoughts apply to all forms of poker, not just Hold Em or Stud. I think that this is a book that should belong in every serious poker player's library.

Just got done reading it and I am now testing the system a little bit at home. So far the system is working, however I can agree with another review (by a reader) in that you indeed do have to modify it a bit or else you will one day lose your shirt (and mortgage). The one thing lacking in the book is a money management section (which as a result i have come up with my own). The author sort of assumes that the reader has 2 grand in his back pocket and is ready to dive in. Don't get me wrong the system makes sense, however the reader should be prepared to make his/her own money management system with a win goal and a loss limit. Other than that its an easy read altough ... for about 40 reading pages...? Who knows with luck it will pay for itself. (knock on wood). I look forawrd to testing this some more and will remain optimistic. Progresion is only as dangerous as people allow it to be! Sometimes you just have to call it a losing night and go home!

I was sceptical at first but after reading the book and trying the system, I'm convinced. It does really work. It not only shows you how to win money on roulette, but to also keep your money, which is key to winning. Anyway give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

I've been playing roulette for the past 4 years and I have tried numerous systems (7 in total, 4 of the roulette systems I've tried are from other books I bought from Amazon.com) that give you an advantage but nothing compares to the consistent winnings I've had with John C. Steele's Roulette system. This system really WORKS !!!!! If you have tried other systems and have been disappointed like me, I can pretty much bet your search is over. I love his straight, no nonsense approach to winning at roulette, the book guides thru his easy to learn system, his basic system alone his worth the price of the book, his advance system is bonus money maker.

I checked out the 1967 version of this book in the library when I first became interested in horse race handicapping. It was so full of information that I ended up buying it. A few years back, I loaned it to my brother and later asked for it back so I could review some stuff. But, his dominating wife had thrown it away. Well, enough of this boring stuff. This book does a good job of introducing a new, novice, or disorganized horseplayer to the fundamentals of handicapping--a fancy way to say picking winners at the track. Ainslie covers distance, speed, class, form, track conditions, breeding, and jockeys and trainers very thoroughly. The reader should avoid the laundry lists of specific qualifications for horses that appear periodically in the book. This book was published before the advent of Beyer speed figures and other new concepts in handicapping. Also, as in most how to pick winners books, Ainslie has sections of the Daily Racing Form from races where he made a big score. Racing authors seem to never have DRF examples of races where they lost their shirts. But, it is a useful treatise to learn the fundamentals of handicapping though even the lastest edition (1988) is a bit dated. I would advise the reader to learn the general concepts in the book and to avoid the specific criteria for picking horses. It is an excellent place for a new horseplayer to start. Now, if someone could write a book for my brother telling him how to stand up to his wife.

The best handicapping book I've read. The beauty is the organization, how Ainsle teaches you a systematic, organized method. There's a lot of leeway for putting your own system together, but it's the mindset, the step by step way he approaches things that's so valuable. I haven't seen that anywhere. Most books teach you things of value, but not how to step by step go through the past performances, decide if the distance is right for this horse, figure out if the horse is in condition, in the right class etc. After reading this book I can actually sit down with a program, figure out which races are playable and which aren't, and hit about 40% winners. I would highly recommend it.

This was the first book on this subject that I have read and I bought it again for someone else. If you are just getting started this is an excellent place to begin.

This book has its strengths, and I'm not sorry I bought it, but a few days later I had to buy another, more straightforward one to clear up some basic questions. That is not a strong selling point for a "Dummies" book.

I have two main criticisms (aside from the fact that it barely mentions draw poker at all): First, a complete and easy to find glossary is a must in a book for beginners, and the one in this book is neither (you'll need it for chapter 2, where you are unexectedly thrown into the deep end of the jargon pool). Second, the examples were few and somewhat hard for me to follow. I need to be led by the hand for a few games, so I can apply that slowly but thoroughly acquired knowledge at my own pace. I don't feel that "Poker For Dummies" offers me that opportunity.

A very useful thing I did get from this book was their recommendation of wilsonsw.com, whose software (with free demos) allows you to participate in thousands of hands of certain variants of the game in a pretty realistic manner...not tutorial exactly, but very helpful.

America has given the world Freedom, Bourbon, Hollywood, Baseball and Poker.

Unfortunately we've also given the world "How To" books. And their most recent obnoxious incarnations, the "Zen in the Art of---" and the "---For Dummies" series.

However this one's not bad at all. I wish some of the reviewers who disliked it could name a better beginner's book--though I concede that if you play for money against some pros following the instructions given you might conclude you should have bought "Poker for Morons" instead.

(Do not despair. The real morons are playing Baccarat following amazing systems that enable them to count to 9 )

If, after reading Lou, you decide to keep on and take the plunge might I also suggest Lee Jones 'Winning Low Limit Hold 'Em '--a book which gives strict advice on the most popular form of Poker nowdays and which cannot possibly work because everyone has read it and feels obliged to deviate from it because they know everyone else has read it too, consequently, it does work. (did you folow that?)

Also consider buying Slansky's 'The Theory of Poker' regarded as 'The Bible' especially if you're a math-geek who can already discourse on the difference between probability and odds.

Otherwise just consider it but don't buy it. Carson's 'The Complete Book of Hold 'Em Poker' should also keep you busy for a few months, as well as anything written by Ciaffone, and by then you should be ready to enter the World Series of Poker.

Well, soon enough, anyway.

Seriously, if you can break even after playing cardroom poker in your first year, you're doing great. (If you can get a bunch of rich dolts to come over to your place on Friday nights and play Anaconda or a sillier variation you're doing even better but don't count on it.)

Lou's book is a good overview and he does list up to date internet groups which provide links to discussions and articles which will keep you addicted forever.

Just remember that over the long run, it's all about skill, not hunches. Besides, it's bad luck to be superstitious.

I had never played poker in a casino before, just some nickel games with some friends while I was drinking. This book showed me how to play and showed me that if I'm willing to practice and willing to be patient I can be a competent player and maybe win some money. I've bought several books since then and played quite a few hours at nearby casinos and this is the book that I review on the way. If you know how to play well this is a handy reference if you aren't able to play frequently.