MORE READING RESOURCES ON BLACKJACK

By now you should be starting to feel confident in your knowledge of blackjack strategies. There’s no substitute for experience, however, so the best thing you can do at this point is to start playing!

I’ve played blackjack all over the world…

…as well as online and you’ll always be running into new rules, strategies and situations. For that reason, it’s important to stay up to date with the constantly changing world of blackjack online and off.

LAND BASED CASINOS VS. ONLINE CASINOS

This is one area where live online players might need to pay greater attention than their offline counterparts. In land-based casinos, change happens incrementally.

Depending on the jurisdiction…

…rule changes might require the approval of a gaming commission or other oversight body. At the very least, they have to make their way through the management hierarchy and back to the casino floor.

At many online casinos:

the operators have the autonomy to change rules on how and when they want—and it can be done in a matter of minutes by changing a few options on their software platform.

Whether you play at a land-based casino or online the more you stay on top of changes the more likely you are to turn a profit in the long term.

ESSENTIAL READING

When I was a full-time sports bettor I read constantly…

not only up to date stats and information but every piece of gambling theory and history I could get my hands on.

While the specific strategies and methodologies have changed over time you’ll be amazed at how many good ideas you can get from what many might consider ‘old books’.

I’ve found excellent handicapping concepts…

…in finance and investment books, poker books and horse racing books. We won’t go that far afield here but keep your mind open and keep looking for new ways to approach your game.

Here are some specific book recommendations:

ANYTHING BY KEN USTON – We mentioned the late Ken Uston in the first installment of this series. His main books ‘Ken Uston on Blackjack’ and ‘Million Dollar Blackjack’ are the first blackjack books you should read.

‘Million Dollar Blackjack’ is on my ‘best gambling books’ list. Uston wrote some other books that you might have to track down (Amazon or the Gamblers’ Book Club in Las Vegas are good places to start) including:

• “The Big Player: How a Team of Blackjack Players Made a Million Dollars”
•  One-Third of a Shoe
• How You Can Win at Blackjack in Atlantic City and Nevada”
• A compilation of his blackjack newsletter of the late 70’s/early 80’s

Uston also wrote on home video games, home computers and how to beat ‘Pac-Man’. These are badly outdated in of content but if you’re a fan of Uston’s writing worth a read.

BLACKJACK FOR BLOOD: THE CARD-COUNTERS’ BIBLE, AND COMPLETE WINNING GUIDE BY BRYCE CARLSON: Introduces the Omega II counting system.

BLACKJACK BLUEBOOK II BY FRED RENZY: This 2006 book is considered a modern classic and introduces the KISS counting system along with several innovative strategy concepts.

PLAYING BLACKJACK AS A BUSINESS BY LAWRENCE REVERE: In addition to Uston’s books, this 1980 classic is considered one of the essential blackjack texts.

UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND INFORMATION: Thanks to the growth of the Internet there’s plenty of sources for news, information and discussion of casino gambling and game strategy both online and off.

We won’t give you any specific names since the best sites change frequently but they’re out there! You can also find news and information on land-based casinos in special interest print newspapers like ‘Gaming Today’ in Las Vegas.

The important thing

Find some good information sources and stay current with what is going on in the casino industry and with new strategic approaches to blackjack.

Believe me…

The casinos aren’t going to tell you any more than they have to so you need to do the work yourself.

See Also:

• Card Counting in Blackjack
• Chips and Betting in Blackjack
• Conventional Wisdom is Often Good Strategy