Blackjack is a game with a house edge, but the more skilled you are at the game, the less of an edge the house has. A blackjack game with a house edge of less than 1% will routinely make the casino much more than this, due to players using wrong strategies. A blackjack player of any level always has the ability to improve and use the correct strategies in every situation, and there are many books out there to help.
Here I take a look at a range of blackjack books, some focusing on strategy, others telling stories of great blackjack accomplishments and some featuring a mix of the two.
The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book – Lance Humble, Carl Cooper
A title like this might be enough to put you off immediately, however this is an ideal book for both the beginning and intermediate player. You’ll find a straightforward strategy for the online game which will make you a close to break-even player and there is much advice regarding card counting. In places the book can seem a little outdated, however it is a solid blackjack read.
Million Dollar Blackjack – Ken Uston
This book is a great mix of strategy and storytelling. There are five levels of strategy contained in the book, where you’ll go from a basic strategy to very advanced play. You’ll also read about how Uston gave up a job in the Stock Exchange to become a professional blackjack player, and how he became known as Mr. Blackjack. This book is both entertaining and informative.
Basic Blackjack – Stanford Wong
This is an ideal blackjack book for the beginner. This book covers the many different rules variations you might find in blackjack worldwide, and the best strategies to use in all of these games.
Blackjack Secrets – Stanford Wong
This additional book by Stanford Wong is ideal for the blackjack player with some knowledge of the game. The book is chock filled with information about the game, much of it based around card counting, and is a must read for the serious blackjack player.
Blackjack Attack 3rd Edition – Don Schlesinger
This book is described as the “ultimate weapon” against the casino. This book is not for beginners, the content looking at many mathematical questions around the game, including optimal betting, camouflage, risk analysis, team play and comparison of systems. The book also contains detailed basic strategy charts.
Play Blackjack like the Pros – Kevin Blackwood
This book covers a wide range of blackjack play, including both high and low stakes casino play, shoe games, online play and a section on blackjack tournaments. You also find information and advice about card counting, betting systems and money management.
Bringing Down the House – Ben Mezrich
This is the story of how six M.I.T students beat the system in Vegas. This book is a fast moving roller coaster of a read, detailing how a team of card counters won as much as $4 million by spending their weekends at Vegas casinos. The major motion picture, 21, featuring Kevin Spacey, was based upon this book.
Dynamic Blackjack – Maverick Sharp
This book only came out in 2013 and has been described as “the first new significant blackjack book in years”. This book is most definitely not for the beginner, the 600 pages covering subjects such as basic strategy, rule variations, betting schemes, risk management, risk aversion and card counting theory. This is a complete all-in-one reference book on blackjack.
Las Vegas Blackjack Diary – Stuart Perry
This book follows the eight week journey of a card counter, with a look at each of the individual 269 sessions that he played. The book is a brutally honest tale about the highs and lows suffered in the eight week period and gives you a fascinating insight into the whole Vegas blackjack experience.
Blackjack Wisdom – Arnold Snyder
This book is a collection of magazine articles written by Snyder, giving the reader a great feel for the world of blackjack. The book is heavy on humor, and is very difficult to put down. You’ll not find charts or blackjack analysis in this book.