Reddit mentions: The best blackjack books

I have but it's been about 10 years. The key to tournaments is to remember you are trying to win more than the other players at the table. So it's all about sizing your bets in relation to the other players. There's a good book about it that I read. I think it's called Play to Win by Ken Einiger.

Play To Win

Hey, I read The world's greatest blackjack book last year, which was a great introduction and teaches you everything you need to know to consistently win (long-term), provided you put in the practice. I'm now reading through Stanford Wong's Blackjack Secrets to see what he does differently.

To win at blackjack you have to be able to count cards, and there are many different counting systems out there. Won's Hi-Lo is very easy, and so is Cooper and Humble's Hi-Opt 1, but each has their advantages and disadvantages. Good luck!

If you've only got a week of prep time, you're probably not trying to count cards or do any other kind of advantage play. So this is narrowed down to needing to know two things - where to get a table with fair/favorable rules, and the basic strategy for the rulesets you'll be playing under.

This link will cover much of the first part. It's taken from the CBJN, but omits all of the info that's specific to card counters, leaving just the Vegas section and just the rules for those casinos.

As a casual player, I would recommend trying to find the lowest minimum table that still ofers things like the dealer stands on soft 17, double down on any two cards including after split, etc. Use the rules that are state law in Pennsylvania as a guideline on what should be acceptable (for reference, those are blackjack pays 3 to 2, dealer must stand on soft 17, double on any 2 cards, double after split, split to 3 hands (except no resplitting aces), late surrender available.) This results in a house edge at roughly 0.36%; if you find better at a place near you, great.

I would bring no less than four strategy cards with you - one for multi-deck (4 or more decks) where the dealer stands on soft 17, one for multi-deck where the dealer hits on soft 17, and one two-deck games for each of those. Really, I'd just buy this or print your own from any site that allows that. You're probably not going to get good quality single deck unless you're going to the El Cortez anyway.

>I am admittedly disappointed to find out that Kenneth Cole is generally frowned upon here

Maybe I should clarify my previous comment – I wasn't dissing their clothes; I'm not familiar with them but they seem good for what they are, and I like that coat better in the other images you posted. I was just dissing their shoes, which are as poorly made as anything else you'll find in that price range retail, but trendy-looking enough to fool the uninitiated into buying them. Josh Axelrad said it well, if a bit harshly: "they're the footwear of the underclass. They're designed to look good, but they aren't good. The stitching on the soles isn't real."

I don't think everything a guy wears has to be expensive, but I agree with Russell Smith that quality shoes are essential:

>Nowhere is your taste and social background so neatly summarized as in your choice of shoe. It is the single most important part of your image, the root from which your projected self grows.

Some casinos will ask you to not display it on the table, but you are always allowed to reference it, if you have it.
I recommend this as the most comprehensive set of cards out there (but then again I might be a little biased):
https://www.amazon.com/DON-SCHLESINGERS-BLACKJACK-STRATEGY-CARD/dp/B00KNBDQM0

However, the best strategy is to practice until you don't need the cards anymore!

>I see several such books. Which is best/most recent, or are they all the same?

This one

https://www.amazon.com/Blackjack-Attack-Playing-Pros-Way/dp/0910575207/ref=sr_1_1/136-7052445-6211715?ie=UTF8&qid=1540479568&sr=8-1&keywords=blackjack+attack+3

> Any other book worth reading?

Depends on what you want to know. Grosjean's books and blog posts are the best thing available. Nothing else comes close.

"Blackjack Attack Playing the Pro's Way" by Don Schlesinger could easily be retitled "How Much Should I Bet" or you could use Casino Verite Software to arrive at optimal bet spreads.

http://www.georgejosephtraining.com/Double_Deck_Memo_All_16's_12-08-14.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Blackjack-Stanford-Wong/dp/0935926216

https://www.amazon.com/Blackjack-Blood-Card-Counters-Complete-Winning/dp/0935926232/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478931630&sr=8-1&keywords=blackjack+for+blood

and wizardofodds.com

different cards for different tables. hit and stay on soft 17. single, double, and 4 and above decks. the surrender and can or cant double after splitting is written on the side of the cards. so at the most theres 6 different cards, but realistically, you only need 2, single and 4 or more, and you always play "hit on soft 17"
multi deck dealer hits on soft 17
single deck dealer hits on soft 17
all 6 cards for the low low price of 12.61