Rating: 
Summary: Useful but dated
Review: This book is primarily useful as a reference work. Anyone who is serious about using either of the systems presented in it (Hi-Lo and Halves) will need it, but it is definitely not for beginners.Playing conditions have deteriorated nationwide since this book was first published (and since its update) as the casinos have engaged in an "arms race" with counters, and so the outlook it presents is (to say the least) highly optimistic. Casinos have wised up about how to catch skilled players, and are much more careful about the options and promotions that they offer. Blackjack is no longer the easy road to riches. The discussion parts of the book do not sufficiently emphasize the importance of the depth-of-deal (penetration) to the player. This, more than which system or which tables are memorized, is the key to winning.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull
Review: This is a competent if incredibly dull mass of information about the hi-lo count system. Despite several revisions much of the material is outdated related to sidebets and conditions that no longer exist at the tables. The book is very poorly written, Wong's dry style reads like a telephone directory without the spicy bits.
Wong is that terminal cliche-the gambling writer who makes more money writing than gambling himself. I'd appreciate more in the way of personal success at the tables so I know this stuff really works rather than abstract theory. Buy something else a bit more modern and a little more interesting if you are looking for a good read. This book is a good introduction to card counting however.
Rating: 
Summary: Card counters bible
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Card-counting advice for beginners to experts.
Review: This title is available for immediate shipment from the publisher, Pi Yee Press. Pi Yee Press also maintains a Web site (http://www.bj21.com) that functions as a discusssion forum for players of casino blackjack.
Professional Blackjack is 350 pages of card-counting advice for beginners to experts. It presents the high-low and the halves. The high-low is the best combination of simplicity and power, and probably is the most popular system used by card counters. Halves is a level-3 system that yields almost perfect estimates of your advantage, information you need to determine your optimal bet size.
The 1994 edition of Professional Blackjack contains 100 tables, not counting the tables in the appendixes. The tables give strategy index numbers for a variety of rules. The book also contains results of simulations for various sets of rules, so you can learn how valuable one rule is compared to another; for example, you can turn to page 185 and learn that to a card counter, double after split is about the same value as late surrender.
The book is chock full of information. For example, have you ever wondered how much expectation someone gives up by standing on sixteen against an eight? For single deck, page 315 tells you that the various two-card sixteens each lose at a rate of about 53% if you stand and 43% if you hit, so the cost is 10%. For six decks, page 331 tells you the numbers are 51% for standing versus 45% for hitting, so the cost is 6%.
Rating:
Summary: Good book to make $$$ at Blackjack
Review: This, along with Knock-out Blackjack, are two of the best books if you want to make money playing Blackjack. Give me those two books for Blackjack, and tradethemove.com for my stocks, and I am good to go. Be prepared to spend some time on the strategies - you can download good simulators off of the net to hone your card counting skills. Good luck.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Guide to Card Counting
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: One of the standard blackjack books of all time!
Review: Truly A book which should be in your blackjack library. I also recommend, Gregorian Strategy for multiple deck blackjack.
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly Indepth & Great Analysis of Blackjack!
Review: We don't call him "The Honorable Stanford Wong" for nothing. He completely encompasses the breadth of blackjack, all the ins and outs, how to count cards (the different schools of counting too!) and if you didn't already know, basic strategy and its variations in unusual arenas. I went into reading this book knowing just basic strategy -- I came out with a complete understanding of the game! This is a CRUCIAL book to have if you have any serious interest in blackjack as more than just a recreational activity. The jargon CAN get a little heavy and involves some mathematical theories I never learned, but it was helpful in explaining a lot of things missing from general, "at the table" blackjack training. It truly is THE BIBLE of blackjack.
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly Indepth & Great Analysis of Blackjack!
Review: We don't call him "The Honorable Stanford Wong" for nothing. He completely encompasses the breadth of blackjack, all the ins and outs, how to count cards (the different schools of counting too!) and if you didn't already know, basic strategy and its variations in unusual arenas. I went into reading this book knowing just basic strategy -- I came out with a complete understanding of the game! This is a CRUCIAL book to have if you have any serious interest in blackjack as more than just a recreational activity. The jargon CAN get a little heavy and involves some mathematical theories I never learned, but it was helpful in explaining a lot of things missing from general, "at the table" blackjack training. It truly is THE BIBLE of blackjack.
Rating:
Summary: What else do you need to know?
Review: What else do you need to know besides this: 1 - Wong has been one of the top blackjack players for quite a long time. 2 - This book contains tables and data for just about every possible permutation of blackjack that you will come across in most casinos. 3 - There is _no_ serious blackjack player out there that has not read this book. Any other questions?
| 
