Las Vegas Blackjack Diary

Rating:
Summary: A rigourous account of the life of a pro blackjack player
Review: In contrast with the fantastic claims made in other gambling books, "Blackjack Diary" is a sober and engaging description of the lifestyle of a pro blackjack player.

The book is brutally honest-the tedium of the daily grind of a card counter, the paranoia, the wild fluctuations, even cheating-all these problems are explained with painstaking detail. This is nothing like, for example, the flamboyant Ken Uston's "Million Dollar" Blackjack. Its often depressing-and clinically accurate (I've been there). Perry deserves great credit for presenting what is undeniably the truth about the existence of the card counter.

A few criticisms of the book-Perry attacks several poor games and some of his pessimistic conclusions about counting in general do not emphasize this factor sufficently. While much of the action is mundane, Perry's prose does little to engage the reader-it often reads like a company's financial report.

Finally, Perry has included a somewhat out of place criticism of shuffle-tracking-an advanced card-counting technique. I strongly believe that for the solo card counter with Perry's meagre initial bankroll such powerful techniques are absolutely essential for survival-I don't recommend Perry's pure counting approach in my own writings because-as "Blackjack Diary" confirms, it leads to psychological if not actual financial wipeout.

That said, this is an absolutely essential purchase for those thinking of taking up card counting seriously.

Rating:
Summary: I would actually rate it a 4 1/2 if it were allowed...
Review: It is just dated enough to not rate 5 stars. Things have changed alot since '94 when he performed his feat and kept this journal. There is even more competition among the casinos and even newer technology to aid the casinos. But on the whole it is a fascinating account of a professional black jack player(and sports bettor before this). He covers everything, and I mean everything, required in his pursuit. Even the hours and hours of work before he even left for Vegas. Understand that except for a just a couple of "how to" chapters, it is his daily journal. I was enthralled.

Rating:
Summary: Very interesting, entertaining
Review: The positives:
-Very original idea
-I like the set-up of the book, especially how it read just like a diary - as the name implies
-While someone mentioned that it read like a financial report, I feel that this was a very important aspect of the book. Kudos to Perry for including and tracking every cent
-This is a quick, light read - a perfect choice, especially for this subject
-He knows the book's subject - and he knows it well
-It's not like other gambling-related books - he doesn't try to sugarcoat anything or brag about wins. He's very honest and sincere
-Simply, it's interesting

The negatives:
-Perry's writing just isn't that compelling
-His random opinions on the NBA and sports betting read like "filler" and, to me, served no real purpose
-I noticed quite a few grammatical errors and printing errors
-Even though it's nonfiction, I expected a more dramatic ending. The books seems to just suddenly end.

All in all, it's a pretty good read. If you're into blackjack (or just Vegas in general), you'll really take a liking to it.

Rating:
Summary: reads like a novel
Review: This is a great book. You really are at the table with the author, and wonder what he has been doing since. The anticipation and preperation for the trip even made me feel a little nervous when he went to the Golden Nugget for his first session.
I personally liked the asides. He does a good job of conveying the isolation he feels at times. It makes me want to try the Golden Nugget buffet next time I'm in Vegas...and stay away from the Barbary Coast or Plaza casinos. You would have to be interested in blackjack to like all the book, but someone who has never gambled in thier life would enjoy most of it.

Rating:
Summary: Practical Real Life BlackJack Experience
Review: You've read Stanford Wong, Arnold Snyder, Don Schlesinger, and all the other great stuff about how to beat the game and you have learnt how to count cards, maybe you can count down a deck to less than 30 seconds. You have gone to the casinos and put your knowledge to work, to practice and at the same time hope to make a few bucks at the end of you trips. And you know what, you got burnt many times, especially during the positive counts.
That is what happened to me. At first, I wonder if I did something wrong until I read Stuart's diary. This book is must have addition to your BJ library, Stuart's real life experience, and especially his honesty put our BJ theory to practice. A 4 stars for his writings and 5 stars for practical side of BJ.