The Theory of Blackjack: The Compleat Card Counter's Guide to the Casino Game of 21 (6th Edition, Indexed) |
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by: Peter A. Griffin  List Price: $12.95 Amazon.com's Price: $10.36 You Save: $2.59 (20%)as of 09/10/2010 09:40 EDT Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 795.423 EAN: 9780929712130 Edition: 6th ISBN: 0929712137 Label: Huntington Press Manufacturer: Huntington Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 270 Publication Date: 1999-02 Publisher: Huntington Press Studio: Huntington Press Features:
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Editorial Review: Product Description: Generally considered the bible for serious blackjack players, Peter Griffin's classic work provides insight into the methods and numbers behind the development of today's card-counting systems. Contains the most complete and accurate basic strategy. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - "Excellent On Blackjack Theory,Weak On Application",a book by professor Peter A.Griffin.This is an excellent book on the theory of blackjack as the title of the book suggests : this is a book to excite an academic, remember Peter A. Griffin is a professor of Mathematics!It is unlike the book "Beat The Dealer" by professor Edward O.Thorp which is accessible to the general public,easy to read & full of practical real casino tips & advice.To professor Peter A.Griffin's credit,he really makes it clear what type of book it is early on in the book : theoretical & won't make you a better blackjack player!It is intended to explain the theory behind "Basic Strategy", "Card Counting" & "Expectation" on the blackjack table. Professor Peter A.Griffin has been inducted into "The Blackjack Hall Of Fame" for his theoretical contribution to Blackjack! Rating:  - Mathematical Tour de Force"The Theory of Blackjack" is a mathematical tour de force. This is Peter Griffin's Magnum Opus. "The Theory of Blackjack" lays out the mathematical substrate underlying the game of blackjack like no other. It is almost definitely of theoretical interest only (however, you never know; see Chapter 16 of "The Ultimate Edge"). This book is not for beginners of *any* kind. That is: It is not for beginning blackjack players. It is not for beginning basic strategy players. It is not for beginning card counters. If your interest in the game of blackjack is limited to a week-end in Vegas with your buddies, or even as a card counter who is in it for the money, this book is not for you. However, if you are fascinated by the game, you must buy this book. No one has mined and purified the mathematical reality underlying casino blackjack like Peter Griffin. His love of the game is apparent, and quite infectious. Although "The Theory of Blackjack" is in some ways akin to a mathematical textbook, Griffin has a terrific, dry sense of humor. And, perhaps lost amongst the normal distributions, sigmas, and assorted formulae is the fact that Peter Griffin is an absolutely great writer. So, if you admire blackjack in its purest form (the way a teen-age boy might admire the *idea* of his favorite actress, before the reality of the human being beneath sets in), buy this book. For those of us who are endlessly facinated by the underlying complexity and beauty of the game of blackjack, Peter Griffin is the first of our prophets. I attempt to wrap up each blackjack book I review on two levels: (1) The *current* practical value of the specific information provided in the book (e.g., basic strategy, counts, betting strategy, etc.) (2) The *meta-value* of the information contained (meta-value: includes entertainment value, what the book teaches you in general about the game of blackjack, and the practical value of the book given the circumstances of the game at the time the book was written). 1 - This is not a how-to book that will teach you how to count cards, or how much to bet, or how to act, or anything like that. It will teach you what lies beneath all of the systems and all of the strategies that are out there. There is almost no practical value to the player who simply wants to go into a casino and win money. The value of this book lies on a much higher plane of existence. Per Maslow, Griffen is for the fully self-actualized (or self-actualizing) blackjack player only. 2 - Most of what Peter Griffin focuses on is the single-deck game. Griffin himself viewed the game as an intellectual challenge and was not interested at all in the mundanities of beating shoe games. (Griffin himself wrote that multiple-deck games bored him to tears. I feel his pain.) Nonetheless, one could argue that Quantum Mechanics has very little to recommend itself to the average person. However, I would argue that everyone should know something about the almost unbelievable unreality undergirding the world in which we find ourselves, despite the lack of tangible value of such knowledge. Similarly, it can only help professional blackjack players to familiarize themselves with the complexity that underlies the game that so many of us love so well. Those underpinnings are as valid today as they were when Griffin wrote his book. The Ultimate Edge Rating: - An Oldie but GoodieWho knew a mathematician could be so funny? In this well written, enormously entertaining and enlightening book, the late Peter Griffin tackles the questions of why blackjack can be beaten and what kind of edges players can get using a count system. There are some interesting revelations in the book, too. I would recommend that players with some experience of the game are the best audience for the book, and the truly best audience are those players who have mastered a card counting system and have enjoyed/suffered the slings and arrows of being an advantage player. This book clearly explains why blackjack is a roller coaster. I think this is one of the must-read blackjack books of all time. Frank Scoblete: Author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution! Rating: - Great book, tough readThe theories in this book are rock solid, but unless you have a degree in mathematics, it will be a very tough read. There are lots of complex theories and equations that the everyday Joe might have a problem following. Also, this book mostly covers 1 deck blackjack which is not played in any casino in the world these days. Most casinos use 6-8 decks, but the theoretical aspect of the book holds true regardless on how many decks are used. Rating: - Great book for those interested in theory!Although this is a great book you really need to know what it is and what it IS NOT! It is not an introduction to blackjack. It's assumed you already know how to play the game. It is not an introduction to card counting. The author assumes you already know a card counting system, or at least have a basic understanding of what one entails. It is PROBABLY not going to make you a better player. It's not really a "how to" guide for the game as much as it's a guide to show you how to effectively ANALYZE the game. As the title suggests this book is a fairly comprehensive review of the theory of blackjack. While a traditional counting book will tell you the HOW of card counting, this book will show you WHY it works, how card counting systems are derived, how to compare the power of different card counting systems (the so-called "efficiences") and contrast them to an (linearly) ideal system. You will also learn how to calculate exact probabilities (well, really how to write a program to do this) that could be used to determine the values (in terms of expected return) of different hands or to design a tool that will give you the optimal play in any situation that may arrise in blackjack. This tool isn't to be confused with "basic strategy", which only gives you the optimal play off the top of a freshly shuffled shoe. This book is ideal for someone who is comfortable with playing blackjack in a casino environment, has a basic understanding of the difficulties faced by card counters, and is comfortable with mathematical formulas and their derivations (although a lot of concepts can be understood without a strong background in math, you'll get a lot more out of the book if you can follow its derivations). After reading it you should be in a position where you COULD develop your own card counting system, calculate expected values (essentially probabilities) for given hands and given plays, and have the satisfaction of knowing that you have a better understanding of the inner workings of blackjack than 99% of the people who play the game! Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display 
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