Get the Edge at Blackjack
by Your Casino Connection on Jul.29, 2010, under Blackjack
Product Description
Learn real strategies that not only the casinos don’t want you to know, but that many of the greatest blackjack players would prefer to keep all to themselves. They are known as advantage-play methods because they give the player the advantage over the casino. They range from the widely-known through sadly little-practiced method of card counting all the way to the devastating methods designed to ascertain the rank of the very next card coming out of the deck or shoe!… More >>
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July 29th, 2010 on 3:43 pm
The biggest problem with John May’s “Get the Edge at Blackjack,” is the introduction by Frank Scoblete. “The book you are holding is a blackjack nuclear bomb,” is how it starts, and the hype increases from there. One is left with the impression that by merely applying a few of the techniques in the book, the casinos will become veritable ATM machines. Naturally this is not the case, and the reader is left feeling vaguely let down. Which is a shame, because there is much to like here. There are indeed techniques that have heretofore received little or no publicity, and much that is of use to the serious blackjack player.
Another nitpick: Scoblete’s intro further states, “There is information in [the book] that has never appeared in print in a mainstream book and there is some information that has never appeared anywhere except in the secret world inhabited by a handful of elite professional blackjack players.” Well, I’m flattered. While none of the material may have ever appeared in a paper and ink book before, blackjack aficionados who have visited the Green Baize Vampire (May’s alter ego) website and/or May’s Card Counter Cafe may find that much of it has a familiar ring. This is not inherently a bad thing – after all, much of Don Schlesinger’s “Blackjack Attack” was previously published in issues of Arnold Snyder’s “Blackjack Forum” magazine. Still, I certainly have never considered myself an “elite professional blackjack player.”
Oddly, (considering that this is supposed to be a collection of advanced techniques) the book starts with a brief summary of the rules of blackjack, followed by a recap of basic strategy. Next is an introduction to card counting, including a brief description of the Hi-Lo count.
Then we have a system comparison chart that is sure to spark some controversy. It shows both the Knockout count and Arnold Snyder’s Red 7 count as being marginally superior to the time-honored Hi-Lo in all three areas: betting correlation, playing efficiency, and insurance correlation. To further complicate things, May provides no information as to how he arrived at these figures (what game, rules, etc.).
The first section of the book is concluded with a brief discussion of multi-parameter counts, and May’s thoughts on cover and camouflage. I like this quote: “While the expert card counter plays blackjack against the dealer, he plays poker against the pit; that is, his play is geared toward the intelligence of the pit personnel.” Indeed.
By this point the veteran player is likely chomping at the bit: “When do we get to the good stuff?” Part II carries the enticing title: “Advantage-Play Techniques – How to Become a Casino’s Worst Nightmare!”
What follows is indeed “good stuff.” Card Steering, Card Sequencing, and Shadow Play are described in detail. How much to bet when your first card is known (as a result of these techniques) is discussed. This has already caused some controversy on blackjack websites, as May recommends betting 40% of one’s entire bankroll if it is known that one’s first card will be an ace.
Oddly, we get get a couple of anecdotes regarding blackjack legend Lawrence Revere, author of “Playing Blackjack as a Business.” While Revere was a colorful character, and these are most interesting, they seem a bit out of place.
Other advanced techniques covered include Hole Card Play, Glim Play, and Stacker Play.
The much-hyped section on beating continuous shuffle machines is more a series of suggestions than a tried and proven method. The problem is that more needs to be known about the inner workings of these infernal contraptions. However, it is reassuring to know that someone is working on ways to beat these things.
There is a description of a betting progression, of sorts, that sims indicate is effective. It’s not what you think.
Many of these techniques may be of little use to the casual player. Some require extensive practice, and several require team play in order to really be effective. Others require situations (sloppy dealer, etc) that rarely occur.
However, any military expert will agree that merely because a particular weapon is not used very often does not mean that it should not be carried. The blackjack pro or serious part-timer needs to have a variety of “weapons” at his/her disposal. You may not know that you’re going to be dealt an ace very often, but when it happens, you’d better be ready.
The book concludes with a chapter on Internet casinos. At first I questioned the inclusion of this, but found it to be an interesting summary. I have no interest in exploiting this form of blackjack, but if I ever change my mind, the basics are here.
Bottom line: Definitely not for the beginner, and of limited usefulness to the recreational player, Get the Edge at Blackjack is nonetheless a worthy addition to my blackjack library. I would recommend it to anyone serious about making money at blackjack.
Rating: 5 / 5
July 29th, 2010 on 5:48 pm
Very few blackjack books can live up to their hype. This book has been heavily promoted by Frank Scoblete who is a very popular gaming writer. I bought it because I tend to buy everything about blackjack in the hope, rare, that I will learn something new from it. Most times the blackjack book doesn’t really offer me anything to write home about…or even write a review about. But I must say that not only does Mr. John May’s book live up to the hype, it surpasses it. I learned several new and devastating advantage-play techniques that are just wonderful. I would recommend you get this book fast before the casinos discover what Mr. May is writing about and start watching the games even more closely than they currently do. This book will have a strong appeal to experienced blackjack players and they will learn new techniques from it just as I have. I put this on a par with the two or three best blackjack books ever written!
Rating: 5 / 5
July 29th, 2010 on 6:16 pm
This is an extremely good book.
The bottom line: you will make more cold, hard cash from this book than any other blackjack book on the market. It tells you all you need to know, no more and no less. As someone without a math background I appreciated the lack of theoretical waffle. May obviously understands all that stuff but has a refreshing tendency to speak to his readers in clear, plain English.
Rather than just summarizing the text I though it would be more interesting if I just listed how much money I made from some of the techniques involved:
Ace Location: $3,500 to date
Card Steering: $7,000
Shadow Play: $1,250
CSM “Latency”: $500
Note too impressive perhaps until I point out that I only started with a few hundred dollars. Yes, these methods are that strong.
This book bears continual re-reading, so much to digest. Some passages, such as the section on getting kickbacks on your own blackjack play from internet affiliate programs can be missed on first reading but can be very effective (I made $5000+ out of that idea alone!).
Bad points: I detected some minor errors in the tables early in the book, and some of the internet section is outdated now (things move so fast online). Annoyingly, May publishes tags for the “Lima” card counting system but doesn’t actually recommend it stating that is just isn’t powerful enough whereas I think it might be interesting for use at pitch games.
The book is also extremely well written, perhaps due to the influence of Scoblete’s editing, though May exhibits none of Scoblete’s obsession with quasi-scientific methods.
Rating: 5 / 5
July 29th, 2010 on 7:03 pm
John May is an elite blackjack player and this book gives you information that I have not read anywhere else. While it does discuss and explain the theory of card counting, the revolutionary stuff that is advertised on the cover concerns methods of play such as glim, stacker, ace tracking and the like. Some of these are “do-able” by mere mortals like myself and some seem extremely hard to pull off.
I think the book is very well written and organized and May’s writing flows. He explains very difficult concepts in a way that is understandable. I believe this is one of the top books ever written on blackjack and is definitely worth buying.
Rating: 5 / 5
July 29th, 2010 on 7:25 pm
I agree with just about everything Mr. Parker says in his review, except the stuff about the Foreword by Frank Scoblete. When I finished this book I was completely in agreement with the opinion that this is a blackjack nuclear bomb. May’s easy style and his ability to describe difficult concepts in ways that an average reader could comprehend makes this one of the few BJ books dealing in advanced concepts that is actually accessible to a person such as myself. I have been counting cards for years and now I think I can add a few new tools to my casino-beating toolbox thanks to John May.
Rating: 5 / 5