The Best Blackjack and Card Counting Books

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By now you’ve probably become convinced that blackjack is an excellent game with a great RTP and lots of room for skills improvement. But how do you go about getting better at it and, consequently, getting better odds? Well, you could watch a movie, a documentary or a feature film, but you could also do it the traditional way – by getting a good book and dedicating time to perfecting your game.

We’re going to give you the titles and some brief info on not one but a few of the most popular books on card counting and blackjack. Many of the best-known players have quoted one or two of the following books as an inspiration and, if you pay close attention, you’ll surely see them in movies, too. So, if you’re ready to commit to a nice, informative book, look no further – we have selected the best ones for you.

What Makes a Good Book?

But before we start with those titles, let’s discuss what makes a good book. How do we tell if a book is good? What are some personal preferences that make a difference in our perception of a book? Though some books are written by experts, they may be too difficult to read, too mathematical, for instance. On the other hand, a light read with a lot of fictional info might be entertaining but not much to the point. We’ve researched the heap of books on blackjack and card counting before recommending the shortlisted ones – these are books that have stood the test of time, cover a good scope, show writer expertise, give appropriate examples or have an author who has succeeded as a player. Mind you, no book could be perfect for everybody. For example, what would make a good tutorial for a beginner would be boring and predictable to a more experienced player.

Famous Blackjack Book Titles

We’ll start off with a few famous books. Those are the ones that have been around for quite some time and have influenced a lot of people’s lives. The books we’re referring to have acquired some kind of a cult status, so you’ve probably heard them mentioned here or there or seen their covers proudly displayed in movies. Some blackjack players would probably argue that one should read them all in their attempt to become better.

Beat the Dealer by Edward O. Thorp

One of the most popular books on the topic must be Thorp’s Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One Mass Market. First published in 1962, the book is a true classic and a household name.

It’s a blackjack and card counting bible that has changed lives. Actually, it was used as a guide by the renowned MIT Blackjack team, on which they based their advanced systems that helped them take millions out of casinos worldwide. To put it conversely, if card counting had a father, his name would be Edward O. Thorp.

Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich

Bringing Down the House: How Six Students Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich, published in 2003, is one of the most popular books about blackjack. Though it was largely advertised as a biography, hence, non-fiction, it has been argued that there is a large portion of fiction in it.

Because it has become so widely read and cited, it has become clear that many of the things described in it have never happened. The protagonist Kevin Lewis is modelled after the MIT team member Jeff Ma but the other characters are composites. This is the book that inspired the movie ’21’ and other similar films.

The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book by Lance Humble

First published in 1980, this book by Lance Humble and Carl Cooper is considered by many experts and players to be the best blackjack book ever. One of its many advantages is its scope. It presents both basic strategy and thus can be helpful to beginners in card counting and more innovative techniques which could be of interest to more advanced players.

Although it offers a lot of science and math to back up the theories presented in it, the book reads well. The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book is a must-read for anyone who’d like to learn more about the game, no matter if they are a newbie or an experienced player.

New Books on Blackjack

In a sphere that goes through exciting developments in the matter of years, even months, a book might often be considered old even before it has passed the 10-year mark. Blackjack and the constant attempt to cheat the casino by using tricks that have not yet been countered by the casinos’ security teams makes the demand for always newer books even greater. But at a time when anyone can self-publish, especially in an eBook format, you might want to think twice before buying any new book you’d find. Before you put your money on a book, make sure you find the level and the language fitting. If you’re a medium-level player, for instance, you wouldn’t want to waste time reading a 30-page intro for beginners.

Real World Blackjack by John Lucas

Real World Blackjack: How to Win at Blackjack Without Counting Cards was published in 2012. Unlike almost any other book on the subject, it promises you to win at the game without counting cards. That sets it apart from the start.

Is that a gimmick or does John Lucas really have the secret to winning without using that popular strategy? The book is the result of the author’s observations of the game for over twenty years. Apart from the first-hand tips on how to improve your technique, the author advises you on other things you should take into consideration, such as money management and how to set loss limits while you’re winning.

Dynamic Blackjack by Maverick Sharp

Dynamic Blackjack – The Professional Approach was published in 2013 and claimed the position of a modern blackjack bible straightaway. It has all the positives of a classic book from the 60s or 70s but those are updated to fit the world of today when online casinos and all kinds of machines have changed the game immensely.

With its 600 pages, the book is a good read for beginners and intermediate players alike. It guides the reader through basic strategy and the theory of card counting, gives a few systems and then focuses on the one developed by Sharp himself – the Dynamic Matrix Pro Strategy.

Radical Blackjack by Arnold Snyder

This is one of many books by blackjack expert Arnold Snyder. It was planned for a release in 2011 but it was postponed because it lists insider tricks used by professional blackjack players today. It was eventually published in 2013 and now we all have the chance to get our hands on this curious compilation of well-kept secrets in the industry.

Being a high stakes player, Snyder goes way beyond your regular blackjack guide and shows readers how they can bet and win big. Unlike some other experts, Snyder has had plenty of practical experience playing and he likes to share it with his readers.

Who Are the Experts?

But who are those experts that we buy books of and read in awe, trying to improve our blackjack and card counting skills? Some of them are successful players, others are university professors. So, each and every one of them has some valuable perspective on the game that could enrich a player’s knowledge. Edward Thorpe and Peter Griffin were both Mathematics Professors – the former at MIT and the latter at the California State University in Sacramento. Stanford Wong, a famous professional player and writer of a number of blackjack books, has also taught at university and has a PhD from Stanford. He owns a publishing house and some of his many books include Basic Blackjack (1992, Blackjack Secrets (1993), Professional Blackjack (1994).

He invented ‘wonging’. Arnold Snyder is a professional player with over 30 years of experience. He has written a number of books, including Blackbelt in Blackjack (1983), and is a passionate supporter of players’ right to count cards. And those four, together with Al Francesco, Ken Uston and Tommy Hyland, were the first to be inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2002.

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