Nonfiction Blackjack Book Recommendations

I just finished Repeat Until Rich and I’m looking for another blackjack nonfiction title to provide the appropriate anecdotal/inspirational tales to get my excitement level higher prior to my upcoming May trip to Vegas. I’ve read Bringing Down The House, Busting Vegas, One of a Kind, The Biggest Game in Town, and Gambling Wizards. Any additional recommendations would be appreciated (Blackjack or Poker). Title and Three sentence summary would be helpful. I realize Amazon could do this for me, but I’d rather hear from other gambler/readers.

"The Counter" by Kevin Blackwood. It's fiction, but based on real life events. Blackwood was a member of the early Atlantic City 1980's teams.

Also,

"Blackjack Autumn: A True Tale of Life, Death, and Splitting Tens in Winnemucca" by Barry Meadow. It's a story of how tough it can be to be on the road ...

--Dorothy

"Hollywood Blackjack" by Dave Stan is an enjoyable read, as well as covering the fundamentals of blackjack. One of the few blackjack books that isn't a chore to get through. "Million Dollar Blackjack" by Ken Uston also has lots of good stories, but is rather dated.

I can recommend "The Ultimate Edge" by Mark Billings (available on Amazon). This is a highly entertaining, and true account of a blackjack team in the 1980's that developed sophisticated techniques such as cutting and shuffle tracking to beat the game. The book title refers to a system they developed (and implemented) that was able to win 100% of the hands played (the "Ultimate" edge). You'll have to read the book to find out how they did it.

Thanks for the recommendations. So far I've gotten through "Blackjack Autumn" and "The Ultimate Edge". Both good reads. I was truly amazed at the proliferation of great single and double deck games that used to be the norm in the early '80's.

The accounts of some of the honky-tonk casinos described in "Blackjack Autumn" is really depressing. I've never ventured far off the strip, so these holes-in-the wall seem like a different world. But the parts about the family and the loss of his father really struck home with me. I've often thought that if I lost my job, I could do this for a living, but thankfully I haven't had to make that choice. Those tough days on the road seem tougher than any desk I've ever had to sit at.

With regard to the "Ultimate Edge" I consider most of what they were doing to be cheating (at least in the second half). Weak dealers showing cut cards is one thing, but using all of their devices (which apparently were legal at the time) should have lead to more beatings than they received. Still the thought process about how Taylor thought about the game and how to exploit it were very interesting. The tales from Europe, and the stereotyping of the gamblers, made for some laugh out loud moments. I only wish I could have lived through those truly liberal rules. Thanks again for the recommendations. Working on the others soon.