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I’ve put together a list of 21 blackjack books that every player should read.

This list includes books for beginners, intermediate players, and experts. By finding and reading the books listed below you can get a complete education in blackjack.

Professional Blackjack Player Salary Yearly salary of a professional blackjack player What is the salary of a professional blackjack player? It’s a common question I hear, but what would seem like a simple enough question actually has a fairly complex answer. Professional Blackjack Players / Professional Blackjack Players Since the site covers blackjack game variations and also deals with many card counting methods that players can use to their advantage such as the hi-lo, Kiss II, KO etc I decided to also mention some pioneers in regards to blackjack.

1. Don Johnson, a blackjack player, revealed how he won $15 million from three casinos in 5 months in a magazine interview. Don won $4 million from Caesar’s, $5 million from Borgata, and $6 million from Tropicana. All three wins were won fair and square between December 2010 and April 2011.
2. What a Pro Player Can Earn. The size of the bankroll will relate directly to what a professional player can earn. Professional players will have to bet between 300 and 500 times the average bet (4) in order to.
3. Semyon Dukach Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Semyon Dukach is Managing Director of Techstars in Boston. He is also known as a top angel investor, the Chairman of SMTP (company) (NASDAQ: SMTP), and a former professional blackjack player with the MIT Blackjack Team.

1 – Beat the Dealer

Edward Oakley Thorp is an American mathematics professor and blackjack player from Chicago, Illinois. He’s known as both the father of card counting for his revolutionary work in blackjack and father of the wearable computer after making the first wearable computer and using it in a casino.

He received a Ph. D in mathematics in 1958 and worked as a professor from 1959 to 1982. During this time he developed his blackjack theory which was based on the Kelly criterion.

Over 50 years have passed since Thorp wrote Beat the Dealer and it’s still influencing how people play blackjack today. Beat the Dealer was the first book to mathematically prove you can use card counting to beat the house advantage.

His point based system revolutionized how blackjack was played. Using his system you assess the composition of the remaining cards in the deck and bet based on this. His book covers basic rules, how to overcome casino counter measures, winning strategies for any level player, charts to illustrate concepts, and ways to spot cheating.

2 – Professional Blackjack

Stanford Wong is the pen named used by John Ferguson, who is a gambling author and member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame. He created one of the first blackjack odds analyzing software called “Blackjack Analyzer” for personal use, but it later became commercially available.

Wong’s interest in blackjack started in 1964 when he was teaching a finance course. He left his teaching job to pursue his dream of a gambling career. His pen name Wong refers to an advantage in blackjack that he made popular in the 1980s.

Wong’s most popular book, Professional Blackjack, was published in 1975. His book covers what all blackjack players want to know; how to win without getting kicked out of a casino.

While reading his book you’ll learn the basics of blackjack, the High Low count system he uses, the three level Wong Halves Count, and information about the Over / Under 13 side game that can be found in some casinos. At the end of his book you’ll find 100 pages worth of charts showing various things related to the game.

3 – The Theory of Blackjack

Peter A Griffin is one of the original seven Blackjack Hall of Fame members, mathematician, and author. His first interest in blackjack was in 1970 when he went to Nevada to do research for a course on the mathematics of gambling. After losing all his money, he was determined to do further research.

In 1979 his book Theory of Blackjack was published and it became a blackjack classic. His book shares the methods behind today’s card counting system. He provides his techniques to determining the accuracy of a card counting system, how to analyze betting and playing strategies for any system, and finding the basic strategy for playing any set of rules and any number of decks. Although his book covers the background of card counting, it’s more mathematically based than your average blackjack book.

4 – Blackbelt in Blackjack

Arnold Snyder is a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame and was making a living playing blackjack when he started writing books. He felt the need to write about blackjack because it bothered him to see all the bad information being put out by so called experts who didn’t even play the game.

His book Blackbelt in Blackjack was published in 1983. It’s said this book is for professional players who are looking to further their winning ability but this book covers the basics of blackjack to the more advanced techniques. His book covers everything you need to know on blackjack such as team play, multiple deck camouflage techniques, pros shuffle tracking, 7 count, zen count, true count, hi lo count, and more.

5 – Blackjack for Blood

Bryce Carlson started playing blackjack in 1970. His interest in blackjack didn’t stem from wanting to make a lot of money; it was from wanting to beat the casino. Carlson gained his blackjack knowledge by reading many great books and trading tips with several famous blackjack players he got to meet over the years.

His book Blackjack for Blood was published in 2001. It’s for people who don’t know anything about blackjack but want to get started. His book starts with blackjack basics and then goes to the information he learned from world class players. He covers the strategy he personally uses while playing, the Advanced Omega II System for card counting. Carlson developed the Omega II Blackjack Machine, which is computer software that helps him analyze blackjack so he can improve his playing.

6 – Knock Out Blackjack

Knock Out Blackjack was published in 1998 and written by Ken Fuchs and Olaf Vancura. This book teaches you The KO Count. This count was a revolutionary new way to count cards.

The belief that the Hi Lo involved too much counting and took the fun out of the game is what led Fuchs and Vancura to write this book. They developed the KO Count by making one major change to the Hi Lo method. This change is that 7 is a low card instead of a neutral. When you see a 7, you add a one to the count. This leads to an unbalanced system.

This book goes into depth of how the KO Count method works and some suggestions on how to play the game while using this method.

7 – Playing Blackjack as a Business

Lawrence Revere was a controversial figure in the world of gambling because he was both a player and worked for the casino. He played under several aliases such as Leonard Speck Parsons and Paul Mann. He was a pit boss, owner, troubleshooter, dealer, and professional Blackjack player over the course of 28 years. His first introduction to blackjack was when he was 13 and began dealing blackjack in home state of Iowa.

His book Playing Blackjack as a Business was published in 1971 and includes strategies he developed with the high speed computers made by Julian H. Bruan with the IBM Corporation. These counting strategies are The Revere Point Count, The Revere Five Count Strategy, The Reverse Plus Minus Strategy, and The Ten Count Strategy.

His Revere Point Count is considered a benchmark strategy. He also had a high level strategy called Revere Advanced Point Count but it’s unnecessarily complicated and rarely used today.

8 – The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book

The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book by Ken Cooper and Lance Humble was published in 1980.

This book is a complete system blackjack card counting book. It starts with information about blackjack and why card counters can win. It then jumps into the social part of blackjack card counting such as reading the dealer, talking to the pit boss, choosing the casino, and when it’s time to make a fast exit.

You then learn about the card counting system promoted in this book, Hi Opt 1 counting system using a side count of aces. After that the book covers private blackjack games, playing multiple hands, additional tips, and more.

9 – Million Dollar Blackjack

Ken Uston was a famous blackjack player best known for his concept of team play blackjack. He graduated from Yale with honors and was Senior Vice President of the Pacific Stock Exchange when he gave up his career to peruse blackjack.

He was first famous for earning millions of dollars from casino. He was then famous for being banned from many casinos around the world causing him to disguise himself to get back into these casinos.

Uston filled a high profile law suit that said casinos couldn’t ban someone for card counting, and he won. This caused casinos everywhere to change their blackjack rules and increase the decks in a game.

His book Million Dollar Blackjack was published in 1982 and includes all of his knowledge related to blackjack and his experiences throughout his gambling career.

10 – Blackjack Attack

Donald Schlesinger is a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame and author of Blackjack Attack which is widely considered one of the most important books relating to blackjack today.

Blackjack Attack is a collection of Schlesinger’s articles from the Blackjack Forum of Arnold Snyder. First published in 1997, it’s currently in its third edition which has twice as much information as the second edition.

This book is for players that already have a good understanding of basic blackjack information and card counting and have played it in a live game setting. He covers camouflage, risk analysis, systems comparison, optimal betting, team play, and more. The third edition added his reexamination of Peter Griffin’s work and the most accurately devised basic strategy and effects of removal charts.

11 – Basic Blackjack

Another great blackjack book by Stanford Wong, Basic Blackjack was published in 1992. Basic Blackjack covers what the title says, the basics of blackjack. It covers the basic strategy variations in blackjack found whenever blackjack can be found.

He goes over common rule variations like whether the dealer hits soft seventeen or the number of decks. He also covers uncommon rule variations and how they change the player’s strategy and expectations.

At the end of the book you also find information about tells, warps, and other tricks. These last three chapters of the book have been debated as crossing the line from advantage to cheating.

12 – Play Blackjack Like the Pros

Play Blackjack Like the Pros was published in 2005 and is an instructional book by Kevin Blackwood. Blackwood is a professional blackjack player and has played in the Ultimate Blackjack Tour and the World Series of Blackjack.

In his book he teaches the million dollar strategies he uses. You’ll learn about blackjack in high and low stakes casinos, shoe games, online, and tournaments. As with most blackjack books you start with an overview of the game but then he teaches his own card counting method for novice, recreational or professional.

His book also covers information about money management, team play, and camouflaging techniques. Blackwood also shares his stories and successes at the table.

13 – Blackjack Essays

Mason Malmuth is a professional gambler that has written over 600 articles and 20 books. In 1978 Malmuths interest in gambling sparked during an overnight stop in Las Vegas on his way to California. 9 years later in 1987 he left his corporate job to pursue a career in gambling and gambling writer full time. He currently owns Two Plus Two Publishing.

His book Blackjack Essay was published in 1996 and is aimed at advanced blackjack players.

Blackjack Essay covers:

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• Shuffle tracking
• Blackjack biases
• Theoretical concepts
• Current blackjack
• Supplemental strategies
• Mistaken ideas
• Playing in a casino
• Front loading
• Obsolete techniques
• Gambler’s ruin
• Back counting
• The one deck game
• Betting strategies
• Becoming a professional
• Casino preparation
• Heads up play
• First basing
• And more.

14 – Blackjack Blueprint

Rick “Night Train” Blaine is a well known professional blackjack player who brings in a mid-seven figure salary from his blackjack playing alone. He plays blackjack all over the world alone and also as a blackjack team player or leader. He’s best known for his teaching skills for new blackjack players.

His book Blackjack Blueprint was published in 2005 and has everything you need to know about blackjack and how to make money playing it. You learn about card counting, basic strategy, maximizing potential, playing solo or on a team, tournaments, shuffle tracking, casino comps, playing in disguise, outwitting the eye in the sky, and more.

His revised edition also contains new information about rebates on gambling losses, disguising wins, hiding chips, risk of identity theft, personal privacy, and more. His main point of the book is a blueprint layout of how you can make blackjack a part time money making career.

15 – Get the Edge at Blackjack

Get the Edge at Blackjack was published in 2003 and written by John May. This book takes you into the secret world of professional blackjack players to teach you how to win like the pros and beat the casinos.

Casinos now use high tech mechanisms that allow them to count cards with the players and use facial recognition to look through disguises. With these new improvements, winning at the casino hasn’t been harder.

In his book, May covers dealer hole card play, automatic shuffling machines, exploiting dealer errors, Kelly betting, and more. All the subjects May covers are lightly gone over and refer you to many books that go over the specific subject in greater detail.

16 – Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution!

Frank Scoblete, also known as King Scobe, is author of Gold Touch Blackjack Revolution!, which was published in 2006. Scoblete’s interest in gambling first started while he was in Atlantic City doing research for the part of a gambler in a play. In 1989 he left the theatre company and started writing about gambling.

In his book you learn about the easiest advantage blackjack method ever developed, Speed Count. Speed count is considered by some less powerful that both the Knock Out count and the Hi Low.

But this is not believed by everyone and the Speed Count is much easier to learn than the traditional count.

17 – Modern Blackjack

Modern Blackjack was written by Norm Wattenberger and published in 2010.

His book covers:

• Over a 100 variations
• Modern basic strategy
• Casino heat
• Modern card counting systems
• Current casino conditions
• Scams and myths
• Casino comportment
• Strategy comparisons
• Hole carding
• Shuffle tracking
• Spanish 21 hole carding
• And team play.

His book goes into great details and shows the remarkable amount of research he put into each subject. Modern Blackjack teaches you everything you need to know from blackjack basics to the advanced strategies used by blackjack professionals.

18 – Blackjack Bluebook II

Blackjack Bluebook II was written by Fred Renzey and was originally published in 2003. This book is a handbook on how to play blackjack and win legitimately at casinos. It contains many visual scenarios and a color coded strategy chart to help you grasp the basic strategy of the game.

He disproves many blackjack myths and correctly shows how to play several hands that are usually misplayed. You learn 3 different card counting systems for entry level up to professional. It also includes the KISS count and many outside of box tips that are rarely written about. These include:

• The Magnificent 7 Hands
• Profiting from Other Players’ Hands
• Hi Card / Lo Card Layouts
• True Fudging with Unbalanced Counts
• The Nifty 15
• And The Ace / 10 Front Count.

19 – Big Book of Blackjack

Another book by the Blackjack Hall of Fame member Arnold Snyder, Big Book of Blackjack was published in 2006. This book is a big book of everything you need to know about blackjack.

Snyder fills this book with his over 25 years of experience in blackjack advice for players of all stages from beginning to advance players. Along with his guidance he includes winning techniques that have never been in a nationally distributed book. He focuses on both teaching you how to play blackjack and keeping the fun of the game while winning.

20 – Blackjack Wisdom

Blackack Wisdom was written by Arnold Snyder and is a collection of his best articles. This book isn’t a guide to blackjack with a certain method; it’s a mixture of all the blackjack information Snyder has written and learned about over the years.

You’ll read how Snyder keeps blackjack fun with his humorous remarks throughout the book. He also talks about several other blackjack books and why you need to read them to build on your blackjack knowledge.

21 – Winning Blackjack for the Serious Player

Winning Blackjack for the Serious Player was written by Edwin Silberstang and published in 1993. His book covers the basic rules of the game as well as a simple card counting method.

It includes:

• Five practice quizzes
• Money management
• Tipping guide
• Eight rules of self-discipline
• And sage advice for being a winner

His book also includes basic strategy charts based on location such as Vegas or Atlantic City. This book doesn’t go in depth about advanced card counting strategies and only covers the Hi Low counting method. It’s an easy to read book to help you get serious about playing blackjack.

Conclusion

21 blackjack books every player should read has a book for everyone. Among these books you can find ones that teach you the basics of blackjack to books that teach you professional strategy and secret methods used by the pros.

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for mathematically proven systems, how to make a load of money, or how to keep the fun in the game, you can find a book that fits your needs here.

Interview with Gene Palensar: a full-time professional Blackjack player - and a living legend

from Jerry Patterson

In true gambling tradition, all great players come to be known by some fitting nickname. Jerry has appropriately dubbed Gene the 'Lone Wolf.'

In his early days, Gene played solo and organized/ran his own small BJ teams, mostly in Atlantic City. In the mid-eighties, he worked with Ken Uston and lays claim to being the only surviving member of Uston's last BJ team in Las Vegas. Today, Gene plays in Atlantic City on his own, in the true spirit of a Lone Wolf.

Jerry and Gene have known each other since the early eighties. I've known Gene for less than a year. But in that short time, I've gotten to know him as well as an old friend. Gene has freely shared his playing philosophies, his methodology, and all the little tricks he uses to 'take the money off the tables.'

Gene is a very unique individual. He is a brilliantly skilled player. He can 'count down' a deck of cards faster than any player in history, casually recite over 150 Basic Strategy variations, and can keep an accurate count of several indices simultaneously while in the heat of play. He can present himself as an astute, well-spoken professional and has a real flair for philosophy, often sharing his own. Gene also possesses the street smarts of an inner-city bulldog. He can get down and dirty as well as anyone. He pumps iron and sports arms the size of tree trunks. All his skills and diverse abilities give him the tools necessary to successfully exploit any situation in the casino.

Gene employs a blend of card counting, table selection (using TARGET 21 factors), and casino 'savvy' to win consistently. He is also a master at exploiting the 'comp game.' He lives rent-free in AC casinos nearly half the year.

Gene has graciously offered to share with us his background, his insights on winning play and his 'spin' on today's casino Blackjack in general. On a Thursday afternoon last May, Gene and I sat across from one another at a table in my room at the Trump Castle in AC. What resulted was an incredible interview in which Gene shared it all. Here it is. All of it. Unabridged, just as Gene tells it.

Many of you aspire to become full-time pros. Here's what it's all about in the 'real world.' Directly from the experience of one who is doing it successfully - today.

EN: When was it that you first developed an interest in Blackjack? How old were you? What were the circumstances?

GP: Well, to be honest, I was about seventeen years old. Actually, the first hands of Blackjack I played was when I was six or seven. I was playing against my dad and I won around twelve dollars - my first winnings. But at about seventeen, I started coming to the casinos to play the real thing.

EN: You were getting into the casinos then?

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GP: Yeah. I was sneaking in. Me and a buddy, we were just gamblers. We liked the action; we would try to predict when to bet and throw $500 out on the table. I remember I won a few times. I was always ahead, at one point up to ten or fifteen thousand. Being a gambler and not knowing what I was doing, I eventually lost. Then at about nineteen, I started in again. I was being told at the time to stay away from the big money. They were saying, 'Don't go near the big money.' But my philosophy was the opposite: 'The big money knows how to get the big money.' I still didn't know how to play but would sit in the $100 games. I was only nineteen. They would say, 'Kid, get the hell off this game. You don't know what you're doing. Find a $10 game.' But I would win! I was winning thousands and thousands of dollars! I was getting casino limousine service, big comps, living the good life. Then, all of a sudden one day, it ended.

EN: What happened?

GP: I lost. ...(long pause)... My girlfriend left me and everything came crashing down. ...(another long pause)... It made me more determined than ever to learn how to beat these places. It made me ask myself, 'How can I consistently beat these places without having to rely on Lady Luck?' I heard about card-counting, so I bought a book.

EN: Up until that time, Gene, you were relying on intuition? Luck?

GP: Right. But I figured there was some way for me to become a better player and consistent winner.

EN: Were you using any method? Basic Strategy?

GP: Not even Basic Strategy. The big players on the $100 games at Caesar's would flat bet $2,500 a hand. I would stick my nose in and they hated it. (laughing) They'd want to beat me up!

EN: How many casinos did you have to chose from back then? There weren't very many open, were there?

GP: No. There was Resorts, Caesar's, the Claridge, Bally's, Sands, the Golden Nugget, and I think that was about it. I remember TropWorld was just being built. So, I decided, I'm going to practice, I'm going to study. And I'm going to be the best card counter that ever was.

EN: How did you hear about card counting?

GP: I heard about it from a friend's mother. She would talk about it. I saw the 'Sixty Minutes' interview with Ken Uston. And I knew there was a method to beat Blackjack. So I bought Uston's book, Million Dollar Blackjack. I decided to practice day and night 'til I could beat these people.

EN: Did you practice with the information in the book alone?

GP: Yes. Day and night. ...and I became determined that, not only would I be the best, but I would eventually get on one of Kenny Uston's teams!

EN: Really?!

GP: Yes. I made up my mind while I was reading the book and practicing.

EN: Had you met Ken? Did you know him?

GP: No. I just knew that I would do it. Whatever it would take to do it. And I did it.

EN: Pretty confident attitude.

GP: Well, I don't know. Maybe it was confidence; maybe it was sheer stupidity (laughing). But I knew I would have to use his three-level count. Because he (Ken Uston) would need to be impressed. I couldn't use any old count, and I had to be good. I kept practicing and studying. I went to Atlantic City a few times. Played and initially lost. I didn't have much of a bankroll. But eventually I began to win ... and won quite a lot of money in Atlantic City.

EN: On your own? By yourself?

GP: Yes. On my own.

EN: Gene, you have the reputation of possessing some of the most impressive card counting abilities around. Please tell us a bit about this.

GP: Well, I've counted down a single deck in eight-and-a-half seconds. I've perfected that.

EN: Very impressive.

GP: Thanks. I can do an eight-deck 'special' in eighty-six seconds. And I can do a six-deck regular in around sixty-five seconds ... with accuracy, AND with a side count of aces on my feet ... (long pause) ... It's just my obsessive nature to be the best in order to beat these people at their own game. And it runs over from my time with Ken ... to show him I was the best ... I had to bring something to the table. I couldn't be just any Joe Blow, walk in off the street and say, 'Here I am. I can count cards. Put me on your team.'

EN: How did you finally meet Kenny Uston?

GP: Well, here's what I did. I knew he stayed at the Jockey Club when he was in Vegas. So I called there several times and they finally gave me his home phone number.

EN: Really?! (laughing) Persistence!

GP: Yeah. Persistence pays off sometimes. So I talked with him. He was living in San Francisco at the time. I told him that I use his count, I have money, and I wanted to get in on the team play.

EN: When was this?

GP: 1984. I was twenty-one years old. Ken said he was going to get something going. He promised to call me, and eventually he did.

EN: How long did you have to wait for the call?

GP: About six months, I think. He finally called .. in the spring of '85. My dad was against it. He said, 'Why go there?' He said, 'You're making money here. Why bother?' I said, 'Well, I'm going to take a chance, go out there and try it.'

EN: When Kenny called, did he accept you over the phone? Did he want to see a demonstration of your skills? How were things handled at this point?

GP: He said to come on out and asked how much I wanted to put up in the bank. I told him I'd be willing to put up $10,000. He said to come on out and he would check my skills. I was nervous. I made a lot of mistakes at first. But quickly things straightened out. I became the most consistent winner on that team.

EN: How many members were on that team?

GP: People shifted from time to time. But, overall, nine participated.

EN: What was the team's profit objective? Many times a Blackjack team will look to double their bankroll, then disband. Was your objective similar?

GP: That's it. We were looking to double our starting bank.

EN: What play methodology did the team decide to employ?

GP: The Big Player strategy. There would be a Counter at the table and the Big Player would also be present at the table, varying his bets from $25 to $500. We would use 'chip signals,' placing our bets at set locations in the betting square to indicate proper bet size for the Big Player ... from one to five. We would also use hand signals to tell the Big Player to hit, stand, double-down, or split.

EN: Did you move around a lot or stick to just a small number of casinos?

GP: We played wherever we could find good games. We played anywhere and everywhere. Mostly all double-deck, though.

EN: How many team members did you have in a casino at any given time?

GP: Just two players in one casino. The Big Player and the Counter. We broke up the overall team into mini-teams of two. Maybe Ken would play at the Riviera. He liked the Riviera. I would play at the IP (Imperial Palace) most of the time. Sometimes I would play at Caesar's. My first session was at Caesar's ... with his girlfriend, Inga. My first session out, I won $5,000.

EN: Very Nice. Did you switch back-and-forth between functioning as BP (Big Player) and Counter?

GP: No. The BPs were always assigned as BPs and Counters were always Counters. Wait. There was one time when Ken was a BP for me. I was calling Ken's signals at the Dunes because...Umm...Ken was inebriated.

EN: How many hours each week did the team play?

GP: That's hard to say. Often I was playing twelve hours a day.

EN: Seven days a week?

GP: Yeah. Seven days a week. Ken called me 'Dig Out' because it seemed I was the one who always recovered our losses, brought us back from our low points. Ken would mention that it took sheer determination to win.

EN: How long did this team hold together?

GP: It started to break up on July 1. There was a woman on the team that used a $10,000 concealed Blackjack computer in her play. She contributed $7,000 cash to the team bank. On July 1, the Nevada State Judiciary outlawed concealed Blackjack computers. She immediately pulled out. I think she was looking for an excuse to drop out anyway.

EN: Was anyone else on the team using a concealed computer?

GP: No.

EN: Interesting. Did you find her play to be more accurate with the use of the computer?

GP: Well, I can say that she was a consistent winner. She was good. She knew what she was doing. And I liked having her on the team. I knew we could count on her.

EN: The computer that she used. Was it the 'George' or the 'David?'

GP: The 'George' was one of the first, maybe the very first, concealed Blackjack computer around. Hers was far more sophisticated than the 'George.' Maybe it was the 'David.' I really don't remember if it had a name. I do know that it was far superior to anything Kenny had used up to that point.

EN: Ken had been experimenting with concealed computers, hadn't he?

GP: Yes. In prior years, Kenny had a computer team. I had spoken with the computer expert a few times. I know who he is.

EN: Back to the team. Gene, when did the team start and when did it disband?

GP: It started in June and I left in August. I was on the team for two months, staying at the Jockey Club. I stuck it out 'til the very end.

EN: Members just gradually pulled out?

GP: Right. They just couldn't handle it. Ken wasn't the easiest guy ... he had his problems. But the guy was a genius. He really was sharp. He just had his problems ... his vices. He let his vices overtake him. But he was a whiz. I thought that if he could straighten out, we could make some real money. It was funny. I would have these talks with Ken and he would say, 'Gene, you have the wisdom of a seventy-year-old.' I knew what was troubling him and we would discuss it. His father had died and left unresolved issues behind. It bothered him. We had one member of the team who was destructive. He would supply Kenny with his vices because of his own avarice. That guy really hurt the team. He was stealing from the team.

EN: Did the team use lie detectors?

GP: We never did. We were going to, but never did.

EN: This was your first encounter with Ken Uston. Was he everything you expected?

GP: No. Nothing like I expected. It was a letdown. I could see that the guy was a master at marketing and he knew how to market himself. He was a brilliant individual. He really was. In many ways, I really admired him for what he could do. Half in the bag, he could still crank out numbers unbelievably. I liked Ken. That's why I stuck with him so long. I liked him. He had his problems, but I thought maybe we could make it. We had a bad session at Bourbon Street one time and that was the beginning of the end.

EN: What happened?

GP: The team was still together. In this session, he had a bit too much to drink, too much partying, too much ..... And he was playing a table at Bourbon Street with maximum bets of $200. He was playing all seven spots. It was around 6:00 AM. I heard a knock at my door. It was Ken's girlfriend. She told me to get down to call plays for Ken. He was in no shape to play and was certainly going to lose. So I ran down as fast as I could and started calling plays for him. I was back-counting while he sat at the table ... and we started to win a little bit. Two security guards rushed me and threw me out. They knew they had a drunk and were poised to take him for every nickel. He lost over $5,000 in that session. Excuse me. It was about $7,000. This was the last straw. You can't play drunk.

EN: Where was the bank at that point?

GP: We were down. I forget how much. But we were down.

EN: What was the overall result of the team? Where did things stand when you broke up?

GP: Well, I lost only a couple thousand of my own money with the team. Ken put in more money to keep it going. He went to San Francisco for a week - to the bank. He wanted to overcome the problems - keep things going. He wanted me on his team. I know I told him I'd stick with him to the end ... but that was it, that was the last straw. You just can't play drunk. It's a total lack of discipline.

EN: I guess we all learn that at some point.

GP: That's what did it. I was playing my heart out every day ... twelve hours a day. I remember Ken called me on the phone. He had a suite downtown at the Sundance. He said, 'Hey Gene, we won twelve thousand this week!' I responded by saying, 'No Ken, I won twelve thousand this week. You didn't win anything.' I said, 'Let's get on the ball ... quit playing games ... let's make some real money.' If we could have kept the garbage out, I know we could have taken the town for a hundred thousand ... easy ... EASY! The BP's were getting the bets down. We were getting $500 bets down. Even $1,000 bets. Two hands of $500 ... no problem at all. No heat at all. Finally, I got pulled up at the Imperial Palace ... because I beat them for so much money that week. They finally snapped and 'back-roomed' me.

EN: Really. What was the experience like?

GP: Well it was nerve wracking, hair raising, to say the least. They took me in a back room. They took my picture, made me sign the 'Trespass Act' stating that I'd never set foot in there again, called the police, claimed that I was mucking cards. They said they were going to call the police. I said 'Go ahead, I want them here.' They looked at me kind of strange. They said 'Let us see your identification.' I showed it to them. I had a temporary paper New Jersey license. On the bottom of my license was Ken Uston's name. It read, 'In care of Ken Uston, Jockey Club, Las Vegas, NV.' I showed this to the police. I said, 'See this? It says Ken Uston. This is who I'm with. Do you want a lawsuit? Do you want to beat me up? What do you want to do?' They had two big security guards. After all this was done, the cops said,'OK, let him go.' The guards led me out the back way ... and boy, was I scared. I thought they were going to kick my ... !

EN: What did they do with your money at the table?

GP: They let me keep it.

EN: So that was Ken Uston's last team.

GP: That's right. That was it. A couple of years later, he died ... in Paris.

EN: Did you stay in touch with Ken after the team broke up?

GP: I called on one occasion about three weeks later ... he was still there at the Jockey Club. He didn't sound in very good shape.

EN: You told me earlier that you didn't lose your entire stake on this team. What happened in the end? Did you simply split the remainder?

GP: Right.

EN: How did you handle expenses? Did they come out of your winnings?

GP: Yes. At times we were ahead. Ken handled that. He was taking care of the condos. We rented two condos at the Jockey Club. We did take expenses out of the winnings.

EN: After that, did you return to New Jersey?

GP: Well sure ... I came back ... a little bit wiser ... to say the least.

EN: (chuckling) I see. Did you resume individual play?

GP: Yeah. As a matter of fact, just a couple of days later, I went down to Resorts with a little mini-team and won about fifteen hundred.

EN: Must have felt good.

GP: Yeah. It felt great.

EN: You've known Jerry for some time. How did you meet? What were the circumstances?

GP: When I first started playing Blackjack, I wanted to get as many opinions as possible. I saw his book. I got his number and called. I asked him about team play. This was before I hooked up with Ken. At the time, Jerry said he was moving away from card counting ... that he was involved now in something called TARGET 21. He told me it was a winning Blackjack method that could be mastered by average players much easier than card counting. This was when Jerry first introduced TARGET 21. I was one of the first to buy the program ... I was about 21 at the time. It was around $295.

EN: It's still the same price. Hasn't changed after all these years. I believe you've stayed in touch with Jerry over the years. Is that true?

GP: Oh sure! We've spoken frequently. I've called to ask questions and sometimes just to see what's new. I called recently to let him know I was back playing in Atlantic City. Jerry's a good guy. He's always been an honest guy. When you meet Jerry, you can tell he's an honest guy. Some of these other characters that are in the game ... they're ... well, in my opinion, they're just a bunch of scam artists. I know of one guy who tells the story of going into a casino with his 50-man team and winning a million in one weekend. This is outrageous. Just not true. How can anyone make such a claim? Jerry doesn't make these ridiculous claims. He simply states that with his TARGET 21, he gives the player an advantage ... which he does. And I agree with him. I think that for anyone looking to make some money in the casino, this is the about the best way to go. It really is.

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EN: Gene, Blackjack conditions are quite a bit different today as compared to ten or twelve years ago. How have you seen things change during this period?

GP: Well, in Atlantic City, ten years ago things were much better. They've gotten progressively worse. Some rule changes have also been made. Overall, conditions in Atlantic City right now are pretty poor.

EN: What do you think contributes to these bad conditions? Shuffles? Full tables? .... ?

GP: Yes. The shuffles are a big part of it. Different casinos have different shuffles. I've been told by one of my insider friends that the casinos are using computer experts working with different shuffling techniques to maximize their profits. And it's obvious. Take a look around for evidence of players winning ... there is none (laughing). These casinos just continue to increase their profits.

EN: But Gene, even with such tough conditions, you're able to beat them.

GP: On occasion ... yes, I can beat them. But it's very,very difficult to beat these people. You must use everything to your advantage. You've got your card-counting. You've got TARGET 21. Together or alone, you've got to use these techniques when and where they are most appropriate. You've got to assess the situation, and when an opportunity presents itself, you've got to exploit it with the best means possible.

EN: Do you think in today's game you can beat Blackjack with card counting techniques alone?

GP: That's a tough one. I would say probably not. Sure, there are some Cinderella stories about big wins. There was a guy who reported winning a hundred thousand playing the Red Seven System. Why not Black Ace? Why not King of Clubs or whatever? What's the point? These stories insinuate that anyone can go in and win a hundred thousand overnight using one of these card-counting techniques. No, I don't think you can win consistently in the eight-deck Atlantic City games using card-counting techniques alone. You've got to use other options.

EN: Card-counting purists like Arnold Snyder and Stanford Wong still teach card counting in its traditional form ... the way it was taught years ago. In their publications, they vehemently deny the credibility of all other methods ... as being bogus. What do you think of their positions?

GP: Well, you have to remember that these theoreticians ... most of them never play a hand of Blackjack ... at least as far as I've seen. These characters think that because you have a 'theoretical' advantage over the casinos that you can actually beat them. It's not true. I equate 'theoretical Blackjack' to 'theoretical Marxism.' Looks good on paper, but it doesn't work! These guys try to talk about how Jerry's systems are bogus. They're not bogus! I see TARGET 21 tables in the casinos. And I exploit them myself. I use it. Even Ken talked about how inadequate shuffling creates clumping and how card counting is a failure in those situations. Ken agreed with Jerry. In order to win, you need physical production of tens ... on the table ... not a 'theoretical' advantage. You must get a winning hand. And if you're not receiving winning hands, you're going to lose. You're going to risk your entire bankroll on a theoretical advantage ... which is just never going to produce.

EN: What strategies work best to exploit today's games?

GP: Well, it depends. You need to use both. I employ TARGET 21 techniques with card counting. If I don't have a dealer-breaking table, I am not going to bet up into a theoretical advantage. I'm not going to put up $500 into a theoretical edge in a game where I'm physically losing. That's it. Other card counters tell me I'm crazy. I'll be flat betting $25 in favorable counts. I'm just not going to fall into that trap. I've lost too many times doing it. Now, there are different situations. In the multiple-deck shoe games, you must employ these TARGET 21 techniques to win. In the single-deck games, well that's different ... because you are going to get those statistical tens. But we're not playing in single-deck games here in Atlantic City. We're playing in six- and eight-deck games where anything can happen.

EN: You know, Gene, Jerry calls you the Lone Wolf. Because you're in here playing on your own ... a Lone Wolf professional. What are your thoughts concerning team play versus individual play in today's game?

GP: Actually, I'd rather play with a team. If you have good players and honest players, you can make a lot of money. But those are big ifs. So I play alone.

EN: What are the big advantages to team play? Getting in more hours? Sharing a bank? ... ?

GP: Sharing a bank is one. Covering more tables ... and seeing more opportunities. I do this on a limited basis now. Other card counters who know me will sometimes signal me into a good game. And I will sometimes do the same for them. I've won a few hundred in the past couple of weeks just with friends calling me into games. I was just standing around (laughing) being a dummy. They called me in and we shared some good shoes. I'm always grateful.

EN: How many other pros do you see operating here in Atlantic City?

GP: I personally know two other full-timers and three or four part-timers. I see them regularly.

EN: How about heat? Do you get much? How do you handle it?

GP: Well, I've gotten a little bit at Resorts lately. I'm blown out on a couple of shifts. The graveyard shift ... I'm out of there. I've exploited that a little too much. Other than that, I don't get much.

EN: When you do get heat, what do they do?

GP: Basically, they point fingers at me. They point me out to the pit personnel. They make gestures and whisper that you're a professional player. They'll try to stop your complementaries.

EN: Making you feel uncomfortable ...

GP: Right. They'll follow you around. The best thing that I've found is don't be intimidated by these people. This is what they like! They like to feel like they're the second coming of Sherlock Holmes. They've found a professional within their midst ... someone with brains ... someone who's not just an average gambler. Do not be intimidated. Never be intimidated. If you show that you're intimidated, they'll never let up on you. They'll continually hound you. I know ... by experience.

EN: Gene, have you ever tried physical disguises in the casino? Hiding your identity?

GP: Yeah, a couple of times. But no, I've never really used them. I've thought about them. But, no. I'll use the Big Player method to get my bets down. The casinos don't catch on to this very quickly. I'll use a BP to jump in on a back count. Lots of counters claim they need disguises. I think they're just caught up on themselves.

EN: Ever been barred here in Atlantic City?

GP: No. You can't be barred in Atlantic City. I was thrown out of Resorts for twenty-four hours once. ... Just that one time at the Imperial Palace in Vegas. That's the only time.

EN: I know you play the comp game pretty well. Comments?

GP: Sure. The thing to do is to get in good with the Host. If the Host sees that you're a frequent player, you'll be well taken care of. The Host can override any of the pit personnel. Pit personnel tend to be stingy. They seem to like to hold comps for their friends and favorites, regardless of their action.

EN: As we sit here talking, I understand you're in the middle of accomplishing a specific goal ... sort of like a team objective ... but on your own. Will you share your general goal with us, along with the strategies you've chosen to achieve it?

GP: My strategies include using everything I can use ... card counting combined with TARGET 21 ... to reach my objective. Then get completely out of the game.

EN: So this is going to do it for you?

GP: Well, yes ... for a while anyway. Eventually, you do get burned out. Eventually, you get to the point where you don't want to play the game anymore. And you go through periods of losing ... especially with pure card counting. There are lots of factors outside of the game itself. There are the emotions and feelings. Nobody can play perfectly all of the time. Some full-time players never learn to master the emotions and self-destruct. This is why I say TARGET 21 is so good for the majority of players. They can come in on weekends and win a few bucks for themselves. It teaches discipline ... money management ... common sense ... and should be used by most players. And, of course, if a player wants to use it for professional play, then it can be taken to a higher level. I strongly believe TARGET 21 is terrific for most players ... I really do.

EN: Your objective ... when did you start working on this particular goal?

GP: I started on my birthday. I was in a bookstore looking for the book, 'The Wealth of Nations,' an economics book written in the nineteenth century. I happened to walk by the gaming section and saw Uston's book, ' Ken Uston on Blackjack - The Five Million Dollar Man Tells All.' I knew that Ken had written about me in the book. So I leafed through it. I didn't like what I read because a lot of it was misinformation. For some reason, this incident sort of called me to get back into play.

EN: Fate?

GP: I don't know. Fate? Maybe Ken's ghost? Whatever it was, I'm convinced it was a sign. I started to practice .. get back into playing shape. I knew I had to get back into the casino ... to get winning again ... to make another go at it.

EN: You had an adequate bank?

GP: Oh yeah ... you need a sizable bank. I was all set.

EN: How long have you been at it now?

GP: About seven months now. I've been living down here five to seven days at a stretch ... all on the casinos mind you. Complimentary rooms, complimentary gourmet meals, expensive wine - King Louis XIII Cognac from the Trop at $75 a shot!

EN: (Laughing) How has your weight been doing?

GP: Fine! Actually, pretty good. I spend a lot of time walking. There aren't very many solid winning opportunities, so I've got to keep moving around to find them. Really, things are good. If you like life on the road. I get to meet a lot of interesting people, live like a king for free herein Atlantic City and make a few bucks beating the casinos at their own game.

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EN: You've been at it now for seven months. How close are you to achieving your goal? Percentage-wise, how far along are you?

GP: Percentage-wise, not too good. It's been tough. I've had a few setbacks. Personal situations out of my control. But I am making progress in a positive direction.

EN: Do you have a projected time in mind to finish?

GP: (Laughing) Well, either I'll make it or I'll go broke! Either one.

EN: But for seven months you've been making your living with Blackjack?

GP: Oh yeah. I've covered all of my personal living expenses, travel expenses, those unexpected setback expenses AND I've managed to chip away at my 'nest egg' objective ... although that's the part that's been slow. I'm really pretty good though. It's not easy. But I'm pretty good. I'm hanging in. Believe me, it's not easy here in Atlantic City. If there were better games here, I'd be further ahead.

EN: Going back to Ken Uston's days, what was the longest team play you remember?

GP: Just the ones written about. They ran for several months.

EN: Gene, many of our Network members have aspirations of becoming full-time professionals just like yourself. What parting words of wisdom do you have for us?

GP: If they really want to become full-time professionals at this game, they must be determined. Determination is key. Ninety percent of the game is mental. You have to have a good mental attitude going into these places. You have to remember, in these casinos there are no windows, there are no clocks ... they're very depressing. And when you go into a losing streak, you become more depressed. So you have to know when to leave, when to take your break, when to get a little sunshine, when to revitalize yourself and when to go back in again. But determination is the key to success in any of these games. If you don't have a set goal before you start, then don't even bother.

EN: One last thing before we finish up. Recently there have been a number of professional players who have taken their battles to court. Tony Campione was awarded a huge amount of money from the Trop. Tommy Hyland is in the process of suing every casino in North America. They claim to be trying to force the casinos to let them play without the threat of being barred ... and to give them a fair game without preferential shuffling. Of course, this will all take years to play out. What are your thoughts regarding these actions? Do you think this will ultimately help us? Hinder us? What do you think?

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GP: If anything, it will probably hurt things. I believe Tommy Hyland is simply trying to take a fast track to making a name for himself ... fame and fortune through lots of publicity. I don't think he's sincere about creating a fair game for the public. He's just an opportunist. You can go back to 1980 when Ken Uston took his case to court to allow card counters to play in Atlantic City. He won. But I find that players get more heat in Atlantic City than in Vegas because of that ruling. And I think that's why we have all shoe games and poor conditions in Atlantic City ... because they can't bar players. It's very hard for them to bar a player in Vegas. I played there consistently for two months without being barred ... except that one time. And that was with a variation spread ... with a Big Player ... between $25 and $500 and sometimes up to $1,000 ... two hands of $500. Ultimately, the lawsuit made the game worse in Atlantic City. Sure, they can't bar you. But they can harass you, intimidate you, and the game has been very, very difficult ever since. So I think these actions will make things worse. I think they ought to leave things alone and try to play on their abilities instead of making a fast buck with legal action. But if they do, more power to them. But it's not going to help us. That's for sure.

EN: Gene, that's going to do it. We've covered just about everything. Do you have anything you'd like to add?

GP: Yes. I'd like to mention again that Jerry has been consistent. He's still here after all these years. He's not a fly-by-night type of guy like some of these guys. He's not like these Snyders and Wongs who never play. Well I guess Wong used to play, but not much anymore. These guys have way too much to say. They're just in it for the marketing bucks. They don't offer very much of value. These are the 'purists,' the 'traditionalists.' Jerry is'real-world.'

EN: Well, that's it Gene. On behalf of all our Network members reading this interview, I extend infinite thanks and wish you the best of luck in quickly reaching your goal. We'll stay in touch.

Editor's Note: For more on dice control, pick up a copy of Jerry Patterson's book – Casino Gambling: A Winner's Guide to Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat and Casino Poker.