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Edward O. Thorp

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Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One Mass Market Paperback – April 12, 1966

by Edward O. Thorp (Author)

857 ratings

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The Book That Made Las Vegas Change the Rules
Over 1,000,000 Copies in Print

Edward O. Thorp is the father of card counting, and in this classic guide he shares the revolutionary point system that has been successfully used by professional and amateur card players for generations. This book provides:

o   an overview of the basic rules of the game
o   proven winning strategies ranging from simple to advanced
o   methods to overcome casino counter measures
o   ways to spot cheating
o   charts and tables that clearly illustrate key concepts

A fascinating read and an indispensable resource for winning big, Beat the Dealer is the bible for players of this game of chance.

**Bring these strategies into the casino: Perforated cards included in the book**

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

A winning strategy for the game of 21. The essentials, consolidated in simple charts, can be understood and memorized by the average player.

From the Back Cover

A winning strategy for the game of 21. The essentials, consolidated in simple charts, can be understood and memorized by the average player.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0394703103
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 12, 1966
Edition ‏ : ‎ Revised
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 220 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780394703107
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0394703107
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.15 x 0.65 x 6.9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #58,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8 in Blackjack (Books)
- #45 in Card Games (Books)
- #56 in Puzzle & Game Reference (Books)

Customer Reviews:
857 ratings

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Edward O. Thorp

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Edward O Thorp is widely known as the author of the 1962 Beat the Dealer, which was the first book to prove mathematically that blackjack could be beaten by card counting, and the 1967 Beat the Market, which showed how warrant option markets could be priced and beaten. He is regarded as one of the best hedge fund managers in the world. He is also regarded as the co-inventor of the first wearable computer along with Claude Shannon. Thorp received his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1958 and worked at MIT from 1959 to 1961. He was a professor of mathematics from 1965 to 1977 and a professor of mathematics and finance from 1977 to 1982 at the University of California, Irvine.

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857 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to follow and read, with one noting the well-explained mathematics and probability theory. They consider it a great resource for blackjack players, with one highlighting its comprehensive coverage of hi-lo counting, and another mentioning its functionality even with a 6-deck shoe. Customers describe it as a fun read with good value for money, though opinions about its age are mixed, with some finding it an oldie but goodie while others consider it outdated.

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Readability Blackjack knowledge Ease of reading Value for money Fun to read Functionality Age of book Page missing

33 customers mention "Readability"33 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and fun to read, with one customer noting it's better than the documentary version.

"...Nevertheless, this is a very interesting book and well worth reading to learn about professors Thorpe's experiences when he took his system on the..." Read more

"This is a good book for anyone trying to learn how to count cards. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase." Read more

"its a great book, iv been learning the methods and have leveraged over $4,000(fake of course because I'm not in a real casino)..." Read more

"Great book. Easy to follow and read." Read more

30 customers mention "Blackjack knowledge"27 positive3 negative

Customers find this book to be a valuable resource for blackjack players, with one customer noting it serves as a reference tool, while another mentions it provides a great introduction to proper Blackjack for beginners.

"...That it's written entirely focused on Blackjack, and then on gaining a theoretical upper hand in a game where even the highest stakes tables may as..." Read more

"...In short, this book is a must for anyone interested in gambling and trading, notably, the Kelly Criterion is cited somewhere in the book." Read more

"...This is the original book of how to beat the casinos and it worked for decades...." Read more

"This is a book about counting cards for poker but can be useful to learn how to apply probability theory to stock trading...." Read more

14 customers mention "Ease of reading"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to follow and read, with one customer noting that the probability theory is well explained.

"...He is a master quantitative trader, with real deal mathematical chops...." Read more

"A good introduction to proper Blackjack for beginners. A straight mathematical and scientific approach to playing your hand each and every time..." Read more

"Easy to navigate" Read more

"...Great historical view, easy to understand the probability theory. If you love blackjack, you must read this book." Read more

9 customers mention "Value for money"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be good value for money, with one customer noting it's a great investment.

"...Nevertheless, this is a very interesting book and well worth reading to learn about professors Thorpe's experiences when he took his system on the..." Read more

"...single deck games now either suck or don't exist, this book is still worth it." Read more

"Cheap paper, but the price was right." Read more

"LOVE THE PAY CHECK" Read more

3 customers mention "Fun to read"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fun to read.

"...and if it did, i'd never be able to memorize it. just a fun read for old time sake." Read more

"...It is easy to learn and fun to play with a chance to win." Read more

"Very informative and fun." Read more

3 customers mention "Functionality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's strategy effective, with one mentioning it works even with a 6-deck shoe.

"...This is the original book of how to beat the casinos and it worked for decades...." Read more

"...I bought a book for my son and a book for myself. It works. Memorize book then, use the principles in the book." Read more

"IT STILL WORKS EVEN WITH A 6 DECK SHOE..." Read more

10 customers mention "Age of book"4 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's age, with some finding it an "Oldie but a Goodie" while others consider it outdated.

"Outdated. Doesn't include information for tables dealing from shoes up to 8 decks which is primarily what is used in Tahoe...." Read more

"...Great historical view, easy to understand the probability theory. If you love blackjack, you must read this book." Read more

"depending on what your looking for, I found the charts rather old to use and doesn't clearly explain the mathematics behind why card counting is..." Read more

"Just a classic book. While Thorp was far from the first person to count cards, his experience's and idea's were great...." Read more

3 customers mention "Page missing"0 positive3 negative

Customers report issues with missing pages in the book.

"I received this book missing pages. I am really upset." Read more

"Wripped cover, faded, pieces missing. Unnecessary large sticker on front cover that left a sticky mark." Read more

"there were pages missing." Read more

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K.C.
IT STILL WORKS EVEN WITH A 6 DECK SHOE
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

Professor Thorpe published his book in the 1960s. I read it in the 1970s long before there was an Amazon.com.

When I read it, the casinos had already gone from single-deck Blackjack to a six deck shoe. This change was solely because of Professor Thorpe's book. To this day, I still hear people say that you can't count cards with a 6 deck shoe. They say this because they labor under the mistaken belief that counting cards involves memorizing the cards that are out of the deck. In fact, counting cards has absolutely nothing to do with memorizing the cards. When you're counting, all you're doing is keeping track of how many big cards are out of the deck versus how many small cards. When there is a disproportionate number of small cards out of the deck, the advantage shifts to the player. When this happens the player makes a larger bet. When the house has the advantage, the player makes a small bet. Therefore, it doesn't matter weather it is one deck, six decks, or 100 decks.

The difference between counting with a single deck, and counting with a 6 deck shoe, is that the advantage gained from counting cards is dramatically reduced. After I originally read Professor Thorpe's book, I crunched the numbers to determine the profitability of counting when playing with a six deck shoe. What I discovered was that if someone played blackjack 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and had a bankroll of half a million dollars, they can make $50,000 a year by playing Blackjack. However, if someone has $500,000 in cash, they can probably find better ways to make a living.

Nevertheless, this is a very interesting book and well worth reading to learn about professors Thorpe's experiences when he took his system on the road to test it. And, if you play a little Blackjack every once in awhile, counting will make it a little more fun.

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47 people found this helpful

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Charles Nichols
Knowledge
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2024
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase
Education

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M. Olenick
Who cares about Blackjack: it's a historical text
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2010
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I bought this book for my son who is four years ahead in his age level in math to show him that math can be used for fun. Who knows and who cares about Blackjack anymore: Beat the Dealer is widely recognized as the book that kicked off modern financial modeling and started the "hunger" in plenty of those who control the world financial markets for applying their math heads to something concrete. I don't know if I'd put it up there w/ Turing's paper about binary theory but it's close. That it's written entirely focused on Blackjack, and then on gaining a theoretical upper hand in a game where even the highest stakes tables may as well be nickel bets compared to what flows through the financial sector, makes it even more interesting.

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inquirer
the system works for single card play
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase
this is the strategy the university student learned to beat vegas. it works. had this book many years ago and bought it for fun. have no idea if it will work for the new shoe multi-card' systems. and if it did, i'd never be able to memorize it. just a fun read for old time sake.

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2 people found this helpful

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J. Rogelio
Please read it!
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2014
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase
First, I was not sure if I really wanted to read and learn about gambling techniques. Is important to notice that gambling and trading there's a plethora of books that sell you a five days recipe to learn a "secret" that is going to make you grossly richer than any neighbor of yours. Well, "unfortunately," this book is not about that bothersome crap that rarely works, if they work at all. What you will find in this book is a technique to beat the dealer and fun while learning to do so. I honestly do not think Ed. Thorp's a charlatan, really, he is the real thing. He knows what he was writing almost 50 years ago. In short, this book is a must for anyone interested in gambling and trading, notably, the Kelly Criterion is cited somewhere in the book.

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8 people found this helpful

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Ranchhand
Helpful, but out of date
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2018
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase
When this book was first published, single deck blackjack was a common game in Nevada casinos. However, with the advent of casinos using 7 or 8 decks of cards dealt from a shoe, many of the strategies in this book will not work well. The best point of the book is explaining the "basic strategy" of when to hit, stand, double-down, and split pairs based on the dealer's up card. Following the basic strategy will give the player the best odds, but is no guarantee that the player will beat the dealer.

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26 people found this helpful

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Mark Bailey
It’s a classic
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2023
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is a good book for anyone trying to learn how to count cards. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase.

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Reginald P. Walsh
Too many years of giving way to chance and 'luck' at other games is now gone and thanks to Edward Thorp going to a casino in a f
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I worried that after all the years since he first published this 'masterpiece' if the same rules still apply today. Effectively, he assures us, they do. To know there is a way to actually learn and meet the mental challenge to win at blackjack is a blessing. Too many years of giving way to chance and 'luck' at other games is now gone and thanks to Edward Thorp going to a casino in a few months will be like Voltaire once said enjoying 'the best of all possible worlds.'

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Sottifant
schöne Retro-version
Reviewed in Germany on July 27, 2022
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

Das Buch ist auf alt gemacht und schaut echt schön aus. Die Seiten fühlen sich auch anders an als bei neuen Büchern. Man bekommt echt das Gefühl man hätte das Buch von 1966 in der Hand. Innen zum Raustrennen auch nochmal die Karten um sie überall üben zu können. Er schreibt sehr ausschweifend über sein Leben und Situationen im Casino. Manches kann man heutzutage nicht mehr verwenden, da mit mehr als einem Deck gespielt wird, aber Basic Strategie geht immer.

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Mukesh Chaurasia
A must read for fun and Investing
Reviewed in India on May 19, 2025
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase
If you are interested in investing this should interest you

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O Leitor
Ilusão que produziu um filme
Reviewed in Brazil on March 20, 2024
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase
Livro muito bem escrito para mostrar a ilusão que é o mundo dos jogos de azar. Pouca matemática.

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O Leitor

Ilusão que produziu um filme

Reviewed in Brazil on March 20, 2024
Livro muito bem escrito para mostrar a ilusão que é o mundo dos jogos de azar. Pouca matemática.

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Jason C
small book size, makes it hard to read
Reviewed in Australia on May 23, 2020
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase
the book size is to small and the font size is to small, makes it hard to read. The actual content may be amazing but since its so small i may never bother to read it.

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Rory
Great book, but slightly damaged
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2017
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase
Great book. My book came a little damaged, but anyway, I can still read it. Tells you everything in great depth. Defiantly worth getting

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5.0 out of 5 stars schöne Retro-version

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for fun and Investing

3.0 out of 5 stars Ilusão que produziu um filme

Ilusão que produziu um filme

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2.0 out of 5 stars small book size, makes it hard to read

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but slightly damaged

schöne Retro-version

A must read for fun and Investing

Ilusão que produziu um filme

small book size, makes it hard to read

Great book, but slightly damaged