Others say...

"Beware of such glowing reviews"
I am a BJ player, and would consider that I know a great deal about strategy, counting etc. but I have not read this book. Why then am I reviewing it, as I obviously cannot comment on the content? Well, I've read the reviews! and what reviews! How can a book about BJ generate such amazing reviews, mainly from people who have not reviewed any other books. This book may or may not be good, but I'd recommend that you don't buy it based on these reviews. Furthermore I'd recommend that you don't buy it purely on the principle that this spam marketing stinks. There are plenty of 'proven' good BJ books out there, buy one of them.

"WELL EXPLAINED "
WELL EXPLAINED FOR ME WHO IS A NOVICE, AND I HAVE USED THE IDEAS IN PRACTICE WITH GOOD RESULTS.

"A great student's textbook to improving your game step-by-step"
I've written very few reviews on Amazon but I thought it was worth my time to give back to Fred Renzey for his great book, Blackjack Bluebook II.

The fact is, the book reads like a high school textbook and that's a really good thing for people that really want to learn. It progressively starts with the basics, as well as simplest ways to tune your play and gradually evolves to more complex methods, going through more advanced strategy and intermediate modifications of play, all the way to a beginner's count. This evolves to an intermediate count and eventually an advanced count that rivals the capabilities of Hi Opt-II and Zen, all on the same foundation that Renzey started with.

What makes the book different from other books I've read is that:
1) It's readable. The book is almost conversational in nature. It's got just enough proof points in it without going all 'Grosjean' on you. (No offense to the mastermind that James Grosjean - another of my heros - is but I'm not the PhD Mathematician that he is, and I suspect, neither are you if you're reading this)
2) It explains why things are important, what the benefit is in terms of the 'percentage edge' you get with every concept you learn, and it gives you concrete visual examples/scenarios with pictures of hands, and a discussion of each.
3) It's evolutionary. Very rarely have I read a book that allows you to stop in the middle of the book and test your skills downstairs in the casino, then later read some more by the pool and learn additional tactics to evolve your game as you master the book's concepts.

What I also found very useful was the section rehearsing certain key hands versus dealer up-cards. Frankly, I think Fred Renzey should create a card deck of 'difficult hands' and sell them has 'flash cards' to people to learn and practice with. It's frankly better than dealing cards yourself on that Southwest flight into LAS. [grin]

I won't blow too much smoke up anyone's butts though: The section on Hand Interaction is a little much. I understand why he put it in there - after all, it appears to be the most opportunistic way to poach good hands at the table. But it takes a fair amount of balls to 'buy people's hands at the table' and 'fill up someone else's double down'. He advertises it as a differentiator for the book being that I'm sure he's correct that no one else has published much on this topic, but still, I don't consider this to be a real value: There's just too much superstition and too many barriers between players at the table to pull off some of the moves he recommends.

That being said, I think his KISS count is pretty damn cool and although I haven't mastered it and still play with another count, his numerical evidence for the strength of the Advanced version of KISS count relative to Uston or more conventional counts is impressive.

If you doubt the "student's text book" nature of Blackjack Bluebook II, consider that he dedicates a page or two to a list of bulletted 1-2 sentence summaries of every key point he's made at the end of each chapter. The only thing he's missing from making this ia true high school textbook is a "Test Your Knowledge" section where he quizzes you on important concepts after each section. [grin]

Renzey's chapter on "15 hands to play incorrectly to camouflage your intellect" has been invaluable. I've been trespassed from two casinos and drawn heat from the eye more times than I can imagine, and I've recently seen pit bosses "drop me as a concern" when I pulled a couple of these hands like a drunk conventioneer. I was just at the New York New York and I think they even thought I had a computer based on the shake I naturally have in my leg but the moment I doubled down on what looked to be a reckless hand and started to play some of these gems, they started to waive off the black suits.

I carry 3 Blackjack books with me whenever I go on a vacation or to Vegas and this is one of them. I consider Fred Renzey one of the people I would someday like to meet and shake hands with. Thank you for improving my play, Fred. Your book is worth much more than $16.50 on the basis of your authoring skills alone.

"The More I Read It, The More I Like It!"
When I bought this book several months ago, I read it
and didn't like it much. It seemed to be too bombastic,
with large, bold fonts and other unorthodox styles.
Serious blackjack books should be more scholarly.

After reading a handful of other BJ books, I returned
to Blackjack Bluebook to find some information, and
ended up reading it again. Gee, this isn't a bad book.
Some of this information is pretty good, and up-to-date.

Then while on vacation a couple weeks ago, I took along
a half-dozen BJ books to review, so I could pick a counting
strategy to learn. And Blackjack Bluebook again came in
very handy. Actually, Mr. Renzey's Mentor count is one of
the few counts on my short list to learn.

The best part of this book is that it starts off with the
very basic strategy(don't all BJ books?) and progresses
through easy, moderate, skilled and on to a professional
count. So you can choose how much you want to learn about
BJ, and pick the best method for you to challenge the casinos.
Let's face it, the casinos don't give money away. You have
to earn it. And, Blackjack Bluebook shows you the path to
profitable BJ play.


"Best Blackjack Book I've Read...."
I enjoy playing Blackjack for entertainment value as well as the chance to make a little cash. After mastering basic strategy, most experts leave you with card counting as the only way to further your game. I'm not a professional gambler, and have no inclination to become one. I've tried counting, and for me, it detracts from the enjoyment of playing the game.

Renzey offers solid, statistically valid options to improve a player's chances at the tables, and he does so at different levels of "committment" by the player. You can choose how much time you want to invest in study and practice, but even the simplest level helps to turn the odds toward your favor. Renzey's more advanced options begin to delve into the card counting realm, but are significantly easier and faster to learn. I find I can still enjoy the "play" as well as the "results."

Hands down, the best Blackjack book I've ever read.