Mason Malmuth's "Blackjack Essays"

Lonesome Gambler

Well-Known Member
#1
I just stumbled upon this book recently and was impressed with some of the concepts that Malmuth talks about. I know it's a bit outdated, but there seems to be much more useable information in there than I expected. Naturally, I found that the most interesting articles were the ones on "Card Domination," which is apparently Malmuth's term for rudimentary shuffle tracking. Do you guys who are familiar with the book feel that there's still any value in his methods? Obviously, not many casinos are using the single-pass shuffle that he describes, but they're out there, and the technique seems surprisingly simple. Opinions?
 
#2
Lonesome Gambler said:
I just stumbled upon this book recently and was impressed with some of the concepts that Malmuth talks about. I know it's a bit outdated, but there seems to be much more useable information in there than I expected. Naturally, I found that the most interesting articles were the ones on "Card Domination," which is apparently Malmuth's term for rudimentary shuffle tracking. Do you guys who are familiar with the book feel that there's still any value in his methods? Obviously, not many casinos are using the single-pass shuffle that he describes, but they're out there, and the technique seems surprisingly simple. Opinions?
Mason's book was a real gem.
His card-domination we now call Cut-Off Tracking
And the other subject revealed 'Consolidation Betting' (aka The Grifter's Gambit)
 

tribute

Well-Known Member
#3
Lonesome Gambler said:
I just stumbled upon this book recently and was impressed with some of the concepts that Malmuth talks about. I know it's a bit outdated, but there seems to be much more useable information in there than I expected. Naturally, I found that the most interesting articles were the ones on "Card Domination," which is apparently Malmuth's term for rudimentary shuffle tracking. Do you guys who are familiar with the book feel that there's still any value in his methods? Obviously, not many casinos are using the single-pass shuffle that he describes, but they're out there, and the technique seems surprisingly simple. Opinions?
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Is this the book that chronicles his experience over several months in Las Vegas? Or was that "Blackjack Autumn"?
 

Sonny

Well-Known Member
#5
tribute said:
Is this the book that chronicles his experience over several months in Las Vegas? Or was that "Blackjack Autumn"?
Several months in Las Vegas was Stuart Perry's "Las Vegas Blackjack Diary". Several months in every casino in Nevada was Barry Meadows' "Blackjack Autumn". I'm not a big fan of Malmuth's blackjack book.

-Sonny-
 

tribute

Well-Known Member
#6
Sonny said:
Several months in Las Vegas was Stuart Perry's "Las Vegas Blackjack Diary". Several months in every casino in Nevada was Barry Meadows' "Blackjack Autumn". I'm not a big fan of Malmuth's blackjack book.

-Sonny-
Thanks for helping me remember. Actually, I was also thinking about Stuart Perry's book, which I enjoyed.
 

Lonesome Gambler

Well-Known Member
#7
Sonny said:
Several months in Las Vegas was Stuart Perry's "Las Vegas Blackjack Diary". Several months in every casino in Nevada was Barry Meadows' "Blackjack Autumn". I'm not a big fan of Malmuth's blackjack book.

-Sonny-
Sonny, what don't you like about Malmuth's book, out of curiosity?
 
#8
Blackjack Essays is a really good, little known, and now dated book. I picked up both consolidation-betting (Grifter's Gambit) and shuffle-cutoff tracking from it... as well as some of the ways to spot a flashing dealer (not found in Beyond BJ). He also covers how to calculate your personal standard deviation, a concept largely ignored by thr BJ orthodoxy. zg
 
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