Dear All,
This is the Foreword that I wrote for a wonderful new blackjack book, Advantage Blackjack: Blackout at the Casino, by Oliver Larsen, published by Huntington Press. The book is currently at the printer and will be available in about two weeks. You may order it here: https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/shop...age-blackjack/
Twice before in my career, for James Grosjean’s seminal work Beyond Counting, and
again, some years later, for Katarina Walker’s equally brilliant treatise, The Pro’s Guide to
Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon, I have had the privilege of writing either the lead “blurb” or
the Foreword for a book that I knew was destined to become an instant classic. And so, it is with
great pride that I now have yet another opportunity to introduce an author, Oliver Larsen, whose
creativity, blackjack acumen, and entertaining writing style will surely captivate the reader and,
more importantly, put extra dollars in the pockets of motivated card counters everywhere.
It's difficult to write a book that can appeal to a wide audience and that covers enough
ground such that the beginner can feel comfortable and not overwhelmed and that yet,
eventually, progresses to introduce cutting-edge, completely original counting techniques and
custom point counts that outperform the time-honored standard bearers in their respective
categories. Larsen’s Blackout Count and A1 Advanced, not to mention the A1 Lite and A1, are
demonstrated winners, designed to produce some of the best results ever achieved by card-
counting systems.
In addition, the author is a devoted student of the game, who ably recounts the most
important historical developments of blackjack research and codifies the pros and cons and
performances of virtually every major system devised for beating the game. His presentations are
delightful to read and his treatments and analyses of the strategies commonly used by blackjack
players around the world are among the best I have ever read.
Kudos, as well, to “Shawnee,” Oliver’s “partner in crime,” and a skillful, veteran player in
her own right. Her keen insights on the game are in evidence in a chapter entitled “Playing the
Part,” and readers would be wise to incorporate as many of her astute suggestions as possible
into their repertoire.
Join me in welcoming Oliver Larsen and Shawnee to the blackjack-writing community, and
enjoy a work that I am quite certain will become not only a valued reference tool but a book that
every aficionado of the game will want to have always on hand.
In addition, this is what Anthony Curtis has written in the current edition of his Las Vegas Advisor:
Our new book, Advantage Blackjack—Blackout at the Casino by Oliver Larsen, is at the printer.
We haven’t said anything about this one up till now to avoid promising a delivery date that we
couldn’t guarantee. But “at the printer” means we’ll have it back and ready to ship this month.
Another blackjack book, you might ask? Heck, I asked that of myself before agreeing to publish
it. But there was too much in this one to turn it down. For starters, Larsen has created a new count
called the Blackout Count—hence the book’s subtitle—that produces a higher return than any
other level-1 count (uses only 1 and -1 as counting tags) on the market, including Hi-Lo. That’s a
pretty big deal and, if I do say so myself, a feather in our cap to be its publisher. He also introduces
the even more powerful (level-2) A1 count. But the inclusion of these counts wasn’t the determining
factor in our taking on Advantage Blackjack.
When it comes to comparisons of count systems, the magnitude of the differences in power is
low and I’ve always been an advocate of using the count that you already know and can play
easily. So there had to be more and there is, starting with the basics of how the game is played
and progressing to advanced techniques, including a woman’s perspective on camouflage writ-
ten by contributing author, Shawnee. Also, an amazing historical account of card-counting systems
includes a listing/categorizing of them that I’ve never seen before in one place. And this book will
always be a desktop reference for me, thanks to a single chart that provides the most handy listing
I’ve ever seen of the effects of rules variations on player advantage.
Different levels of player will benefit differently from this book, but it’s certainly another that
belongs in the collection of any serious blackjack player. See the wrap to order with our pre-pub
discount.
[Don again]. Should you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Don
This is the Foreword that I wrote for a wonderful new blackjack book, Advantage Blackjack: Blackout at the Casino, by Oliver Larsen, published by Huntington Press. The book is currently at the printer and will be available in about two weeks. You may order it here: https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/shop...age-blackjack/
Twice before in my career, for James Grosjean’s seminal work Beyond Counting, and
again, some years later, for Katarina Walker’s equally brilliant treatise, The Pro’s Guide to
Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon, I have had the privilege of writing either the lead “blurb” or
the Foreword for a book that I knew was destined to become an instant classic. And so, it is with
great pride that I now have yet another opportunity to introduce an author, Oliver Larsen, whose
creativity, blackjack acumen, and entertaining writing style will surely captivate the reader and,
more importantly, put extra dollars in the pockets of motivated card counters everywhere.
It's difficult to write a book that can appeal to a wide audience and that covers enough
ground such that the beginner can feel comfortable and not overwhelmed and that yet,
eventually, progresses to introduce cutting-edge, completely original counting techniques and
custom point counts that outperform the time-honored standard bearers in their respective
categories. Larsen’s Blackout Count and A1 Advanced, not to mention the A1 Lite and A1, are
demonstrated winners, designed to produce some of the best results ever achieved by card-
counting systems.
In addition, the author is a devoted student of the game, who ably recounts the most
important historical developments of blackjack research and codifies the pros and cons and
performances of virtually every major system devised for beating the game. His presentations are
delightful to read and his treatments and analyses of the strategies commonly used by blackjack
players around the world are among the best I have ever read.
Kudos, as well, to “Shawnee,” Oliver’s “partner in crime,” and a skillful, veteran player in
her own right. Her keen insights on the game are in evidence in a chapter entitled “Playing the
Part,” and readers would be wise to incorporate as many of her astute suggestions as possible
into their repertoire.
Join me in welcoming Oliver Larsen and Shawnee to the blackjack-writing community, and
enjoy a work that I am quite certain will become not only a valued reference tool but a book that
every aficionado of the game will want to have always on hand.
In addition, this is what Anthony Curtis has written in the current edition of his Las Vegas Advisor:
Our new book, Advantage Blackjack—Blackout at the Casino by Oliver Larsen, is at the printer.
We haven’t said anything about this one up till now to avoid promising a delivery date that we
couldn’t guarantee. But “at the printer” means we’ll have it back and ready to ship this month.
Another blackjack book, you might ask? Heck, I asked that of myself before agreeing to publish
it. But there was too much in this one to turn it down. For starters, Larsen has created a new count
called the Blackout Count—hence the book’s subtitle—that produces a higher return than any
other level-1 count (uses only 1 and -1 as counting tags) on the market, including Hi-Lo. That’s a
pretty big deal and, if I do say so myself, a feather in our cap to be its publisher. He also introduces
the even more powerful (level-2) A1 count. But the inclusion of these counts wasn’t the determining
factor in our taking on Advantage Blackjack.
When it comes to comparisons of count systems, the magnitude of the differences in power is
low and I’ve always been an advocate of using the count that you already know and can play
easily. So there had to be more and there is, starting with the basics of how the game is played
and progressing to advanced techniques, including a woman’s perspective on camouflage writ-
ten by contributing author, Shawnee. Also, an amazing historical account of card-counting systems
includes a listing/categorizing of them that I’ve never seen before in one place. And this book will
always be a desktop reference for me, thanks to a single chart that provides the most handy listing
I’ve ever seen of the effects of rules variations on player advantage.
Different levels of player will benefit differently from this book, but it’s certainly another that
belongs in the collection of any serious blackjack player. See the wrap to order with our pre-pub
discount.
[Don again]. Should you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Don
